From the summery chic of white ceramic to the enticements of retro-style designs, the latest Defy watches from Zenith are an exercise in horological democracy
In a business where taking the less-trodden path is often discouraged, Zenith takes pride in upsetting the watchmaking hegemony. Be it its founder Georges Favre-Jacot’s pioneering drive towards large-scale production at a time when watch making was based on a network of small cottage businesses or the brand’s epochal innovations in the fields of chronographs that remain unmatched to this day, Zenith has been challenging the status quo for the past 159 years. It is little wonder, then, that Zenith was just as apt at naming its watches to project a subversive spirit. Case in point: the Defy A3642.
Launched in 1969, the watch looked ahead of its time, sporting an unusual multifaceted case and a special ladder- style bracelet. However, the curious aesthetic belied its old-school, workhorse-like performance. Incredibly robust and water-resistant to 300m, the early Defy watches were even put through insane field tests, such as being strapped on a motorcycle’s wheel spokes during a speed contest at Wembley Stadium in 1971.
Today’s Defy watches, while more dressed up, have lost none of the collection’s appetite for adventure. To appreciate what it was like, however, the new Defy Revival A3648 serves as a blast from the past.
A remake of the Reference A3648, Zenith’s first dive watch, the Defy Revival A3648 encapsulates the zeitgeist of the times. From the 37mm case with a 14-sided bezel and the bezel’s black- orange colour combination to its 600m water resistance, this homage edition is exacting and heartfelt. Naturally, though, the watch features a modern movement— the in-house Elite 670 automatic calibre with a 50-hour power reserve—to ensure its performance standards are up to par with today’s requirements.
The Defy Extreme Diver, on the other hand, flips the page on Zenith’s dive watch legacy. Crafted in tough but lightweight titanium, the watch is a testosterone-charged version of its forebears. An ISO-certified dive watch, its upsized 42.5mm case comes with a helium escape valve made for saturation diving, a tactile and corrosion- resistant ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel to mark remaining dive times, and hands and markers coated in Super-LumiNova for optimum legibility. Like the Defy Revival A3648, the Defy Extreme Diver is also water resistant to 600m— though based on appearance alone, we’d be more partial to taking the latter for a dip.
Away from the nautically inspired roll-outs, the new Defy Skyline Chronograph and Defy Skyline Skeleton offer technically sophisticated and stylish alternatives to fans of the collection.
Looking chic and mechanically elevated in equal measure, the Defy Skyline Skeleton is presented for the first time in a white ceramic case. The case’s sharp lines and angular silhouette are beautifully rendered in pristine high-tech ceramic using a state-of-the-art moulding process—not an easy feat compared to making regular metal cases.
Paired with a white rubber strap, the immaculate hue complements the skeletonised dial. Offering a peek into the similarly skeletonised automatic movement underneath (the high- frequency El Primero 3620 SK with 1/10th of a second indicator), the openworked dial’s electric blue sheen appears to change colour as it catches the light, lending a sensuous quality to the watch’s sculptural aesthetic.
If you desire an option that has the best bits of Zenith in one package, however, the Defy Skyline Chronograph is your best bet. The watch is powered by Zenith’s legendary El Primero automatic chronograph movement, a pair-up that has taken more than 50 years to realise.
But the Defy Skyline Chronograph is worth the wait. Brandishing the collection’s unmistakable case profile, the watch runs on the El Primero 3600. An upgrade on the iconic El Primero 400 (the original high-frequency automatic chronograph that Zenith introduced in 1969), the El Primero 3600, which debuted in 2021, boasts a similar frequency rate of 36,000 vibrations per hour. However, this movement is made with fewer (but more mechanically advanced) components and stores more power reserve at 60 hours.
Falling neatly into the luxury sports watch category, the Defy Skyline Chronograph is comfortably hefty in its 42mm steel case, suitably versatile with a smart-casual disposition, and offers a variety of fail-safe dial options in blue, black and beige. One might even argue that it is a grown-up version of the Defy. You wouldn’t be wrong, though. And truth be told, it is rather cool to see an adult who relishes going against the grain.
This story first appeared in the August 2024 issue. Purchase it as a print or digital copy, or consider subscribing to us here
