Following Zenith’s revival of its pilot’s line last year, this year sees another revival in the form of the new Defy Extreme Diver. As with the brand’s pilot’s watches, the diver’s watch has a long history at Zenith – a 55-year history to be precise, as the first Defy A3648 diver’s watch appeared in 1969. In addition to the new Defy Extreme Diver, which is a modern interpretation of the original diver’s watch, Zenith is also launching a vintage version with the Defy Revival A3648.
In the new Defy Extreme Diver, Zenith has retained the characteristic angular case with the dodecagonal bezel, although the modern version is in titanium and has a diameter of 42.5 mm. The case has a helium valve to release helium gas, which can occur during decompression and cause damage. Above the dodecagonal bezel is a unidirectional rotating bezel made of ceramic with grooves, making it easy to adjust even when wearing gloves. The rotating bezel is coated with Super-Luminova for better readability in the depths of the sea. The screw-down crown is fitted with a titanium crown guard.
In keeping with its historical role model, the new Defy Extreme Diver is also water-resistant to 600 metres and meets the requirements of ISO 6245 for professional divers’ watches, ISO 764 for paramagnetism, and ISO 1413 for shock resistance.
The dial is engraved with the four-pointed stars familiar from the modern Defy watches from Zenith. The metal dials are available in black or blue and are decorated with a sunburst pattern whose rays emanate from the applied Zenith star at 12 o’clock. The date display is located at 3 o’clock and is colour-coordinated with the dial. The large hands and hour markers are coated with Super-Luminova X1 in three different shades of blue, green and orange.
The new Defy Extreme Diver is powered by the El Primero 3620-SC automatic calibre – a high-frequency oscillator that was developed and produced in-house. A paramagnetic escapement was chosen for the new diver’s watch, which consists mainly of non-metallic silicon. The movement is visible through the open caseback – which is rather unusual for a diver’s watch – and offers a power reserve of 60 hours.
The new Defy Extreme Diver is worn on a three-link titanium bracelet. Two additional straps made of rubber and recycled fishing nets are included. Price: 11,800 euros.
In addition to the modern interpretation of one of Zenith’s first diver’s watches, the manufacture is also launching a retro version of its diving watch, the Defy Revival A3648. True to the original, it has a stainless-steel case with a diameter of 37 mm. The characteristic 14-sided stainless-steel bezel is located above the round bezel. The rotating bezel has the same black markings on a bright orange background as the historical model, but on a sapphire crystal insert instead of Plexiglas.
The retro model is also water-resistant to a depth of 600 metres, which corresponds to 1,969 feet, the year in which the Defy line was first launched. The open caseback allows a view of the Elite 670 automatic manufacture movement with a 50-hour power reserve. The Defy Revival A3648 is worn on a five-link stainless-steel bracelet with a folding clasp. Price: 8,000 euros.
Both the Defy Extreme Diver and the Defy Revival A3648 are now available in all Zenith boutiques and from authorised Zenith retailers worldwide. The Revival model can also be purchased online.
