Zenith Launch Defy Skyline Tourbillon 160th Anniversary Edition in Full Rose Gold

20215 is Zenith’s 160^th anniversary and so far, we’ve already seen a fleet of celebratory watches that includes G.F.J and more recently a lapis edition of the Defy Zero G. So far blue has been the signature colour of the year but that’s set to change with the launch of the Zenith Defy Skyline Tourbillon 160^th anniversary edition in rose gold and brick red.

The watch is a tribute to Zenith’s historic manufacture building in Le Locle, Switzerland. The red colour of the starry dial is based on the brickwork of the building, giving it that rich fired clay appearance. It’s finished with sunray brushing that burst radially from the tourbillon at 6 o’clock, following the arc of the four-pointed stars. It makes for a dramatic difference in comparison to the blue and black dials of the existing Defy Skyline Tourbillon, being the first warm tone in an otherwise cool collection.

That warmth makes its way to the case as well as it’s the first Skyline in full rose gold, giving the collection a precious metal makeover. It looks fantastic, with the combination of brushed and polished surfaces really making the facetted case and integrated bracelet come to life. There is a strong heritage of sports chic watches in the same archetype as the Defy being produced in gold, such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. They are the prestigious counterparts to their more practical steel variants. After all, (while the Defy is perhaps not quite on the level of the AP or PP) these are watches that are already regarded as status symbols so why not make them from a material to match?

The gold of the case here is paired with matching hands, hour markers and tourbillon architecture. A tourbillon, if you happen to be unfamiliar (which I somehow doubt given you’re reading Oracle Time), is a mechanism that allows the balance spring of a watch to rotate on its axis. This serves the purpose of keeping the spring in motion in relation to the direction of gravity even if it is held in the same position, increasing its isochronism – Zenith also tackle this issue with the Zero G. While tourbillons don’t rotate at a universal rate, many watchmakers design them to rotate once every 60-seconds because it allows them to serve double purpose as a small seconds subdial – which is what Zenith have done here as noted by the small dot on one of the tourbillon arms that serves as the seconds hand.

Powering the tourbillon is the El Primero 3630 automatic movement, which was introduced in the original Defy Skyline Tourbillon models. It has a 60-hour power reserve and as part of the El Primero line, operates at a hi-beat 5Hz frequency. It’s visible through the exhibition caseback where you can admire the openworked rotor and radial Geneva stripes finishing.

While this does ultimately amount to a reskin of the standard tourbillon model, it makes a huge visual difference to the piece. It’s vibrant and impressive instead of the normal quasi-industrial vibe of a steel integrated bracelet design. Plus, it manages to pay tribute to the brands 160^th anniversary without going over the top on sentimentality. Though the full gold construction does make it the most expensive version to date at £84,100.

More details at Zenith.