News May 2007

Last year, the watchmaking world was shaken to the foundations by the launch of the new DEFY collection. An unexpected design, avant-garde technology, unique style, and extraordinary performance....

Defy Xtreme 2007

Conceived as a Formula 1 car

The Watch Quote™ - May 19th, 2007



Conceived as a Formula 1 car, the design of the DEFY XTREME is closely linked to its function. The dials, for example, combine two complementary methods of construction: multi-layering, where the layers of materials are placed on top of each other, and honeycombing, which - like a bees’ nest – makes the materials stronger. The Manufacture’s engineers have also used the physical theory of shock waves to help design the case so that any shock is dispersed and therefore absorbed by the structure as a whole, rather than concentrated at a single point. The helical hands of the counters are also a guarantee of greater strength because they dissipate energy in case of shock.



With regard to the movement, several years of Research & Development have enabled us to create an exclusive alloy, ZENITHIUM®, which is used for one or more movement axes, depending on the model. This new material, which is three times as hard as stainless steel, combines titanium, for strength, aluminium, for lightness, and niobium, because of its form memory. In the DEFY Xtreme Open, for instance, the balance wheel bridge, the wheel bridge and the inverter bridge have been replaced by components made of ZENITHIUM®, making the escapement, and thus the heart of the timepiece, stronger. This is now a watch that is indestructible, super-performing, capable for example of resisting 100 atmospheres of pressure, or a depth of 1000 meters.



Such a marvel merited a new form of expression. This year, the pink gold provides a whole new design sheet, from which to roll out in force the whole range, be it the Tourbillon, the Chronograph Open and the Aero, or the Elite Power Reserve model. On the case or the strap, the contrast with the titanium and the kevlar is really striking; on the dial, the carbon fibre brings out the pink gold of the helixes, the hands and the upper plate of the movement. Overall, the contrast of the two colours together gives the watch an unlooked-for vibration, bordering on the unreal. On the wrist, it is both revealing and imposing, it revels in its eccentricity with the tranquil assurance of the object that is out of the ordinary but filled with soul.



As for the strap, this is now also available in natural rubber, for the titanium-only versions as well as those in the pink gold combination. Producing performance, strength and surprise has always been the watchword of the DEFY Xtreme collection. Now it has added the ability to seduce.



In a limited series of one hundred items per colour, the Manufacture is also offering two more discreet models, inspired by the Stealth Bomber that no radar can detect... In either natural white or matte black and entirely made of titanium, these DEFY timepieces escape from the light and evade contrasts. Special attention has been paid to the multi-layer dials, which have stronger highlights thanks to a complicated chemical process that blackens the aluminium, whilst the carbon fibre, which is naturally black, looks lighter on the white titanium. The helical bridge is in white gold. The effect is one of sibylline mystery but the dials are still easy to read because the hands are treated in red.

The Defy Range





“Whatever does not destroy me   
makes me stronger”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Last year, the watchmaking world was shaken to the foundations by the launch of the new DEFY collection. An unexpected design, avant-garde technology, unique style, and extraordinary performance... A real revolution in aesthetics and technology that once again confirmed the global success of the ZENITH Manufacture whilst opening new horizons: the sports watch, but in our luxury version. What could be more logical when we are not only the undisputed
master of the chronograph and also part of the LVMH Group?

But we had to get it just right, hit the bull’s eye. And we did, thanks to a collection with two different looks.

The DEFY CLASSIC collection seduced our customers with its strong masculine silhouette, dynamic lines, powerful elegance and the lifestyle it evokes: the GT coupé outside the club house, the yacht in the marina and the jet on the tarmac of a private airport. It looks as good with a suit as with sportswear – the sports watch elevated to the nobility. But ZENITH did more than just get it right: it pushed back the boundaries of the possible and delivered a pure marvel - a futuristic design, innovative materials and unusual methods of construction supporting a thoroughbred running free. In other words, DEFY XTREME. Aggressive, wild, extravagant, it took every record, including sales, as soon as it arrived on the market.

In 2007, the focus is on using this tremendous impetus to the full and scoring extra points by extending the range to include pink gold versions, new cases

and straps, as well as two limited series. The basic principles of these powerful ranges, however, are still there : avant-garde design, muscular movement, athletic case, a powerhouse of technology subordinated to pure emotion. In particular, innovative materials used in combination, including the famous ZENITHIUM®, an exclusive alloy that strengthens the regulating components, have enabled us to develop exceptional movements and cases at the forefront of watchmaking research. This year, the emphasis is also on the exceptional, with a design to suit the smallest of wrists and a wide choice of materials and finishes.

Incidentally, this utterly male, exclusively masculine timepiece is also becoming an object of desire for the dynamic and up-to-date woman, the same “fashionista” who appropriated trousers over half a century ago and who today is wearing watches designed for Him that she has turned into Hers just as easily as she wears a Saint Laurent dinner jacket.

