The 2022 edition of LVMH Watch Week kicks off today and all the brands under the LVMH umbrella will be showing off their latest creations as a part of the virtual watch show. Zenith had reintroduced the Defy Extreme into its line-up in 2021 and the watch brand has revealed a brand new iteration of the timepiece for this year. The chunky, bold watch was created as a part of the brand’s partnership with the Extreme E all-electric off-road racing series that takes place in some of the most rugged and challenging locations on this planet. Various design elements of the watch have been specially created keeping the extreme challenges of the off-road racing series in mind. The Zenith Defy was born in 1969 as a collection of sporty, rugged watches with distinctive designs; however, the newest offering in the line-up is in stark contrast with its vintage predecessors. The imposing watch with a 45mm case that measures 16mm-thick is the first-ever Defy Extreme model in carbon fiber.
The matte forged carbon fiber and titanium case has a very in-your-face appearance which is not for everyone. The idea was to create a watch that could withstand the punishment of rally racing. The bezel, like the rest of the case, has a layered two-piece design, with the round smooth inner bezel made of carbon fiber and a 12-sided ring in micro bead-blasted titanium. The wedge-shaped crown guards make the watch look muscular by adding more visual heft to the design. Like the previous iteration, the new Zenith Defy Extreme has a fully skeletonized dial design with a transparent sapphire dial surface. The timekeeping hands and the hour markers are board-shaped while the use of bright colors adds contrast to the monochrome theme of the watch.
Powering the new Zenith Defy Extreme is the familiar in-house El Primero 9004 automatic chronograph movement, which can be found in many of Zenith’s high-end chronographs that have come over the past few years. Thanks to its two escapements beating at 36,000 bph for the hours and minutes tracking and 360,000 bph for the chronograph complication, the mechanical movement can track 1/100-second intervals. It offers a respectable 50 hours of power reserve. The Zenith Defy Extreme comes with a trio of straps, which includes a durable integrated black fabric strap with a raised central ridge in black rubber and a Velcro fastening system. There’s also a scarlet red rubber integrated strap that can be seen in the pictures. The sporty watch is available now through authorized dealers and is priced at $25,100.
