Basel World 2017
At BaselWorld 2017, the house of Zenith introduced its brand new creation, the Defy El Primero 21 chronograph with a 100th of the second movement. The watch is announced as a new milestone in the rich history of the legendary El Primero, the world’s most accurate series-made chronograph to date. Designed and developed in 1969, El Primero finally enters the 21st century with a new COSC-certified in-house movement driving a hundredth of a second display.
Zenith Defy El Primero 21 remains true to its legendary roots, even though it flaunts a standout performance and employs the most advanced, contemporary materials. In its modern day rendition, El Primero is equipped with new regulating organs and a patented chronograph control mechanism. Its double-chain structure is based on the two regulators made of Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube. This cutting-edge patented new material remains absolutely unaffected by magnetic fields, which are the sworn enemies of precision. The new balance-spring is also insensitive to temperature, thus guaranteeing ultimate accuracy in all working conditions.
In addition, the El Primero 21 movement features a patented chronograph-reset control mechanism made of three heart pieces, and an exclusive starter mechanism, ensuring simultaneous resetting of both seconds and tenths and hundredths of a second. This new-generation twin-barrel El Primero drives central hours and minutes functions, small seconds at 9 o’clock, a 100th of a second central chronograph hand, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, seconds and tenths of a second at 6 o’clock, and a percentage indication of the chronograph power-reserve at 12 o’clock.
To avoid the risk of the chronograph interfering with the running of the watch, the Defy El Primero 21 is therefore equipped with two independent “gear boxes”: one for the time and the other for the chronograph. Each of them features its own transmission and escapement system, and there is no coupling clutch. The automatic watch movement is chronometer-certified by the COSC and has a 50-hour power reserve, plus a 50-minute reserve for the hundredth of a second chronograph.
All adjustments to the watch are performed via the single crown with two positions: manual winding works in both directions: clockwise for the chronograph, counterclockwise for the watch. A star-shaped openworked oscillating weight appears on the back of the movement, allowing the wearer to admire it through the sapphire crystal case-back.
Zenith Defy El Primero 21 is available in three different versions: two titanium references with an openworked or silver-toned dial, and a ceramicised aluminum variant with openworked dial. Each of them measures 44mm in diameter, and 14.5 in thickness. Water resistant to 100 meters. The Defy El Primero is available in titanium with solid silvered dial (95.9001.9004/01.R582 ) for $9,600, titanium with skeletonized dial (95.9000.9004/78.R582 ) for $10,600, and cermacized aluminum (24.9000.9004/78.R582) for $11,600.
Photos courtesy of Zenith Watches.
Zenith collections
Latest News from Zenith
Zenith DEFY Classic Farfetch Limited Edition
Zenith celebrates the first anniversary since it has joined Farfetch, the leading global technology platform for the luxury fashion industry. To mark the occasion, the brand and platform have joined their forces to produce an exclusive limited edition DEFY Classis. Limited to 25 pieces, this upbeat, summer-ready edition is available exclusively on farfetch.com. This clean, white watch, of an edgy, modern design is instantly recognizable as a member of the Zenith DEFY watch family. The genderless design is paired with a medium-sized case th...
Zenith Defy El Primero Fusee Tourbillon
Zenith’s latest creation is the visually and technically stunning Defy El Primero Fusee Tourbillon, a watch distinguished by its audacious openworked dial that reveals the spoke design of the bridges adorned with a dual-color finish. The top of the bridges has received a black treatment, while the sides have been polished. The layout and positioning of the movement reveal the secret of the various functions and complications, mainly the novel fusee and chain constant force mechanism. For the first time ever, the chain, made of 575 hand-assem...
