Latest Review
It’s a complaint heard often among the aesthetically-inclined: modern design just isn’t colorful enough. Cars come in white, black, or silver, houses are painted white with black sills, and our phones are just sleek black rectangles. But that tendency towards “millenial gray” (sorry millennials, it’s not really your fault) hasn’t dug its claws into horology yet. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite, with bold new colorways and designs capturing headlines post-press events. Zenith isn’t new to the bright and vibrant trend in watches, but their latest DEFY Extreme Ultraviolet and Lapis Lazuli II certainly bring the hueful hammer home.
At their core, the two new DEFY pieces are sisters, so to speak: both are housed in an angular 45mm case in microblasted titanium, and a carbon and titanium combination respectively. The aggressive design of said case sets the stage for Zenith’s “more is more” mentality with the DEFY models, which come in at a chunky (but lightweight) 15.4mm in thickness and 51mm lug-to-lug. These are not wallflower watches, and every point of the design proves that.
The Extreme Ultraviolet does a lot of work with its name, which is a more than adequate descriptor for the watch itself. The dial is a visual cornucopia, with a violet-tinted sapphire crystal that showcases the matching violet subdials and layered geometric construction. The Zenith name and star logo at 12 o’clock is the only visual breather on the dial, with the movement visible beneath the subdials, and the rhodium-plated and SuperLuminova-coated hands and hour markers jockeying for attention. If all this sounds extreme, then yes—it is. Turn the watch over, and it’s more overstimulation, as the oscillating weight with satin finishes is visible through the caseback. The violet color itself would be enough to stand out on any watch, and Zenith’s bold take with it here—pushing it to every element rather than relegating it to an accent color—somehow pays off aesthetically despite the loudness of it all.
The Lapis Lazuli II follows much of that same pattern, replacing the violet with lapis stone, a continuation of Zenith’s previous experiments with the material. Hour markers and hands are an elegant gold tone, and the openworked dial feels less hectic thanks to the colorway, even as it bears the same aesthetic hallmarks as the Ultraviolet. Underneath and also visible through the caseback is a similarly-adorned movement, though the finishings are a little more subtle here, keeping in theme with the watch’s more under-the-radar appearance.
Speaking of the movement, both DEFY models are powered by an El Primero 9004 movement, which is a key attraction factor in and of itself. A 1/100th of a second chronograph movement, it powers one rotation per second for the chronograph hand. The subdials present the core functions: small seconds at 9 o’clock, a 30-minute counter at 3, and the 60-second counter at 6. The chronograph power-reserve indication—50 hours is the estimate—sits at 12:00. Two hundred meters of water resistance are promised, giving the DEFY models a sportier character, and the provided matching rubber straps support that image. A microblasted titanium bracelet is also available for the Ultraviolet, and both additionally come with a Velcro strap to round out the accessories.
While they won’t be for everyone, the DEFY Extreme Ultraviolet and Lapis Lazuli II are certainly bold showcases of Zenith’s contemporary design language, which nicely complements their more heritage oriented pieces. Both are available now; the Ultraviolet retails for $20,100 and the Lapis Lazuli II, limited to 25 pieces, costs $37,100. Both are available at Zenith boutiques and retailers, and at zenith-watches.com.
