The team at Time+Tide know how to put on a party. They also know how to design a watch. This latest collaboration with legendary Swiss brand Zenith is a testament to both.
This is the third edition in the Time+Tide x Zenith chronicles. The previous two iterations being the ‘Night Surfer’ and the ‘Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero’ with the name taking direct inspiration from founder Andrew McUtchen’s Australian heritage.
This new release takes the darker stylings of the previous models and cleverly inverts the colour scheme. During the launch event, which I was fortunate enough attend, McUtchen quite aptly quoted Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ – “The night is always darkest just before the dawn”.
Every time I’ve visited the studio, I have always felt welcome, and the launch event was no exception. The space had been beautifully decorated with tropical plants and photos of paradise beaches all centred around the light blue and white colour scheme of the watch. There was a great mix of people in attendance, and it was another reminder of how wonderful this community is as well as the part that Time+Tide play in it for so many of us.
The event also highlighted how far passion can take you. As I’m sure you all know, Time+Tide would be considered ‘new media’, with their focus falling primarily on social media, YouTube and online articles. Historically, large brands have been wary of working with brands in that space, but the fact that Andrew and the team have been able to collaborate with a brand as historically significant as Zenith three times over proves that when you have a shared passion and a vision you can achieve remarkable things.
The collaborations between Zenith and Time+Tide kicked off in 2021 with the Defy Night Surfer which featured a centre seconds hand, skeleton dial and matte titanium case. The second iteration built on this design concept but introduced it in the Defy Skyline series and featured the famous El Primero movement with the 1/10th second sub dial.
Zenith x Time+Tide White Surfer
For me, this latest release truly feels like a gem forged through years of partnership between the brands and their shared passion for watches.
The Zenith x Time+Tide Defy Skyline Skeleton White Surfer features that same El Primero movement. Specifically, the skeletonised calibre 3620 SK which can be viewed through the open dial and sapphire exhibition case back. The key feature of the El Primero is the high beat rate of 5Hz (36,000 vph) which allows you to measure 1/10th of a second.
Thanks to a sub dial at 6 o’clock you can also watch the small seconds hand make a full rotation every 10 seconds which, if you’re anything like me, you might find pretty fun to watch. Despite this high beat rate, the movement still manages to achieve an impressive power reserve of 55-hours.
The movement has been beautifully decorated in sky blue – conjuring up a mental picture of a lake or a beach on a sunny day every time I get the pleasure of looking at it. Even though it lacks what you might think of as a traditional dial, the two collaborating brands have still managed to create something that invokes an extremely strong feeling in me. Though I have stated before that skeleton dials are not my favourite, in this configuration, colour and design I absolutely love it. The lume on this watch is very impressive with the hands, indices, star logo, and skeleton dial pattern all being treated. It’s beautiful to look at.
Forget any first impressions you have based only on its looks, this is no imposter – it’s a true sports watch. The case is water resistant to 100m and is scratch resistant thanks to the use of ceramic. I know some of you reading this will think “Yes Tom, but ceramic shatters under hard impact”. You’d be right, but have you ever actually heard of someone who’s been unfortunate enough to shatter their ceramic watch?
Realistically, if it happened often, it would be the sort of thing you’d see all over your social media feeds. After a quick bit of research, it seems that out of the many tens of thousands of pieces brands receive for servicing each year, only a handful involve ceramic cases that have chipped or cracked. This suggests not only a very low failure rate, but that we should probably start respecting ceramic as a material for sports watches a bit more!
The case is light but well balanced by the weight of the movement. It doesn’t feel overly light on-wrist, but it won’t have any problems comfortably moulding to your wrist either. It is a very comfortable wearing experience. The 41mm case size sits perfectly on me thanks to its very short lugs and the bracelet and strap which angle down sharply as soon as they leave the case.
The watch comes with two strap options: the full white ceramic bracelet as standard as well as a white rubber strap. The watch head works with any strap in the Zenith Defy Skyline range so you can expand your collection that way too. This is thanks to Zenith’s quick release system which requires no tools and works brilliantly. Both strap options are superbly comfortable and high quality – my only gripe is that WatchGecko don’t currently manufacture any straps to fit this system but it’s something that we’ve noted down for future reference.
This is one of only 100 pieces that will ever be produced. Due to that, and the eye-watering £17,700 price tag, it will probably be some time before I get hands on with one of these again.
This watch has proven to me that taste is not based on overarching rules but can just as well be determined on a case-by-case basis. This watch is unlike anything I own or have on my wish list and yet I still find myself becoming emotionally attached to it. Perhaps it’s the culmination of a great watch with a unique design language, created by people that are truly passionate about this industry. Or maybe I’m just lying to myself about being a tool watch lover and deep down I have visions of myself laying on a pontoon boat on a sunny day in Lake Tahoe with the White Surfer on-wrist. Either way, I love this watch and what it represents for customers and the community.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments and whether you think that this piece deserved my top spot for July 2025 releases!
