Zenith Defy Extreme Desert

Zenith took inspiration from crisp tones of the desert for the first limited edition of its Zenith Defy Extreme Desert. The open dial is housed in a 45mm titanium case, putting the El Primero 21 movement on full display. Elements of the movement are tinted with sapphire crystal with beige counters, while the case is accented with falcon’s eye quartz. The El Primero 21 movement features two regulators, one moving at 5Hz and the other at 50Hz for 1/100th of a second accuracy.
Zenith celebrates the launch of the first special edition of its most rugged chronograph to date, the DEFY Extreme Desert, with acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad. Expressing the raw beauty of the desert environment through his eyes and lens, Zenith and Kourosh are embarking together to showcase original and previously unpublished works by the photographer, inspired by the elemental watch. The photographs will be unveiled and sold during a traveling exhibition tour, beginning with FIAC in Paris before making its way to Dubai and Tokyo before the end of the year.
For this first special edition of the rugged Zenith Defy Extreme Desert, Zenith has stepped out onto uncharted territories, resulting in a piece that’s as much precision watchmaking as it is a wearable piece of art. Inspired by the wild and barren desert landscapes, the DEFY Extreme Desert represents a more artistic reimagining of the monolithic 1/100th of a second chronograph, and the first in a developing series of DEFY EXTREME models inspired by extreme environments. Crafted in a titanium case, the Zenith Defy Extreme Desert evokes the endless sandy horizon in a singular and unprecedented manner. The component that protects the pushers as well as the dodecagonal bezel are crafted from falcon’s eye, a blue-grey opaque macrocrystalline quartz gemstone that’s named after the bird-of-prey that has accompanied desert nomads for centuries, soaring high above the horizon and symbolizing determination and endurance. When polished, the stone can appear fluid with its chatoyancy, evoking a mirage of an oasis in the scorching desert heat. The hand-working of such an exotic gemstone into an integral part of the complex case’s structure is something that has never been attempted before in any watch. And as each stone is different and exhibits slightly different colours and fibrous structures, each of the 50 DEFY Extreme Desert watches is essentially a unique piece.
The open dial of the Zenith Defy Extreme Desert reveals the inner workings of the El Primero 21 movement beneath, topped by a tinted sapphire crystal for the counters and power reserve indicator in a warm beige-brown hue, complemented by beige luminescent markers and hands as well as applied chronograph counters in a matching tone. Completing the look of this conceptual piece are the supplied durable black Velcro strap and beige rubber strap, which can be easily swapped with the titanium bracelet using the quick strap-change mechanism on the back of the case.
After years of traveling solo across the globe to the most extreme and remote destinations and capturing them in stunning images, the British-born photographer based in California has made a name for himself with his breath-taking images, bringing out the unseen beauty of wilderness. This marks the artist’s first project with a brand. Sharing Zenith’s green values of environmental conservation, sustainability and diversity, the connection was natural and immediate. Just as Zenith blends tradition and innovation to craft the future of watchmaking, Kourosh plays with light and colour to create imagery that transports the viewer and deeply resonates the themes and messages that drive his work.