Zenith Defy Inventor
Among this year’s BaselWorld novelties from Zenith is the mighty Defy Inventor, a worthy successor of the Zenith Defy Lab, and the next iteration of the Zenith Oscillator. The Zenith Oscillator, first introduced with the Defy Lab in 2017, has replaced the sprung balance used in mechanical watchmaking 350 years. Beating at the extremely high frequency of 18 Hz, this single silicon component integrates the functions of the balance wheel, balance spring, and lever. The single-piece Zenith Oscillator, made of monocrystalline silicon, thus increase...
Zenith Defy Classic Black Ceramic
The house of Zenith has just released the new Defy Classic Black Ceramic, marking the first time this innovative, ultra-hard, black and bold material makes its way to the Defy Classic Collection. The contemporary new timepiece, aimed at a style-conscious urbanite, is now forged from wear-resistant black zirconium oxide ceramic. The Defy Classic, a model that epitomizes Zenith’s expression of neo-futuristic watchmaking, arrives in the faceted 41mm case featuring a mix of polished and satin-brushed surfaces. Its subtly graduated levels of dark...
Zenith Defy Classic Range Rover
Back in 2016, the house of Zenith partnered with luxury car manufacturer Land Rover, and this creative partnership launched a number of exclusive models celebrating the iconic Range Rover name. Following up on the success of the last year’s Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar, Zenith introduces a new timepiece in honor of the next-generation Range Rover Evoque. The new vehicle is an all-season compact SUV for city and off-road environments, a perfect blend of technology and luxury. In the creation of its new car, Land Rover took a reducti...
Zenith Pilot Cronometro Tipo CP-2 USA Edition
Warrior Project (WWP). In this way, the famous Swiss watchmaker is expressing its support by making a donation to this charitable organization that helps veterans and active duty service member. This exclusive new model, which was introduced on September 11th, will be sold exclusively in the United States, and produced in a limited run of only 50 pieces. The Zenith Pilot Cronometro Tipo CP-2 USA Edition is a reinterpretation of the famous Ciarelli model from the 1960’s. The CP here stands for cronometro da polso (wrist chronograph). At Baselwo...
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Solar Blue
November sees the launch of a very special Zenith timepiece. This time, the famous Swiss watchmaker has partnered with Mr. Porter and Bamford Watch Department on an exclusive 25-piece limited edition watch. The Bamford Watch Department, which is the world’s number one authority on luxury watch customization, has worked alongside the Zenith team to design the special new model that was entirely developed and produced in Zenith’s Manufacture. The original new timepiece, named Chronomaster El Primero Solar Blue, is based on the Zenith Herita...
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Ton Up Black for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
The house of Zenith is gearing up for this year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, which takes place September 30th 2018. This annual event, established back in 2012, will gather no less than 120,000 elegant gentlefolk all over the world, riding their vintage or classic motorcycles and raising money and awareness on behalf of the event’s charity partner, The Movember Foundation. The ride with a cause is dedicated to supporting men’s health, gathering funds for prostate cancer research and male suicide prevention. The event, which has become o...
Zenith Pilot Chronometro TIPO CP-2 Flyback
Zenith, a brand that has a longstanding tradition of supplying watches to military forces around the world, has recently revived its famous 1960s Ciarelli model. In late 2016, the Manufacture Zenith unveiled its tribute to one of the iconic military pieces, the legendary Heritage Chronometro TIPO CP-2, also known as the “Cairelli” watch. The historical timepiece was created in response to a demand by the Italian armed forces, who wished to renew the Tipo CP1 chronographs that were standard equipment for pilots of the Aeronautica Militare It...
Zenith Defy Lab the world’s most accurate mechanical watch
The house of Zenith has just released what seems to be a major innovation in the watch industry since the 1675 invention of the balance and hairspring principle – a simplified single-piece oscillator that fully replaces the traditional hairspring/balance wheel assembly. Zenith’s latest innovation, a superior oscillator that reinvents the mechanical watch movement, is finally unveiled as the world’s most accurate mechanical watch. A new oscillator forming a monolithic whole, made of monocrystalline silicon, now replaces the sprung balance, or...
