Two new versions in black and white ceramic.
In 2020, Zenith transformed the façade of the manufacture's main building in Le Locale into a canvas for the artist Felipe Pantone, whose work is characterized by a chromatic rainbow dynamic. It's as if this move opened a portal into a world of bright cascading hues for the designers at the watch manufacture.
A number of models in the same style were launched in partnership with the artist. By 2022, Zenith was ready to present the result of its own independent experiments at LVMH Watch Week: the DEFY 21 Chroma watch.
Multicolored components came together in its movement and dial elements to display a full spectrum of colors. This bright palette was foregrounded by a case made of white ceramic.
Moreover, the watch was equipped with the world's only serially produced high-frequency 1/100th of a second automatic chronograph movement. A year on, the company is now launching two new versions of the DEFY 21 Chroma.
The second-generation watch also uses a ceramic case and colored details. The model in a black case explores tones based on primary colors, while the white-case version focuses on blue and pink shades.
The play on light isn't limited to the dial: the winding crown is highlighted by a colored rubber grip ring, the rubber strap with a cordura-effect inlay has multicolored stitching, and the star-shaped rotor has been given a satin blue finish.
The unusual colored composition on the DEFY 21 Chroma II comes equipped with the same technical contents under the hood as last year. The model uses a high-frequency movement from the historic El Primero line: El Primero 9004, which makes the central chronograph hand complete one full revolution in just one second and ensures a timekeeping accuracy of up to 1/100 second.
This speed is ensured by using a separate escapement for the chronograph with a frequency of 360,000 vph. These kinds of records aren't necessary for traditional timekeeping: the frequency of the second time escapement is a more typical 36,000 vph. The movement provides a 50-hour power reserve for the watch and can keep the chronometer running continuously for approximately 50 minutes.