I love the Zenith Defy. I never miss an opportunity to tell people that it’s my favorite sports watch line of all time. I’m guessing that I’ve had a version of this conversation so many times over the years that my colleagues and watch-friends can feel it coming at this point. I can sense that eye roll is not far behind me going over once again how the Defy has always represented the ideal meeting place between the avant-garde and true sports watch engineering. Look, I make no apologies. If you can’t see that the Defy has been a subtle influence on everything from the Royal Oak to the most generic Rolex sports watches, well, stay tuned for my long threatened multi-part solo podcast series unpacking my personal obsession with these watches.
One of the things that has always fascinated me about the Defy is how it can be anything. The watches in this collection have never fit neatly into a specific mold, and unlike, say, the Rolex Submariner, which has basically looked like the same watch since its debut, the Defy has always been a shapeshifter. The only thing steady about the design has been that it could always morph and change into something radical and different, and often something that is not to everyone’s taste (even longtime fans of the collection). That’s basically what’s been on my mind since learning of the new Zenith Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli, a maximal take on the sports watch that latches on to some current trends.
This is a Defy Extreme, so it’s already part of the most technically and design forward subsets of the larger Defy collection. The Defy Extreme pieces have bold, angular case architecture built on a 45mm platform that insists the “big watch trend” of years gone by never actually ended. The Extreme itself is a throwback of sorts. While it’s not officially an extension of the old “Defy Xtreme” watches of the Thierry Nataf era, anyone who has been tracking the brand over the last twenty years can easily see the relationship between them, particularly when the new Extreme pieces are at their most brazen. Because that’s really what it’s all about, even if the watches don’t share an aesthetic sensibility. This is Zenith without any guardrails.
Anyway, back to the watch at hand. As the name suggests, this Defy Extreme prominently features lapis lazuli, a texture rich stone that has always been a favorite in watchmaking applications, and has seen a significant resurgence in the last few years as brands have more fully embraced stone dials across all price points. Like many other Defy Extreme pieces, this one features an open dial with the movement visible below a plate of lapis housing the chronograph scales. The movement, of course, is the El Primero 9004, which features a 1/100th of a second scale, which frankly seems faster than the reaction time of a typical human being that might be operating the thing. Still, it’s an impressive mechanical accomplishment even if the use cases are marginal.
I think the area that might have some raising an eyebrow at this latest piece is the gold accents on the stainless steel case. It’s actually a fairly restrained execution, with yellow gold accents on the bezel and case flank protecting the chronograph pushers. The gold motif is held through to the dial, where the hands are in a matching tone. The issue for some will likely be how the use of gold on a watch of this size naturally exacerbates its impact. There’s just nothing subtle about it, even though we can surely all imagine a situation where gold is used even more ostentatiously. You could also argue that it takes away from the impact of the lapis dial, rather than complementing it, but that will largely be a subjective take based on your own affinity or lack thereof for either material.
Something that Zenith has been doing recently with their higher end sports watches that they deserve a lot of credit for is providing plenty of options when it comes to straps. The best example of this is the Extreme Diver watches, which feature a bracelet, rubber strap, and a fabric pass through strap. The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli follows that trend with an included steel bracelet, a black rubber strap, and a black Velcro strap.
The other note on this watch that’s worth pointing out is that while the use of lapis lazuli here is certainly in line with current trends across the industry, it also feels like a continuation of something we’ve seen from Zenith all year. Their big release at Watches & Wonders, the G.F.J. (which was just honored at this year’s GPHG ceremony with the chronometry prize) features a great execution of lapis on the main dial in a watch meant to celebrate the brand’s anniversary with what has come to be thought of as its signature color. We also saw a Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar with a lapis dial unveiled earlier this year. The new Defy Extreme feels like it’s in conversation with both of those watches.
The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli is a limited edition of 50 pieces. The retail price is $33,900. Zenith
