DUAL PERFORMANCE
Coinciding with the release of the much-awaited new Defender, the manufacture from Locle and its partner, the British vehicle manufacturer, have designed a watch inspired by the famous SUV.
Whenever two legends meet, with each working in their respective field of predilection, the result can only be but creative fireworks such as seen through the new Defy El Primero 21 Land Rover Edition designed by Zenith hand-in-hand with Land Rover and unveiled during the recent LVMH Watch Week in Dubai. The launch of this special edition, limited to 250 pieces, coincides, give or take a few days, with the much-awaited return of the Defender, the British vehicle manufacturer’s sine-qua-non SUV. In actual fact, the production of this legendary four-wheel drive, launched in 1980 and renamed in 1990, was officially halted in 2016 then relaunched end 2019. Although the Defender maintains its famous cubic shape, it has now gained some roundness, an ergonomic contour which also features on the new timepiece from the Locle manufacture.
The watch is equipped with the El Primero 9004 automatic caliber which hosts a dual escapement – one set at 5 Hz for the “basic” time data functions and the other at 50 Hz for the 1/100th chronograph – and offers a 50-hour power reserve. This powerful motor nestles in a 44 mm-diameter case fashioned in microblasted titanium, a finish which offers it an exquisite matte look. The gray color which literally covers the watch is highlighted with a few dashes of orange: on the small hands of the three tri-compax-positioned sub-dials (small seconds at 9 o’clock, minute counter at 3 and seconds at 6), on the power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, the scale running along the flange and the ring encircling the case crown.
To ensure comfortable wear, Zenith has complemented the Defy El Primero 21 Land Rover Edition with a rubber strap decorated with a relief-style checkered pattern or a fabric one trimmed with orange stitching, both colored gray and closed by a microblasted titanium folding clasp.
Price: CHF13,900 zenith.com
By Sharmila Bertin