There’s a second in each watch assortment when the items cease merely telling time and begin telling a narrative concerning the wrist that wears them. Zenith reaches that second twice over with its newest DEFY Excessive drop. The Lapis Lazuli II and the Ultraviolet are two 45mm chronographs that commerce quiet restraint for presence, every one constructed across the identical fiercely technical coronary heart, the El Primero 9004. One leans into the drama of pure stone and blackened steel, the opposite into the electrical cost of violet gentle. Each are unmistakably DEFY.
Now touchdown on Zenith’s web site and inside its boutiques, the pair reads much less like a matched set and extra like two characters in the identical story. The Lapis Lazuli II is the uncommon one, simply 50 items at $37,100 USD, reduce from solid carbon and wearing actual stone. The Ultraviolet is the louder one, priced at $20,100 USD, constructed for every day put on with out dimming its impression. Collectively, they show {that a} chronograph correct to the hundredth of a second can nonetheless be styled like an announcement piece.
Lapis Lazuli II: Stone Meets Metal
Zenith revisits an earlier metal and gold version of this watch and reimagines it in solid carbon and titanium. The shift modifications all the pieces about how the piece sits on the wrist. It wears lighter, reads darker, and feels extra like an object inbuilt a lab than one pulled from a jewellery case.
The dial is openworked, letting the mechanics peek by means of from the entrance. Set into that structure are counters carved from real lapis lazuli.
The stone carries pure flecks of pyrite, which catch passing gentle and flash gold towards the deep blue floor. In opposition to the matte, stealth-toned case, the distinction feels nearly cinematic, uncooked earth assembly engineered precision.
Restricted to 50 items at $37,100 USD, this version is constructed for collectors chasing rarity as a lot as craft. It’s a watch that treats geology as critically because it treats horology.
Ultraviolet: Titanium With a Colourful Twist
The Ultraviolet borrows its identify and its temper from the sting of the seen gentle spectrum. Its case is matte, microblasted titanium, giving the big 45mm silhouette an sudden lightness on the wrist. Violet-tinted sapphire runs throughout the dial and subdials, casting a glow that shifts with each angle of sunshine.
The case itself favors sharp geometry over tender curves. That selection isn’t just visible. Each angle is designed to catch and bend gentle in a different way, giving the end actual depth slightly than a flat shine.
Even the smallest element stays on theme. Flip the watch over, and the star-shaped oscillating weight glows in the identical violet coating discovered on the dial. Three strap choices include it: a violet rubber strap, a titanium bracelet, and a Velcro strap for one thing extra relaxed.
At $20,100 USD, the Ultraviolet opens the door to Zenith’s high-frequency chronograph world at a extra approachable value, with out asking wearers to compromise on presence.
Contained in the El Primero 9004 Motion
Strip away the colour and the stone, and each watches beat with the identical extraordinary engine. The El Primero 9004 is chronometer-certified, automated, and constructed round a uncommon thought: two escapements working independently inside one case.
The primary escapement handles on a regular basis timekeeping. It ticks at a gentle 5 Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour, and delivers a 50-hour energy reserve. That is the motion’s calm, dependable half.
The second escapement exists solely to drive the chronograph. It races at 360,000 vibrations per hour, spinning the central chronograph hand by means of a full rotation each single second. That pace is what lets the watch seize intervals right down to the hundredth of a second, and skim them immediately slightly than requiring any calculation.
By way of the sapphire caseback, the oscillating weight carries the of entirety. Satin for the Lapis Lazuli II, violet for the Ultraviolet, every one a small signature tying the motion again to the watch’s identification.
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Pricing and The place to Purchase
The DEFY Excessive Lapis Lazuli II is priced at $37,100 USD, restricted to 50 items worldwide. The DEFY Excessive Ultraviolet is priced at $20,100 USD, with no acknowledged manufacturing restrict. Each can be found now by means of Zenith’s official website and its boutiques.
Featured picture: Zenith
