The astonishingly light new Zenith Extreme in carbon fibre is dedicated to electric rally racing.
Precise timekeeping housed in an absolute fortress – essentially the origin story for the iconic Zenith Defy. The inception of the name Defy dates back 120 years to 1902 with the original “Defi” line of rugged pocket-watches, which later inspired the Swiss luxury watchmaker to keep the same robust spirit alive in a line of wristwatches in 1969 named DEFY.
Fast forward to 2021, the Defy Extreme is launched, the most angular and boldest of its automatic high-frequency chronographs to date, with the ability to count down to a groundbreaking 1/100th of a second.
The newest super sporty iteration of the Defy Extreme comes in a carbon fibre case, a high-performance ultra-durable material used for the first time in this range, as a nod to the highly technical world of motor racing.
This is in keeping with Zenith’s role as Official Timekeeper and Founding Partner of Extreme E, the world’s first off-road electric rally racing championship. The visually striking palette of bright yellows, blues, and greens is also inspired by the “X Prix” colour schemes adapted for each race.
The timepiece is accompanied by three interchangeable quick-change straps: a black textured rubber strap with a microblasted titanium folding buckle, a red textured rubber strap and a black Velcro strap with a carbon fibre buckle.
Powering this extraordinary timekeeping machine is the fastest automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre, the El Primero 9004 automatic, which offers 1/100th of a second time measurements, and two escapements beating at 5Hz (36’000 VpH) for the timekeeping part and 50Hz (360’000 VpH) for the chronograph.
Images courtesy of Zenith, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related links:
Zenith Defy Midnight: Cosmic Kismet
Zenith: Defying the Boundaries
