Luxury Swiss watchmaker Zenith has revealed its second DEFY Extreme E Special Edition timepiece for the Island X Prix in Sardinia. Based upon the DEFY Extreme Carbon — the world’s lightest and most rugged 1/100th of a second automatic high-frequency chronograph.
As official timekeeper and a founding partner of Extreme E — an electric rally racing championship — Zenith has played a fundamental role in the rapidly growing Extreme E series. This new timepiece is infused with the eco-friendly ideals of Extreme E and is partially built using upcycled materials from the championship.
Like the rugged electric rally cars themselves, the Defy Extreme E Island X Prix Edition is constructed from hardwearing and extremely light carbon fibre, while the pusher protectors and 12-sided bezel are made from microblasted titanium.
The watch face is both futuristic and race inspired / ©Zenith
The watch face is both futuristic and race inspired, and features multiple dials. The chronograph power reserve is innovatively displayed towards 12 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a 60-second counter at 6 o’clock.
With its bold orange and black color scheme, the Defy Extreme E Special Edition portrays the arid baked earth of Sardinia’s summer months — the location of this year’s Island X Prix. During the event, drivers raced across the rough desert-like terrain while raising awareness for Sardinia’s environmental concerns, namely rising temperatures, heatwaves and wildfires.
Partially visible behind the face is the fastest automatic high-frequency chronograph caliber in production, which is capable of 1/100th of a second time measurements (ideal for drivers and motor racing fans alike). This exquisite movement can also be admired via the sapphire display back, which is tactfully adorned with the Island X Prix logo.
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The movement can be admired via the sapphire display back / ©Zenith
Environmentally friendly and sustainable practices sit at the heart of Extreme E. Each race is held in a location with critical environmental concerns in order to raise awareness. Teams are transported to each race on the St Helena — a former Royal Mail cargo-passenger vessel — as a way of greatly reducing the series’ emissions.
The Defy Extreme E Island X Prix Edition follows this lead with its rubber strap that is infused with material from Continental CrossContact tires that were used in the first series. It is a sustainable solution that also improves the collectability of the timepiece.
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The watch will come packaged in a durable waterproof and crushproof case that is inspired by the extreme racing conditions of the sport. The coating of its lid is manufactured using recycled E-grip tires, while the plate coving is built from racing tarpaulin. Two additional straps will be included — one black Velcro and one black rubber — these can be switched using the intuitive quick strap-change mechanism.
As a limited-edition piece, only 20 will be available from Zenith physical and online boutiques worldwide, priced at $27,100.
