Forget Minimalism, This Maximalist Chronograph Is the Ultimate Conversation Starter

The Zenith El Primero is arguably the most iconic automatic chronograph movement in the world.

There’s a never-ending debate over whether or not it actually beat out Seiko and the Hamilton-Breitling-Heuer-Dubois Dépraz consortium for the title of the world’s first automatic chronograph, but Zenith’s movement is undoubtedly the most famous, timeless and acclaimed of the three.

There have been countless applications of the El Primero since its 1969 debut, but I’m not sure if any have been as radical as the brand’s outrageous new chronograph, the Defy Extreme Chroma.

Bright speed

The Defy Extreme Chroma combines two of Zenith’s more out-there design templates — the Defy Extreme model and the Chroma color treatment — into one maximalist chronograph to rule them all.

Zenith

The Defy Extreme is the brand’s biggest and boldest sports watch line, featuring a sharp-angled octagonal case measuring a whopping 45mm across, a dodecagonal bezel, a robust 200m of water resistance, an oversized screw-down crown flanked by crown guards with integrated pushers, and an integrated bracelet design. It stands out as a hyper-modern sports watch in a catalog filled with modern sports watches.

Furthering the “extreme” elements of the Defy Extreme is the movement that powers it. The El Primero 9004 is Zenith’s most advanced version of its high-beat integrated automatic chronograph. Like other El Primero calibres, the movement’s oscillator zips along at a “high-beat” 5Hz.

But the 9004 adds a second escapement and mainspring barrel just for the chronograph. Oscillating at an absurd 50Hz, it powers the central seconds hand that flies all the way around the dial once every second, allowing it to time down to 1/100th of a second.

Everything I’ve mentioned so far is standard fare for the Defy Extreme, but what makes the Chroma editions special is the color treatment applied to the movement. Previously only seen on two versions of the less-out-there Defy 21, Zenith’s Chroma style consists of a PVD treatment to the skeletonized bridges of the movement in multiple bright colors, creating a rainbow-like dial unlike anything else in the industry.

Zenith

For the Defy Extreme Chroma, Zenith has come up with two versions, each using a unique Chroma color scheme. Both feature similar rainbow-colored applied indices complemented by matching rainbow color schemes on the 1/100th-second scale surrounding their dials.

The first is a black version fully executed in microblasted titanium, with the bridges of its Chroma-colored movement in orange, blue and green, with yellow, blue and purple used for the subdials. The subdials here are also skeletonized, unlike on the previous Defy 21 Chroma models, allowing more of the colorful bridges to show through. The star-shaped rotor, visible through the sapphire caseback, is colored blue, while the chronograph’s power reserve indicator at 12:00 gets an orange-tipped hand.

The other version is made of brushed and polished titanium in its natural color, with the dodecagonal bezel, pusher protectors and crown all in white ceramic. The bridges here are PVD-coated in blue, pink and turquoise, while the rotor is a bold shade of electric green. The subdials here are orange, blue and purple, and the power reserve indicator hand is turquoise-tipped.

Both versions come with a matching bracelet, rubber strap (black for black, white for white) and black velcro strap, all easily swapped out via Zenith’s dead-simple push-button quick-change system, which, along with Hublot’s and Vacheron’s, ranks as the best in the industry.

Zenith

Pricing and availability

With its combination of the Defy Extreme’s bold and rugged case design, the use of the head-spinning El Primero 9004 movement and the bright polychromatic Chroma treatment on the skeletonized dial, this is a decidedly radical interpretation of Zenith’s beloved chronograph. And while it certainly isn’t for everyone, I personally think it’s cool as hell.

If you want a conversation-starter on your wrist, the Defy Extreme Chroma is about as good as it gets. But it won’t be easy to get one. Both colors are limited to 100 examples each and are priced at $20,600. Black is already sold out online, but should be available in-person at Zenith boutiques and authorized dealers. The white version, meanwhile, can still be purchased on Zenith’s website as well as in person.

Zenith

Zenith Defy Extreme Chroma

Specs

Case Size	45mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero 9004 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	200m

• $20,600 at Zenith

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

Related Topics