Zenith has unveiled another watch with a stone dial.
The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli looks stunning, and hides a fun secret.
Zenith has been celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, and has unveiled a range of stylish watches to mark the occasion. There has been a distinct blue theme, too – the brand's signature hue has been used throughout the year on almost every piece it has launched.
Now, there's a new limited edition model and while it looks to be on the same lines, it hides a secret or two. The Zenith Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli is a new limited edition chronograph sat within an angular, integrated bracelet-laden case.
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The first secret is uncovered in the name – this model makes use of lapis lazuli for the dial material. That's a stone which is a deep, celestial blue in colour, with flecks in the material which reflect light as it moves.
It's not the first example we've seen from the brand using this material this year. Back in May, the brand gave the Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar a similar treatment, with the Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli.
Here, the material is shaped to form a quartet of sub-dials, which allow the wearer to read the running seconds at nine o'clock, as well as a 30 minute and a 60 second register for the chronograph at three and six, respectively. The 12 o'clock register offers a power reserve for the chronograph function, which is different.
But the real pièce de résistance here is the central seconds hand for the chronograph, which turns once per second. Zenith is no stranger to fast-moving seconds hands, but that is a step beyond the norm even here.
That's powered by its own separate escapement with a whopping 50Hz frequency, while the time-telling portion of the watch is powered by a relatively more normal 5Hz escapement. All of that sits within a 45mm case crafted from stainless steel, with a microblasted yellow gold bezel and crown guards.
With a 15.4mm case height and a 51mm lug-to-lug width, this is quite a beastly design, though you do get a whopping 200m of water resistance to make up for it. Priced at CHF 32,900 / €34,900 / US$33,900 (approx. £31,395 / AU$63,500) and limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, this is likely to be a rare piece to spot in the wild.
