The Zenith Defy 21 Chroma Is A Burst Of Color On The Wrist

January 25, 2022

The LVMH Watch Division is starting 2022 off with the latest edition of LVMH Watch Week, an online exhibition featuring new watches from Zenith, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Bulgari, beginning Monday, January 24, 2022. Zenith has been all about color recently. Last year saw the company unveil a very successful collaboration with the contemporary artist Felipe Pantone, that was eventually headlined by Zenith's contribution to Only Watch 2021. The unique Defy 21 watch that was part of the biannual charity auction performed extremely well, landing at a?hugely impressive sum of CHF 480,000, the highest total achieved by any of the participating LVMH brands in last year's Only Watch. Continuing the colorful conversation, Zenith is introducing a new limited edition during LVMH Watch Week. Though not officially produced in collaboration with Pantone, the new Defy 21 Chroma feels like it's part of the same aesthetic conversation, featuring a matte white ceramic case with splashes of color landing on the skeletonized movement bridges and hour markers. Twelve o'clock is marked by red, then it jumps to orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and pink in a clockwise direction. The rainbow vibe continues beyond the dial and outside the neutral tone of the ceramic case, to the crown's rubber gripping and the stitching on the white Cordura-effect rubber strap, all following the same gradient pattern found on the dial. The new Defy 21 Chroma, which is part of Zenith's high-tech chronograph collection that can measure time in one-hundredth-of-a-second intervals thanks to a secondary gear train operating at 50Hz, is a limited edition of 200 pieces.?Given the ongoing popularity of rainbow watches at all price points, the Defy 21 Chroma feels like an easy win for Zenith as an extension of one of its most technically compelling timepieces. What We Think The continued exploration of color within the Defy 21 lineup is meant to recall the different frequencies that all colors in the visual spectrum operate within. The Ultraviolet from 2020 was one of my favorite implementations of this approach, but it now has close competition from the Defy 21 Chroma. When I briefly saw the watch in person last week, I was impressed by the finish of the ceramic case and enjoyed how its white tone served as a frame for the colors applied to the movement bridges and hour markers. I also appreciate how Zenith adds color to the movement itself C?treating the PVD application as part of the decorative process instead of separating the two completely. The El Primero 9004 caliber inside the Defy 21 is endlessly fascinating. If you've never been able to handle one of these watches in person, I stress that you find a way to your nearest Zenith AD to check them out. There's nothing in watchmaking quite like the rapid-fire of the central chronograph seconds hand once it's been engaged in its one-second dash around the dial. The Basics Brand: ZenithModel: Defy 21 ChromaReference Number: 49.9010.9004/01.R947Dimensions: 44mm diameter; 14.45mm thicknessCase Material: Matte white ceramicDial Color: "Rainbow" PVD-coated bridgesIndexes: Rhodium-plated, faceted, and coated with "Rainbow" varnishLume: Super-LumiNova SLN C1Water Resistance: 100 meters Strap/Bracelet: White rubber with white "Cordura effect" rubber and multicolored. Titanium triple-folding clasp. Just look at that pink PVD balance cock! The Movement Caliber: El Primero 9004 automatic with "Rainbow" finishingFunctions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, 1/100 second chronograph with chronograph power-reserve display at 12 o'clock, central chronograph hand, 30-minute counter at three o'clock, 60-second counter at six o'clockPower Reserve: Approximately 50 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 36,000 vph (5 Hz) for watch; 360,000 vph (50 Hz) for chronographJewels: 53 Pricing & Availability Price: $14,500Availability: Zenith Boutiques, Authorized RetailersLimited Edition: Yes, 200 pieces. Images, Tiffany Wade Shop this story The HODINKEE Shop is an authorized retailer of Zenith; to view our collection,?click here.Zenith is part of the LVMH group. Although LVMH Luxury Ventures is a minority investor in HODINKEE, we maintain complete editorial independence.