Did This Iconic Brand Just Release Its Most Impressive Watch Ever?

Zenith is mostly known for its El Primero chronograph movement. Debuting in 1969, the El Primero was arguably the first automatic chronograph to market, though that claim is disputed by other brands that launched their own automatic chronographs the same year.

At the very least, the El Primero was the first automatic integrated high-beat chronograph, and there’s little doubt it’s left more of an impression on the industry than its 1969 rivals.

But there’s more to Zenith than the El Primero. The brand’s original Defy, with its 14-sided bezel, was among the first luxury sports watches in 1969, beating the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak to market by three years (’69 was a big year for Zenith). It’s the only brand legally allowed to use the word “Pilot” on a watch dial. And, when it feels like it, Zenith can crank out horological innovation with the best of ’em.

Perhaps the brand’s most impressive modern invention is its Gravity Control mechanism, which finds its way into a new model today that just may rank as Zenith’s most ambitious and impressive watch ever.

Zenith

Nuthin’ but a Zero G thang

The new Zenith Defy Zero G Sapphire combines two very impressive elements: Zenith’s exclusive Zero G Gravity Control system and a nearly scratchproof sapphire case.

The former can basically be viewed as Zenith’s new-and-improved answer to a tourbillon. The tourbillon, which was invented at the dawn of the 19th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet, is a constantly rotating cage that surrounds the escapement and balance wheel of a mechanical movement, theoretically negating the effect of gravity on a watch.

Zenith’s Gravity Control mechanism also aims to eliminate the negative effect of gravity on the watch’s regulating organ, but it does so in a far more complex (and, let’s face it, cooler) way. It, too, surrounds the balance in a cage, but there’s no rotation happening.

Zenith

Instead, Zenith was inspired by the old gimbal-mounted marine chronometers once used on ships and uses a gyroscopic “Gravity Control” module mounted on a gimbal that contains the escapement and is weighted to keep the balance wheel in its preferred horizontal position at all times. Move your wrist around all you want; the gimbal will keep the balance in the correct position no matter what — just like how the marine chronometers of old kept steady when traversing waves.

The patented Gravity Control mechanism, which originally debuted in 2008 in a form that was 70 percent larger, is exceedingly complex. The current version occupies a volume of just 1.3 cubic centimeters and contains a whopping 139 components.

Zenith says the Gravity Control module is superior to a tourbillon because it basically eliminates positional variations in the regulating organ instead of just averaging out positional errors like a constantly rotating tourbillon.

Zenith

For this watch, the Gravity Control module has been fitted into an El Primero movement, though a rather unconventional one. The El Primero 8812S is not a chronograph, nor is it an automatic. It’s a manual-winding time-only watch, though I’m assuming it shares some architecture with other El Primeros to be designated as such. It does beat at 5Hz, as traditional El Primeros do.

Crystal blue persuasion

Now, to the other half of what makes this Zenith so remarkable: the case. Zenith has opted for a full sapphire case here — and a massive 46mm case, at that — something more frequently seen from its higher-end LVMH stablemate, Hublot.

Here, the midcase, bezel and caseback are each cut from a separate solid block of sapphire, a material that’s notoriously difficult to work with, given that just one substance on Earth, diamond, is harder. Sapphire crystals also cover the front and back of the watch, making the entire piece transparent and virtually scratchproof.

Zenith

There are two flavors of Zenith’s sapphire case here, one in pure clear sapphire and the other in blue sapphire. The former gives a more unobstructed view of the intricacies of the Zero G movement, while the latter better fits with Zenith’s ongoing 160th-Anniversary releases in the maison’s signature shade of blue, a series to which these watches belong.

Both the clear and blue versions of the watch share the same integrated blue alligator leather strap, and both feature the same dial, which is openworked with a vertically brushed blue mainplate with a power reserve indicator at 2:00. The clockface and offset small seconds display are crafted from naturally blue lapis lazuli — which Zenith has been pretty into lately — meaning no two dials are exactly alike.

Zenith

Pricing and availability

While I was unable to confirm whether or not the Defy Zero G Sapphire is the most expensive watch Zenith has ever produced, it’s certainly near the top, if not the outright priciest.

Whether you opt for the blue or clear version, the watch will set you back a staggering $207,500. Each color is limited to just 10 pieces, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re all spoken for already.

Zenith

Zenith Defy Zero G Sapphire

Specs

Case Size	46mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero 8812S manual-wind zero-gravity
Water Resistance	30m

• $207,500 at Zenith

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