Lightning strikes a third time as the worlds of contemporary and street art and high watchmaking collide once again. Earlier today, Zenith and Felipe Pantone unveiled their third collaboration. And again, it’s an arresting amalgam of prismatic color and gleaming steel. 

Limited to 100 numbered pieces, the DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Felipe Pantone blends the artist’s bold chromatics with cutting-edge Swiss watchmaking. Encased in a 41mm octagonal stainless-steel frame with a dodecagonal bezel, the watch features an iridescent sapphire dial with micro-engraved patterns and a stunning lightning bolt-shaped tourbillon bridge, finished in metallic rainbow tones. The El Primero 3630 high-frequency automatic movement powers this masterpiece, with a 60-hour power reserve. The watch also boasts interchangeable steel and black rubber straps, emphasizing versatility and ergonomic design. Felipe Pantone’s signature style is evident throughout, from the gradient hour markers and hands to the star-shaped oscillating weight. 

The watch features an iridescent sapphire dial with micro-engraved patterns and a stunning lightning bolt-shaped tourbillon bridge. Courtesy of Zenith 

“It’s a masterpiece of high horology,” the Argentine-Spanish artist said in a statement. “This complex yet minimalist timepiece features stunning details, including the tiny gradient indexes and hands, the mirror ‘Planned Iridescence’ dial and a truly unique bolt shaped tourbillon.”

The ZENITH X Felipe Pantone collaboration arrives in a customized watch box designed by the artist. Courtesty of Zenith

The 2021 launch of the DEFY 21 collaborative series between Zenith and Pantone sold out immediately. The Argentinian-Spanish artist’s love for watches and slick, sci-fi aesthetic sensibility make him the perfect contender for collaborating with Zenith. This latest chapter in the ZENITH X Felipe Pantone collaboration is punctuated with a custom watch box, featuring an iridescent pattern on the inside and an exterior design crafted in the artist’s distinctive style.

Felipe Pantone’s solo show at Underdogs Gallery in Lisbon, Portufal. Image courtesy of the gallery

The watch release is the preamble to a busy week for Pantone. On September 13th, his highly anticipated solo show, “Perceptual Phenomena, Color Spaces, Structural Honesty,” opens at Underdogs Gallery in Lisbon. The exhibition promised a tantalizing journey through light and color with a constellation of polychromatic, geometric structures strung across the gallery.