The worlds of fine watchmaking and Land Rover seem to be colliding this fall. It was just recently announced that Zenith has partnered with luxury car manufacturer Land Rover for a very special Zenith El Primero Range Rover timepiece. Now, the independent watchmaker Maurice de Mauriac introduces a bold, masculine timepiece inspired by the Land Rover Defender. The active spirit of one of the world’s most recognizable four-wheel drive vehicles - its pure mechanics, robustness, and power - is now embodied in the Defender Watch.
The audacious series of mechanical timepieces pays tribute to the Land Rover Defender, the powerful off-road utility vehicle that was discontinued in December 2015, after a continuous run of 67 years. Ironically, the king of the four-wheel-drive vehicles, which was often used in search-and-rescue missions in difficult terrains, was terminated for safety reasons. The need to cease its production has been proposed by 2015's new European regulations regarding crash safety for pedestrians, which renders Defender's design obsolete as it could not be adapted to meet new emissions rules.
Replacing the Defender with a new model has been in the planning for many years. A number of concept vehicles have already been unveiled at international motor shows, each raising mixed opinions from the public. For now, the Defender lives, but it lives in a watch that, in terms of design, encapsulates the its archaic force.
Maurice de Mauriac Chronograph Modern Defender is a 42mm-wide version of the Chronograph Modern, crafted from highly resistant yet lightweight brushed titanium. The watch is dressed in a military green attire, which symbolizes power, force, and strength. Its bold and legible dial is painted with contrasting white numerals and indices, ensuring optimum legibility in various light conditions.
The large, masculine case accommodates the mechanical automatic Swiss Valjaoux movement (ETA 77.50), which can be admired from the sapphire crystal back. The mechanism offers basic time functions, plus the 12-hour chronograph, and black-colored day and date indicators shown through square apertures. A chapter ring framing the dial has a tachymeter scale, which can be used to calculate a speed based on travel time or measure distance based on speed.
Maurice de Mauriac Chronograph Modern Defender is water resistant to 50 meters of depth, and it comes on a green Kevlar strap, which is a high tensile synthetic fiber used for military helmets and vests. The watch retails at 4000 Swiss francs (CHF). For more information about the Defender Watch, please visit Maurice de Mauriac online.
Photos - courtesy of Mr. Leonard Dreifuss of Maurice de Mauriac
