ZENITH x USM: When Watchmaking Meets Reflective Design for TimeForArt 2026
A mirror-polished dial, the unmistakable geometry of the DEFY Chronograph, and a unique piece of modular furniture come together in a collaboration that connects Swiss watchmaking with contemporary design.
Some collaborations bring together two names. Others reveal a shared philosophy. For ZENITH and USM Modular Furniture, the connection lies in a long-standing appreciation for precision, engineering, and purposeful design. Their latest creation, the DEFY Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece, takes this relationship in a new direction, with a distinctive mirror-polished dial created exclusively for TimeForArt.
Following their first collaboration in September 2025, the two Swiss brands return with a singular interpretation of the DEFY Chronograph USM. Created for the benefit auction supporting Swiss Institute, the unique timepiece will be accompanied by a specially designed USM Haller furniture piece, extending the collaboration beyond the wrist.
A Shared Heritage of Design and Engineering
The story behind the collaboration reaches back to two important moments in Swiss design and watchmaking history.
USM’s modular furniture system was patented in 1965, establishing the engineering principle behind its adaptable furniture designs. Four years later, in 1969, ZENITH introduced the original DEFY alongside the El Primero, its groundbreaking automatic high-frequency chronograph.
Although their disciplines differ, both brands share an interest in combining technical ingenuity with distinctive design. That common ground inspired their first collaboration in 2025, which brought together the angular architecture of the 1969 DEFY and the El Primero chronograph movement, incorporating subtle visual references to the USM Haller system.
For TimeForArt 2026, the partnership builds on that foundation with a striking change to the watch’s dial.
A Mirror-Polished Dial That Reflects Its Surroundings
The defining feature of the DEFY Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece is its fully mirror-polished dial. Replacing the colourful dials of the original collaboration, the reflective surface interacts with its surroundings, responding visually to light, architecture, and movement.
The effect gives the watch a changing appearance depending on the environment in which it is viewed.
Adding colour to this reflective canvas are three overlapping azuré chronograph counters, complemented by four coloured prints and hands inspired by USM’s signature palette: USM Golden Yellow, USM Pure Orange, USM Green, and USM Gentian Blue. Together, these four colours appear on a single dial for the first time in the collaboration.
The result brings together a highly reflective surface and precise, colourful detailing without losing the defining character of the DEFY Chronograph USM.
The DEFY Chronograph: Familiar Geometry, Precise Mechanics
Beyond its distinctive dial, the watch retains the essential design codes of the original DEFY Chronograph USM.
Its 37 mm stainless-steel case features the collection’s angular geometry and fourteen-sided bezel, paired with a stainless-steel ladder bracelet. At the tip of the central chronograph seconds hand, a miniature USM Haller ball joint provides a discreet reference to the modular furniture system that inspired the partnership.
Inside the case is the El Primero 400, ZENITH’s automatic high-frequency column-wheel chronograph calibre. Operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, or 5 Hz, the movement offers a 55-hour power reserve.
The watch displays hours and minutes centrally, with small seconds at nine o’clock. Its chronograph functions include a central chronograph hand, a 30-minute counter at three o’clock, and a 12-hour counter at six o’clock. A date indication is positioned at 4:30.
Additional details include rhodium-plated hour markers and faceted rhodium-plated hour and minute hands coated with Super-LumiNova SLN C1. The central chronograph seconds hand is finished in USM Gentian Blue and tipped with the miniature USM Haller ball joint.
The movement also features a silicon escape wheel and lever, a screwed-in crown, and an oscillating weight decorated with a Côtes de Genève motif and bearing the ZENITH and USM logos. The watch has a water resistance rating of 10 ATM.
Beyond the Watch: A Unique USM Haller Creation
The collaboration extends into the world of collecting with a one-of-a-kind mirrored USM Haller sideboard designed specifically for this project.
The furniture piece incorporates a storage compartment capable of holding up to 24 watches. A glass top displays the first layer of the collection, while a lockable compartment beneath opens to reveal a drawer containing a second layer of storage.
Combining display and practical storage, the sideboard translates USM’s modular design language into a setting dedicated to watch collecting. Its mirrored finish also establishes a visual connection with the watch’s reflective dial.
Together, the timepiece and furniture piece form a unified design project that brings horology and modular furniture into the same conversation.
TimeForArt 2026: Supporting Contemporary Art
The DEFY Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece has been created for the third edition of TimeForArt, the benefit watch auction organized by Swiss Institute in partnership with Phillips.
In 2026, the initiative brings together 25 participating watch brands, each invited to create a unique timepiece in support of contemporary art.
The ZENITH and USM creation will be auctioned at Phillips New York on December 5, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST. One hundred per cent of the proceeds, including Phillips’ Buyer’s Premium, will benefit Swiss Institute and support its exhibitions, public programs, education initiatives, and community engagement.
This charitable purpose gives the collaboration a significance beyond its singular design. The watch and its accompanying furniture piece have been conceived not only as expressions of shared creative values, but also as contributions to an initiative supporting contemporary art.
A Unique Expression of Swiss Creativity
With the DEFY Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece, ZENITH and USM revisit their shared design heritage through a new material expression. The mirror-polished dial changes with its surroundings, the four-colour details reference USM’s distinctive palette, and the miniature ball joint connects the watch to the furniture system at the heart of the collaboration.
Complemented by a bespoke mirrored USM Haller sideboard, the project brings together watchmaking, furniture design, and collecting in a single, unique creation.
Designed for TimeForArt 2026, it stands as a continuation of the partnership between two Swiss brands whose histories intersect through engineering, precision, and design, while contributing to the support of contemporary art.
Timepiece: ZENITH DEFY Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece
Reference: 03.A780.400-T/01.M3642
Case: 37 mm stainless steel
Movement: El Primero 400 automatic chronograph
Frequency: 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz)
Power reserve: 55 hours
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Auction: Phillips New York, December 5, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST
Beneficiary: Swiss Institute