Defy Xtreme Open - Gold & Ti



Zenith Defy Xtreme Open - Gold & Ti
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Zenith Defy Xtreme Open - Gold & Ti

Caliber:El Primero 4021 SX
Automatic Chronograph movement with harmonic plate
New gold plated auxiliary plate
13``` caliber. Diameter 30 mm. Height : 7.75 mm. 248 components
Balance, chronograph & pallet bridges in shock-absorbing Zenithium Z+
Incabloc® anti-shock device
36’000 vibrations per hour
Power reserve over 50 hours
39 jewels
Measures short time intervals to a 10th of a second
Automatic winding in both directions
Central rotor on ball bearings
Heavy Metal oscillating weight with carbon fiber inserts
Functions:Hours and minutes in the center
Small seconds-hand at 9 o’clock with a 3-branched hand
Power reserve indicator from hour axis
Central seconds-hand
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
Case:Black Titanium case. Diameter: 46.5 mm
Screw-in push-pieces in rose gold and titanium
Black Titanium screw-in crown with shock protecting device
Graduated unidirectional rotating bezel in Black Titanium, with rose gold screw heads & cone-shaped indexes
Helium valve at 10 o’clock
Black Titanium screw-in case back with carbon fiber guilloché pattern
Water-resistance up to 1’000 meters
Dial: Multi-layered see-through structure composed of shock-resistant transparent Hesalite glass, Carbon fiber layer and nitrocellulosed nickel-coated dial plate
9-branched gold plated helical bridge revealing heart of 4021 SX El Primero caliber
Crystal: Highly scratch resistant sapphire glass, 3.8 mm thick, with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Hands:All hands in rose gold with brown Superluminova inserts
Hour & minute “skeleton” rose gold hands
Gold plated wheel-shaped hand for the 30-minute chronograph counter
Bracelet:High-temperature resistant bracelet in gold & black titanium:
Solid titanium structure reinforced by Kevlar® lateral inserts, 21 central links in rose gold, with solid black titanium triple folded clasp
Also available on black genuine rubber strap and black leather strap, with rose gold tongue buckle


Defy Xtreme Chronograph - Gold & Ti



Zenith Defy Xtreme Chronograph - Gold & Ti
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Zenith Defy Xtreme Chronograph - Gold & Ti

Caliber:El Primero 4000 SX
Automatic Chronograph movement
New gold plated auxiliary plate
13 1/4``` caliber. Diameter 30 mm. Height : 6.50 mm. 248 components
Balance, chronograph & pallet bridges in shock-absorbing Zenithium Z+
Incabloc® anti-shock device
36’000 vibrations per hour
Power reserve over 50 hours
31 jewels
Measures short time intervals to a 10th of a second
Automatic winding in both directions
Central rotor on ball bearings
Heavy Metal oscillating weight with carbon fiber inserts
Functions:Hours and minutes in the center
Small seconds counter at 9 o’clock
Date at 4 ½ o’clock
Central seconds-hand for the chronograph
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
Case:Black Titanium case. Diameter: 46.5 mm
Screw-in push-pieces in rose gold and black titanium
Black Titanium screw-in crown with shock protecting device
Graduated unidirectional rotating bezel in Black Titanium, with rose gold screw heads & cone-shaped indexes
Helium valve at 10 o’clock
Black Titanium screw-in case back with carbon fiber guilloché pattern
Water-resistance up to 1’000 meters
Dial: Multi-layered see-through structure composed of shock-resistant transparent Hesalite glass,
Carbon fiber layer and nitrocellulosed nickel-coated dial plate
Crystal:Highly scratch-resistant sapphire glass, 3.8 mm thick, with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Magnifying lens over the date window at 4 ½ o’clock
Hands:All hands in rose gold with brown Superluminova inserts
Hour & minute “skeleton” hands in rose gold
3 gold plated wheel-shaped hands for second & chronograph counters
Bracelet:High-temperature resistant bracelet in gold & black titanium:
Solid titanium structure reinforced by Kevlar® lateral inserts, 21 central links in rose gold, with solid black titanium triple folded clasp
Also available on black genuine rubber strap and black leather strap, with rose gold tongue buckle


Defy Xtreme Open Stealth



Zenith Defy Xtreme Open Stealth
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Zenith Defy Xtreme Open Stealth

