I don't know when it comes to Zenith watches, the first model that comes to everyone's mind has changed from the retro domineering "TYPE 20" to the avant-garde luxury modern "DEFY Peak" timepiece. With the addition of visual artist Felipe · Pantone in 2020, the zenith DEFY pinnacle is now more than just a showcase of "modern luxury", it also presents a dynamic vision full of artistic color. As the saying goes, human beings are "visual animals", and "color" is the first visual identification, and this unique aesthetic feast has brought a lot of visual impact to similar competitors and even higher-level luxury sports watches.
Visual artist Felipe · Pantone creates imaginative works of art through light, color and dynamic vision, a rich colorist abstract aesthetic that collides with watchmaking to create an infectious spark. Following the collaboration between Felipe· Pantone and Zenith in 2020 to design a monumental painting covering the Manufacture's façade, the two companies have joined forces over the next two years to launch the DEFY Peak 21 Felipe · Pantone Limited Edition, the "Only Watch 2021" charity auction rarity auction of the DEFY Pinnacle 21 Double Tourbillon Sapphire Crystal and the 2022 DEFY Extreme Felipe · Pantone Limited Edition. This year, for the third time, the two companies have launched the new DEFY Pinnacle Tourbillon Skyline Felipe · Pantone Limited Edition, which will be available in a limited edition of 100 pieces from September 12, 2024. (Reference: 03.9301.3630/49.I001)
A real picture of the watch
This year, Zenith continues to reinforce its models with the feature-rich DEFY Pinnacle Skyline, the integrated luxury diver's watch and the Skeleton Skyline white ceramic version with cutting-edge materials, each of which ranks among the most luxurious models in terms of style, detail and pricing. Now, Zenith has once again added one of the three complications to this pioneering collection, the tourbillon function, with the new DEFY Peak Tourbillon Sky, Felipe · Pantone Limited Edition, which the Maison and its artists have taken to the next level with a more artistic approach.
As we can see from the actual shots, the most striking design of the new DEFY Peak Tourbillon Sky Felipe ·Pantone Limited Edition is its illuminating dial: Zenith is equipped with a dial made of sapphire crystal discs with miniature engraved concentric circles, similar to the ripple effect often found in Felipe · Pantone artworks. A closer look at the dial reveals a metallic sheen thanks to a mirror metallic sheen that has been applied to the caseback of the sapphire crystal dial, which gradually deepens from the center to the edges, and the radial gradient of rainbow hues wraps around the circle of notches, like a CD record, and the rainbow of light and shadow can be captured from any angle.
As one of the most artistic tourbillon watches of our time, the new creation is not just a dreamy dial, but also a modern tourbillon mechanism at 6 o'clock, in the · of visual artists Felipe Pantone: the groundbreaking skeleton cage is made up of 56 parts, and the lightning-like design of the tourbillon bridge rotates every 60 seconds, a unique design with a visually distorted style derived from the lightning motif in Felipe · Pantone's artwork, which "lightning" over time Every minute of the bridge's rotation creates a dazzling and colourful vision.
In addition to the "rainbow tourbillon", the rhodium-plated faceted hands and indexes on the dial also shimmer in rainbow colors, and the watchmakers have applied "rainbow" PVD and SLN C1 super luminescent material to echo the overall colour palette. Looking closely at the details of the dial, except for the hour markers at 3, 9 and 12 o'clock, Felipe · Pantone adopts his signature visual distortion style, making the rest of the hour markers and hands into a slightly twisted lightning bolt shape, which is not only very avant-garde and trendy, but also gives the plate a more dynamic beauty, and the subtle visual difference makes the whole plate more vivid.
The diameter is 41 mm
Such an artistic dial is the result of Zenith's signature octagonal stainless steel case of the DEFY Pinnacle collection. Compared to other luxury sports steel watches, the angular lines of the geometric case give the new model a strong and resolute sense of strength, and the one-piece case gradually tightens from the middle to the lugs, and the equally iconic dodecagonal bezel enhances the full, subtle geometric contours of the casehead. The new DEFY Peak Tourbillon Sky Felipe · Pantone Limited Edition has a strong texture, the whole body of the watch is extremely delicate, the side of the watch is polished with satin brushing to reduce the scratch damage of the watch, the edges and corners are polished, and the bezel is also treated alternately with two processes, and the details are fascinating.
Unlike other DEFY Peak models, there is a "clever design" that needs to be noted here. We can see that the four corners of the case are engraved with a letter forming the word "FPT1", which represents the first tourbillon watch (Felipe Pantone Tourbillon #1) of the "Fe·lipe Pantone Pantone Collaboration", which is even more profound.
The one-piece stainless steel bracelet is also finished with satin polishing and polishing to achieve an ergonomic aesthetic for greater wear, and the watch is available with a convenient interchangeable steel bracelet and a black rubber strap that can be quickly changed for different styles.
At the heart of the watch is the El Primero 3630 high-frequency automatic movement, which is based on the El Primero 3600 movement with a tourbillon mechanism and still has a high frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. In terms of performance, the movement has a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound and is water-resistant to 100 metres. Through the caseback, we can see that the star-shaped oscillating weight of the movement is covered with rainbow PVD plating, revealing this unique colour aesthetic both on the dial and on the caseback.
Summary: After shooting on site, the biggest impression I got from the new DEFY Peak Tourbillon Sky Watch Felipe ·Pantone Limited Edition is that it is quite good-looking, moderately sized, and artistically charming, making this watch suitable for both men and women, regardless of the wearer's gender, and is very suitable for young people. Although many friends have questioned its pricing, for such a tourbillon watch with the most fashionable luxury sports style at the moment, its details and status have long risen to the top of the luxury. If you are interested in the strength of the game, you may wish to visit the store to experience it. Price: RMB 496,800