zEniTH

THE EVOLUTiOn OF a sTYLE

Sharmila Bertin

A few years ago, watchmaking terminology integrated a word that has now become commonplace, far removed from its original definition, to qualify a timepiece whose personality makes an impression so powerful that it transcends time: icon. Watches that embrace the intrinsic qualities of this sort of description – “ages well”, is perfectly in tune with the times yet never sells its soul, persists but never gets boring, pursues its status as a desirable object, is an ambassador of style – are few and far between, even though they’re the focus of attention for a majority in the business. Occasionally, the icon disappears for a few years even decades, tucked away in the archives or in the corner of the mind, then hits the stage again, more powerful than ever. And, occasionally,

it continues to express itself through an existence overflowing with variations, it embodies the beginning of a brand new story. Rules and laws don’t really exist but avenues to explore do, something that Zenith does with incredible intelligence. Over the past five years, the manufacture based in Le Locle has dazzled through perfect performance that deserves a standing ovation. Whenever a new piece is launched, creative effervescence is tangible whether it’s in “Revival” models, these reissues that root Zenith’s heritage in the present day, in state-of-theart pieces such as the Defy Extreme or great success stories like in the Chronomaster Sport, unveiled in 2021 and that everybody wants to get their hands on.

"wE managEd TO kEEp TO THE prOpOrTiOns OF THE TimE, EVEn bY cHanging THE mOVEmEnT. "

in 1969, THE dEFY was THE FirsT-EVEr waTcH TO bOasT an OcTagOnaL-sHapEd casE.

As this year dawned, it goes without saying that impatience reigned supreme pending the chapter-tocome, as the firm ensured temperatures would rise with their teaser buzzes on social media. Then, on 17 January, the curtain opened on a spectacular reedition, the Defy Revival A3642. “We’d expressed ourselves immensely on El Primero and iconic models such as the A384, A385 and A385 that we’ve reissued in our Revival programme since 2019 and the time was ripe for us to move on to another story, to open another door, this time round for Defy, our other flagship collection, and go back to an avant-garde design” states Romain Marietta, Zenith Products Development & Heritage Director. On his wrist, a Defy from 1969, firstever octagonal watch imagined long before this geometric shape became fashionable and instigator of the Defy collection. What’s more, it was with this model that the “i” would become a “y” because George Favre-Jacot (1843-1917), the founder back in 1865 of the future Zenith, had registered the name in 1902. “He already had the audacious idea of having pieces boasting a name that conjured up the function, a challenge, “défi” in French, for precision, sturdiness, to create watches as sturdy as possible. In 1969, this vowel change corresponded to a goal of becoming an international firm and, today, Defy’s sturdiness is obvious in the modern-day, sandwich development of the cases and the high frequency of the movements that beat faster and are, as such, more resistant to shocks” explains Romain Marietta.

The Defy Revival A3642, available in just 250 pieces, was reproduced based on the original design plans and Romain Marietta specifies that: “We managed to keep to the proportions of the time, the work carried out by our predecessors, even by changing the movement as we switched from a calibre 2552 that beat at 21,600 vibrations an hour, the ancestor of the Elite introduced in 1994, to the Elite 670 beating at 4 Hz and offering a power reserve of 50 hours. It wouldn’t have made sense to keep the same movement. We wanted to modernize it without altering it”. And, it’s true, when the two watches are placed side by side, the differences are mainly in the virtually-invisible details: the glass now a sapphire crystal inviting to admire the star-shape-crafted oscillating weight, the transparent instead of solid caseback, and the Super-LumiNova® that replaces the tritium. For the rest, the piece keeps its sporty look that would shake up the codes in the Seventies and continues to fascinate to date. Its nickname “strongbox” or “safe” comes from its 37 mm-diameter hexagonal case, featuring a 14-sided bezel and a screwed crown, and hermetic enough to withstand immersions down to depths of 300 m. In addition to its silhouette that sparks admiration, its face is a real eye-catcher. In 1969, the dials known as “smoked” with their gradient-toned colour, a taupe hue for Defy, were really rare. The applique, ribbed indexes, the swordshaped hour and minute hands and the direct-drive tipped with a luminescent triangle enhance the relief-worked architectural aspect of the ensemble.

wiTH iTs rEdEsignEd LinEs, THE dEFY skYLinE diFFUsEs a VErsaTiLE, spOrTY YET cLassic sTYLE.

This reissue explains the natural evolution launched a week later: the new Defy Skyline, equipped with the automatic El Primero calibre (5 Hz and a power reserve of 60 hours). “The direct link between the two is their angular shape composed of a special 14-sided bezel in the case of the first watch that we reduced to 12 for the second watch. The 14 sides add a vintage touch whilst the 12 sides, already found on the Defy Extreme, are visually more in harmony as each is opposite an index” reveals Romain Marietta. With its redesigned lines, the Defy Skyline diffuses a versatile, sporty yet classic style, depending on whether it’s worn on a textured rubber strap or a steel link bracelet, both interchangeable in two clicks, literally. “We also rethought the flow of the bracelet” continues Romain Marietta “so that it would be suitable for as many wrists as possible, and always with the spirit of being unisex in mind”. Even the finest wrists can take on its 41 mm-diameter, 11.60 mm-thick case comfortably thanks to the work carried out on the watch’s overall wearer-friendliness. As regards stylistics, the Defy Skyline’s sunburst dial is superb with its exclusive pattern made up of tiny stars positioned to form a checkerboard. At 9 o’clock, the recessed 1/10th of a second counter complements the central hands that hover over facetted indexes, all coated with Super-LumiNova®. Three shades are proposed for the moment: blue, black and silver. We can’t wait to discover what’s coming next!