2019 Zenith Defy Classic Complete Set!

Zenith Defy Classic Skeleton — Ref. 95.9000.670/78.M9000

DISCONTINUED — ~2022 (introduced BaselWorld 2018; replaced by updated Defy Classic references in Zenith's current lineup)
Most skeleton watches ask you to choose between seeing the movement and wearing a practical daily watch. This reference refuses the choice. The Elite 670 SK is openworked and becomes the dial — the architecture of the bridges, the oscillation of the balance wheel, the rotation of the gear train are all visible through the sapphire crystal — and Zenith houses that movement in a titanium case that carries 100 meters of water resistance, which is roughly double what most skeleton watches offer and enough to genuinely swim in. The entire package weighs almost nothing. Titanium runs approximately 40% lighter than stainless steel, and at 41mm by 10.75mm the Defy Classic sits in a dimensional envelope comparable to the Omega Aqua Terra while wearing like a watch a full size class smaller. The blue minute track around the dial's perimeter is the single color accent against the grey-toned skeleton architecture, and it's what keeps the watch from reading as purely mechanical or industrial — it adds just enough warmth to make the openworked dial feel intentional rather than clinical.
The movement itself carries a detail worth knowing: the Elite 670 SK uses a silicon pallet lever and escape wheel, which is a material upgrade that most brands reserve for their top-tier calibers. Silicon doesn't require lubrication at the escapement, is immune to magnetic fields at that point in the gear train, and maintains its geometry over decades without the wear that conventional metal components accumulate. The 28,800 vph frequency, 27 jewels, and approximately 50-hour power reserve are traditional specs, but the silicon escapement means this movement will hold its accuracy and service intervals longer than its predecessors. The exhibition caseback doubles the viewing angle — skeleton from the front, full movement display from the back — and the titanium bracelet with its faceted, angular link design matches the contemporary Defy case architecture that deliberately distances itself from every round-and-polished dress watch on the market.
Key Details

• Case diameter: 41 mm
• Case thickness: 10.75 mm
• Lug-to-lug: ~45.3 mm
• Lug width: 22 mm
• Weight: not officially listed (titanium on rubber in the same case weighs ~75 g; bracelet version is heavier)
• Case material: titanium, brushed
• Crystal: sapphire, scratch-resistant (front and back)
• Water resistance: 100 m / 330 ft / 10 bar
• Caseback: transparent/exhibition (sapphire)
• Bezel: fixed, brushed titanium
• Crown: pull/push (not screw-down)
• Dial: skeleton/openworked with blue minute track/flange
• Hands: rhodium-plated, luminous
• Hour markers: rhodium-plated applied indexes, luminous
• Date: displayed at 6 o'clock through a cut-out disc over white dot
• Caliber: Zenith Elite 670 SK (in-house, skeletonized)
• Movement type: self-winding automatic
• Frequency: 28,800 vph / 4 Hz
• Jewels: 27
• Components: 187
• Power reserve: ~50 hours
• Escapement: silicon pallet lever and escape wheel
• Certification: Zenith in-house testing (no external chronometer certification)
• Bracelet: titanium, brushed, faceted angular link design
• Clasp: deployment with push-button release