Zenith is expanding its Defy Extreme model family, which it introduced in April this year with three different models as part of the standard collection, with a new desert-inspired version.
The new model, designed in collaboration with the famous nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad, is shaped around "the beauty of dry plateaus and sand mountains," according to Keynejad. The new version, called Desert Edition, comes with a color palette of sandy and brown tones to evoke the extreme desert environment.
The new model comes in a 45mm diameter and 15.40mm high case, like in the previous versions. The dodecagonal bezel and chronograph pusher guards accompanying the matte titanium case are produced from Falcon's Eye, a blue-gray opaque macrocrystalline quartz gemstone named after the bird of prey that has accompanied desert nomads for centuries. The case, which has scratch-resistant sapphire crystals on both sides, is waterproof up to 200 meters with the help of the screw-down crown.
On the upper part of the translucent sapphire crystal dial designed following the theme, there is a sand-colored module for the sub-dials and the power reserve indicator. Rhodium-plated appliqué hour markers and baton hands accompanying the dial, with the help of beige Super-LumiNOVA phosphor filling, offer sufficient legibility in almost any environment.
The new model is powered by the Caliber El Primero 9004 movement. The automatic movement, which includes two different escapements, timekeeping (5Hz/36,000vph) and 1/100-second chronograph (50Hz/360,000vph), and a power reserve indicator, offers a power reserve time of up to 50 hours when fully wound.
The model, limited to only 50 pieces, comes with a titanium bracelet secured by a folding clasp. The box set of the model includes a black Velcro and a sand beige rubber strap. All options can be disassembled and reassembled in seconds, thanks to the brand's patented quick strap changing system. The list price for the model is CHF 21,900.