Caliber :El Primero 4021 SX
Automatic Chronograph movement with harmonic plate 13``` caliber. Diameter 30 mm. Height : 7.75 mm. 248 components Balance, chronograph & pallet bridges in shock-absorbing Zenithium Z+
Incabloc® anti-shock device
36’000 vibrations per hour
Power reserve over 50 hours
39 jewels
Measures short time intervals to a 10th of a second
Automatic winding in both directions
Central rotor on ball bearings
Heavy Metal oscillating weight with carbon fiber inserts
Functions:Hours and minutes in the center
Small seconds-hand at 9 o’clock with a 3-branched hand
Power reserve indicator from hour axis
Central seconds-hand
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
Case:Titanium case. Diameter: 46.5 mm
Titanium screw-in push-buttons with carbon fiber guilloché patterns
Titanium screw-in crown with specific protecting device
Graduated unidirectional rotating bezel & indexes in Titanium
Helium valve at 10 o’clock
Titanium screw-in case back
Water-resistance up to 1’000 meters
Dial: Multi-layered see-through structure composed of shock-resistant transparent Hesalite glass,
Black or grey carbon fiber layer and nitrocellulosed nickel-coated dial plate
9-branched Open “helical” bridge in solid Gold
Crystal:Sapphire glass, 3.8 mm thick, with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Hands:Rhodium-plated luminous hands with red Superluminova inserts
Hour & minute “skeleton” rhodium hands
Bracelet:High-temperature resistant bracelet in brushed white or black titanium
Central links in composite materials, with carbon fiber for the black version.
Lateral inserts in composite materials (white version) or Kevlar (black version)
Buckle:Brushed titanium triple folded clasp
EXCLUSIVE LIMITED
AND NUMBERED EDITIONS		:2 x 100 pcs


Defy Xtreme Power Reserve - Gold & Ti



Zenith Defy Xtreme Power Reserve - Gold & Ti
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Zenith Defy Xtreme Power Reserve - Gold & Ti

Caliber:Elite 685 SX
Extra-thin automatic movement
New gold plated auxiliary plate
11 ½’’’ caliber. Diameter 25.6 mm. Height : 4.48 mm. 179 components.
Balance, automatic train and train wheel bridges in shock-absorbing Zenithium Z+
Incabloc® anti-shock device
28’800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve over 50 hours
38 jewels
Automatic winding in both directions
Central rotor on ball bearings
Heavy Metal oscillating weight with carbon fiber inserts
Functions:Hours and minutes in the center
Small seconds counter at 9 o’clock
Date at 4 ½ o’clock
Power reserve indicator at 1 o’clock
Case:Black Titanium case. Diameter: 43 mm
Black Titanium screw-in crown with shock protecting device
Graduated unidirectional rotating bezel in Black Titanium, with rose gold screw heads & cone-shaped indexes
Helium valve at 10 o’clock
Black Titanium screw-in case back
Water-resistance up to 1’000 meters
Dial: Multi-layered see-through structure composed of shock-resistant transparent Hesalite glass,
Carbon fiber layer and nitrocellulosed nickel-coated dial plate
Crystal:Highly scratch-resistant sapphire glass, 3.8 mm thick, with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Magnifying lens over the date window at 4 ½ o’clock
Hands:All hands in rose gold with brown Superluminova inserts
Hour & minute “skeleton” hands in rose gold
3 gold plated wheel-shaped hands for second & chronograph counters
Bracelet:High-temperature resistant bracelet in gold & black titanium:
Solid titanium structure reinforced by Kevlar® lateral inserts, 21 central links in rose gold, with solid black titanium triple folded clasp
Also available on black genuine rubber strap and black leather strap, with rose gold tongue buckle


Defy Xtreme Tourbillon - Gold & Ti



Zenith Defy Xtreme Tourbillon - Gold & Ti
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Zenith Defy Xtreme Tourbillon - Gold & Ti

Caliber:El Primero 4035 SX
Automatic chronograph movement with tourbillon.
New gold plated auxiliary plate
16 1/2``` caliber. Diameter : 37.5 mm. Height : 7.55 mm.
325 components. 35 jewels
Train wheel bridge, chronograph and cage bridges are in shock-absorbing Zenithium Z+
Incabloc® anti-shock device
36’000 vibrations per hour
Power reserve over 50 hours
Measures short time intervals to a 10th of a second
Automatic winding in both directions. Central rotor on ball bearings
Heavy Metal oscillating weight
Functions:Hour and minutes in the center
Date indication positioned around the carriage
Tourbillon:
  • The carriage is positioned at 11 o’clock
  • The carriage makes 1 turn per minute
Central seconds-hand
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
Case:Black Titanium case. Diameter: 46.5 mm
Screw-in guilloche push-pieces in rose gold and black titanium
Black Titanium screw-in crown with black titanium shock protector
Graduated unidirectional rotating bezel in black Titanium with rose gold screw heads & cone-shaped indexes
Helium valve at 10 o’clock
Black Titanium screw-in case back with carbon fiber guilloché pattern
Water-resistance up to 1’000 meters
Dial: Multi-layered see-through structure composed of shock-resistant transparent Hesalite glass,
Carbon fiber layer and nitrocellulosed nickel-coated dial plate.
Propeller-shaped tourbillon bridge in solid rose gold which unveils the regulating organ of the 4035 SX caliber
Crystal:Highly scratch resistant sapphire glass, 3.8 mm thick, with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Hands:All hands in Rose gold with brown Superluminova inserts
Hour & minute “skeleton” rose gold hands, wheel-shaped hands for the chronograph counters
Bracelet:High-temperature resistant bracelet in gold & black titanium:
Solid titanium structure reinforced by Kevlar® lateral inserts, 21 central links in rose gold, with solid black titanium triple folded clasp
Also available on black genuine rubber strap and black leather strap, with rose gold tongue buckle


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