Zenith’s Defy and its 12-sided bezel gets the chronograph and diver treatment at this year’s Watches and Wonders, writes Gloria Fung

It’s the year of the Defy at Zenith as the house shines its spotlight on the sporty collection. Adding complexity to the Defy Skyline, the house unveils the skyline chronograph, the brand’s most celebrated complication, at Watches and Wonders.

Also new is a pair of diver timepieces dubbed the Defy Extreme Diver.

Featuring the octagonal case with a 12-sided bezel signature to the Defy model, the Defy Extreme Diver has the added visual marker with its two crown guards. The result is a piece that gets a sportier edge than its fellow defy counterparts.

An orange minute ring immediately draws the eye to the dial. Orange accents on the hands tie in the colour theme of the watch, presented in black or blue with dials and ceramic bezels in the respective shades.

The rotating bezel tracks underwater time, a function particularly essential to any divers watch. The piece and its automatic el primero 3620 movement is water resistant to 600 metres and has a 60-hour power reserve.

The Defy Skyline was launched several years ago and featured a clean time-only display across the large dial of the 42mm watch. The size offers the dial plenty of real estate, and it’s only the next natural step in which the chronograph finds its way to the references.

Three subdials tracking the hours, minutes and seconds add a pleasing visual element to the watch. In three dial colours, white, black and blue, a star pattern brings an added element of design to the piece.

Chronographs are at the heart of zenith, and this particular reference gets its heartbeat from the calibre El Primero 3600. The movement enables measurements down to 1/10 of a second for enhanced precision.

The steel design can be fitted with a choice of rubber strap or a matching stainless steel bracelet.

Also see: Watches and Wonders 2024: Ulysse Nardin’s continues its haute horology journey with new iteration of Freak