Zenith resurrected the Defy collection back in 2017 and the Defy El Primero 21 was one of the family’s initial stars. That watch is a high-speed chronograph (based on the legendary El Primero) that uses two separate escapements, one for timekeeping and one for the chronograph, allowing it to time events down to 1/100th of a second. Yeah, it’s serious stuff. This year, Zenith is following things up with a version with a case made entirely of carbon, down to the caseback, pushers, and crown. Technically speaking, the watch is the same Defy El Primero 21 released two years ago, still powered by the El Primero 9004 caliber, but it gets an updated look and feel, with the carbon case complemented by the almost all black dial treatment, which just uses white markings and pops of red to increase legibility. If you want a thoroughly contemporary chronograph that doesn’t just look the part, this is it.
Introducing The Zenith El Primero Defy 21 Carbon
