Zenith’s Two New DEFY Divers Color Outside the Lines

First introduced in 1969 and revived in 2022, the DEFY timepieces from Swiss watchmaker Zenith have always represented audacious, sporty sophistication.

Now, an apt blend of diving features, dark materials, and unexpected color on the new DEFY Extreme Diver and DEFY Revival Diver moves the line into the sportier realm of the watch’s formula, in spades.

There have been DEFY dive watches going back to the model’s debut, but aspects of the new DEFY Extreme Diver peg it as a very serious diving tool, indeed. First, the timepiece is crafted from durable, lightweight micro-blasted titanium; while refined, the material retains a distinctive, shadowy, matte presentation.
 

At a beefy 42.5mm case size, the titanium’s lightness will be abundantly appreciated below the waves. The signature dodecagonal base carries a lume-filled, black ceramic, unidirectional rotating dive bezel (which is preferred by divers over bi-directional bezels for locking in dive time security).

Purpose-designed for deep, saturation diving, the DEFY Extreme Diver sports a whopping 600 meters (that’s almost 2,000 feet) of water resistance and a pro-spec helium release valve recessed at 9 o’clock to disperse minute levels of compressed gas that can damage a watch’s interior at extreme depths.
 

Often, a watch crafted to go this deep will feature a solid, screw-down caseback; however, Zenith’s designers have managed to pull off the rarity of using an exhibition caseback on the Extreme Diver, allowing people to view the 60-hour power reserve El Primero 3620 automatic movement.

You could write several books about the historical importance of the El Primero movement in the watch world, but for this model, suffice it to say that the movement has been painstakingly finished in deep, modern black, with a modern paramagnetic escapement and cutting-edge silicon components.

Contemporary aesthetic appeal continues as the calling card for this El Primero-equipped watch, with a subtle black grid-patterned dial, legibly simple bar indices, abundant lume, and multiple interchangeable strap options (including a titanium link bracelet, technical black rubber strap with a Cordura texture, and a striking black-and-yellow fabric option, as well).
 

Lastly, its vivid, almost neon, yellow details on the hands and along the outer dial flange make the new Zenith DEFY Extreme Diver something that is not only easy to read on a deep-diving wrist but is unexpectedly pleasing to the eye when on dry land as well.

With a heritage dating back to 1969, it should come as no surprise that the DEFY Extreme Diver’s sister release, the new DEFY Revival, taps into some welcome classic authenticity.

A faithful recreation of the storied DEFY A3648 diver watch from the line’s birth year, Zenith designers have balanced that heritage with even brighter yellow accents. An eye-catching yellow-tinted sapphire insert on the unidirectional titanium bezel joins the outer dial flange and hand detail hues.
 

Shadowy micro-blasted titanium is again used, but spot-on specs like a vintage-inspired 37mm case size, original 4:30-located screw down crown, and fourteen-sided base bezel pay homage to the original.

Powered by the Elite 670 automatic calibre, which delivers 50 hours of power reserve, the DEFY Revival Diver manages to not only match the depth rating of the DEFY Extreme Diver discussed above (we’ll call it 1,969 feet this time in a nod to the DEFY’s birth year), but it also features an exhibition caseback that can be so elusive on watches that can handle the pressure of deep diving. This is especially impressive given how challenging it was to execute on a timepiece of such a relatively compact size.
 

Visually, the viewable Elite 6760 movement is more traditionally finished, with Geneva stripes and a rotor skeletonized with the Zenith “star.” Meanwhile, a slinky titanium link bracelet in the style of the historic designs of wrist-fastenings auteurs Gay Freres, completes the package.

Both of the new titanium divers, which have been dubbed “Shadow” editions, are available at the brand’s retailers and via the Zenith website as you read this. Expect to pay $12,300 for the DEFY Extreme Diver and $8,200 for the DEFY Revival Diver.