Our ‘Surfer Trilogy’ is made up of the Zenith x Time+Tide Defy Skyline Skeleton White Surfer Ceramic
Three. The magic number. Think of the most legendary movie franchises: they are mostly trilogies, with the first two films reaching a dramatic conclusion in the third act. And that’s exactly what we at Time+Tide have done, completing the Zenith Surfer Trilogy with our most dramatic collaboration yet, the Zenith x Time+Tide Defy Skyline Skeleton White Surfer Ceramic.
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This trilogy is a labor of love between us and our friends at Zenith. Our first collaboration, the 2021 Defy Classic Skeleton Night Surfer, almost died. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many watchmakers suspending production and furloughing staff, and our home base in Melbourne experiencing one of the world’s harshest lockdowns, our very own Andrew McUtchen travelled to Le Locle, Switzerland, to work with the Zenith team to make this watch a reality. The first Night Surfer was an instant success, landing on the wrists of watch enthusiasts (and even world leaders) around the world. It was a big moment for the Australian media and retail company that started out as a hand-printed magazine circulated in the halls of Baselworld.
Sometimes a sequel isn’t as good as its predecessor, but that’s not the case with our second collaboration with Zenith, the Defy Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero. A perfect blend of two worlds, this watch features Zenith’s legendary El Primero movement and incorporates the mysterious ocean tones that made the first Night Surfer so successful. It’s the Godfather II of watch collaborations… OK, now I’m biased, but that’s okay.
And now, onto Act Three. As their names suggest, the first two Surfer watches were inspired by the romance of surfing Australia’s legendary coastline at night, letting the stars in the night sky illuminate the waves you’re chasing. But the darkest thing is always before the dawn. Australians love waking up early to catch a few waves before dawn, just as we love heading to the beach in the evening for a luxurious night of surfing. Here comes the White Surfer: the perfect summer watch and the perfect end to our love affair with Zenith.
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Let’s start with the White Surfer’s case, as it really is the most distinctive feature of this watch. While our previous two Zenith Surfers were made of understated micro-blasted titanium, the White Surfer is made of brushed white ceramic – the same modern material, but with a very different look on the wrist. This watch is anything but understated: it’s almost blindingly eye-catching and a fitting finishing touch. As Andrew says, “Nothing sets off a wrist like ceramic.”
Oceanic inspiration runs through this watch, too. The sand on Australian beaches is often nearly white and pure. Meanwhile, the ceramic case is made from sand-like zirconium oxide powder that has been subjected to extreme temperatures and pressures. Ceramic is also the perfect material for a sporty watch like the White Surfer. Not only is it extremely light and biocompatible, it’s also extremely scratch-resistant, meaning it won’t be worn away by the bumps of an early morning at the beach. That pure summer white won’t fade either, as the pigment is fused to the ceramic.
The White Surfer follows the dimensions of its titanium-cased sibling, the Night Wanderer El Primero, with a diameter of 41mm, a thickness of 11.6mm and a lug-to-lug distance of 46.3mm. It really does sit majestically on the wrist – a bit roomy due to its one-piece design – but it’s also incredibly light. The first two Night Surfers were also quite light on the wrist, but the White Surfer takes that lightness to a new level.
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The Defy Skyline is made of white ceramic, and its bold silhouette makes it look particularly majestic. With alternating brushed and highly polished surfaces, the base of the dodecagonal bezel is reminiscent of the Zenith Defy from 1969, and its opaline sheen is dazzling. The large screw-down crown, shaped like the Zenith star, is also made from ceramic, as is the caseback. As a watch designed for the beach, it also has a reliable 100-meter water resistance rating, so you’re always ready to take a dip in the ocean. As we Australians like to say, you never regret a swim.
The dial is the most exciting part of this watch, as it’s another area where we’ve deviated slightly from the norm. While the first two Surfers featured a dark blue gradient skeleton dial, the White Surfer opts for a more icy blue, retaining the gradient. The bridges on this watch are noticeably lighter than previous versions, with cobalt blue on top and light glacial blue on the bottom. It’s like waves hitting the beach, with the sea foam staining the water red at the edges. Andrew explained that this is the dark night sky presented in the first two watches, fading to dawn. It’s really refreshing.
To complement these bridges, the mainplate of the movement below is dyed a light blue, a design we’ve first seen on a Zenith watch. Like the Nightwalker El Primero, the White Surfer features a luminescent coating on the top of its bridges. However, unlike its predecessor, the Zenith star on the dial of the White Surfer is made from a single block of Super-LumiNova – a design that dates back to the original Defy Night Surfer, the only time in Zenith’s history that a luminescent star has been introduced.
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Speaking of the movement (which we’ll get to later), there’s an unusual feature on the dial: a tenth-of-a-second indicator at 6 o’clock replaces the traditional small seconds hand. This is a visual reminder that the White Surfer is powered by a high-beat El Primero movement. It’s certainly an odd complication, but I think it symbolizes the lighthearted vibe we were going for with this collaboration. It also maintains the pleasing symmetry of the dial, with the four-pointed and five-pointed star motifs complementing the dodecagonal design of the watch.
In some ways, the most striking choice of straps for the White Surfer is the choice of straps. Firstly, the watch is presented on a brushed white ceramic integrated bracelet that is exceptionally comfortable on the wrist and tapers beautifully to a butterfly clasp. Wearing a watch on a full ceramic bracelet, especially an integrated one, is a real experience – it has an almost jewellery-like quality. The play of light and shadows that the white ceramic bracelet creates is also breathtaking.
But variety is the spice of life, and the White Surfer is also presented on a white rubber strap with a folding clasp. Changing the strap to a rubber strap is also easy thanks to the push-button quick-change system, one of the best in luxury watchmaking today. The rubber strap is perfect for taking the White Surfer into the water and is just as light to wear, while the ceramic strap is something that belongs to movie stars.
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Last but not least, we come to the movement of the White Surfer. Zenith is renowned for its high-beat mechanical movements, and the story of the El Primero movement and its incredible revival is one of the modern legends for us watch lovers. It may not be a chronograph, but the White Surfer is powered by an El Primero movement, specifically the 3620 SK, which boasts a 55-hour power reserve, a silicon escapement, a hacking seconds function, and a 5 Hz frequency. To match the front of the dial, the bridges and rotor of this El Primero have also been redesigned in blue, meaning the back is just as refreshing as the front.
Big collaborations like this are always a moment for reflection. 2025 is proving to be the most monumental year in Time+Tide’s history, as we look to expand our Watch Discovery Studio concept to the world capital of New York City. It’s also a big year for Zenith, as the fan-favorite Swiss company is celebrating its 160th anniversary, which it has celebrated in style to date. We’re honored that our White Surfer is part of the celebrations for a brand that, for us, represents the heart of watchmaking and horological culture.
“It was a huge risk to try a trilogy now after the success of the first two collaborations, but when we saw the prototype of this ‘reversed’ Night Walker in brushed white ceramic, we had to make it happen. The gradient light blue dial is the icing on the cake. The best summer watch ever,” said Andrew. (I couldn’t agree more.)
“This third chapter of our collaboration doesn’t just continue a story, it elevates it. Each edition deepens our creative dialogue, and this new watch is the boldest interpretation of what we’ve accomplished together so far,” added Zenith CEO Benoît de Clerck.
Of course, it’s hard to talk about your own watch without bias. We think this is the best collaboration we’ve had with Zenith so far. It’s a huge step up for us in terms of both size and price, but we think it makes sense. Our community has been very active since we announced that the final chapter of the Zenith trilogy was coming to an end. Many people guessed correctly that it would also be in white ceramic…
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