Description
Zenith has added two vividly coloured references to its Defy Extreme line, and between them they represent the technical high point of the summer. Both run the El Primero 9004 — the dual-escapement, high-frequency chronograph that measures and displays 1/100th of a second, a movement architecture that remains almost unrivalled at this price. The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli II is the collector piece: forged carbon and titanium with genuine lapis-lazuli counters, limited to 25. The Defy Extreme Ultraviolet is the everyday hero: fully microblasted titanium, see-through violet sapphire, and non-limited.
Where the earlier Lapis Lazuli was a first attempt at the stone, the "II" refines it against a dark carbon backdrop; the Ultraviolet takes the opposite path, layering purple-tinted transparent sapphire so you stare straight into a violet-treated openworked movement.
Design
The Defy Extreme case is a muscular 45mm across, 15.4mm thick and 51mm lug-to-lug, wearing its twelve-sided bezel and exposed pushers like exoskeleton hardware. The Lapis Lazuli II combines forged carbon with titanium and sets three lapis-lazuli chronograph counters — their intense blue and natural pyrite flecks standing out against the dark case and openworked dial. The Ultraviolet is built entirely from matte microblasted titanium and swaps in layered, purple-tinted sapphire dial elements that are completely transparent, revealing an openworked movement finished in a deep matching violet. Both use Zenith's tool-free interchangeable strap system, pairing a bracelet with rubber straps.
Specifications
- Models: Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli II; Defy Extreme Ultraviolet
- Case diameter: 45mm
- Case thickness: 15.4mm
- Lug-to-lug: 51mm
- Case material: Lapis Lazuli II — forged carbon + titanium; Ultraviolet — microblasted titanium
- Bezel: twelve-sided signature Defy Extreme bezel
- Crystal: sapphire; Ultraviolet adds layered violet-tinted sapphire dial elements
- Water resistance: 200m
- Dial: Lapis Lazuli II — openworked with lapis-lazuli chronograph counters (pyrite inclusions); Ultraviolet — transparent violet sapphire over a violet-treated openworked movement
- Movement: El Primero 9004, in-house, automatic high-frequency chronograph with two independent escapements
- Frequency: 36,000 vph (5 Hz) timekeeping; 360,000 vph (50 Hz) chronograph
- Chronograph: 1/100th-of-a-second measurement and display
- Power reserve: 50 hours (timekeeping); 50 minutes (chronograph at full rate)
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, 1/100th-second chronograph
- Strap: interchangeable bracelet + rubber
- Limited edition: Lapis Lazuli II — 25 pieces; Ultraviolet — non-limited
- Price: Lapis Lazuli II — CHF 32,900 / EUR 36,800; Ultraviolet — CHF 17,900 / EUR 20,200 / USD 20,100
What's Exciting
The El Primero 9004 is one of the genuine engineering flexes in series production. Rather than fake hundredths electronically, it runs a second, dedicated escapement beating at a colossal 50 Hz so that a central hand can sweep the entire dial once per second and resolve 1/100th mechanically. That the Ultraviolet delivers this in microblasted titanium at CHF 17,900 is one of the strongest value-for-money stories in high-horology sports watches today — there is simply nothing else near the money doing mechanical hundredths. The Lapis Lazuli II, capped at 25 with hand-selected stone counters, is the trophy; the Ultraviolet is the one to actually wear. Both are unapologetically large and modern, but underneath the colour is real mechanical substance.
History
Zenith's El Primero, launched in 1969, was one of the first automatic chronograph movements and became legendary for its 5 Hz high-beat rate. The Defy line revived Zenith's futurist streak in the 2010s, and the 1/100th-second El Primero 21 introduced the dual-escapement concept — a separate, ultra-fast chronograph regulator alongside the timekeeping one. The Defy Extreme took that architecture into a rugged, angular, oversized case built for shock and legibility. These Lapis Lazuli II and Ultraviolet editions continue Zenith's recent habit of pairing that serious high-frequency movement with expressive materials and colours, aimed at collectors who want the tech worn loudly.
