Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Hands-On Review

The Zenith Defy El Primero 21 represents very rightfully a new era for Zenith, a completely new movement to bring Zenith's impressive chronometric track record (never forget: 2333 awards so far!) back to action. My first imeages (from the phone) were decidedly inadequate, thus I'd like to share a number of (slightly) better ones, snatched during the Zenith press conference:



'Defy' is the (for Zenith fans famous) new-old name of the game. The case, almost cushion, is crafted from 44mm titanium or ceramised titanium (paying reference to the trust into the recently introduced surface treatment technique) with, in this version, an open-worked dial:



You clearly spot the additional escapement for the 1/100sec hand, which is separate from the remainder of the movement (and in contrast to the latter hand-wound). This is necessary since the 1/100sec requites too much energy to be fed from the main barrel.

Legibility is actually quite good despite the rush hour-like traffic on the watch's face. At 12 o'clock, Zenith put a power reserve for the 1/100sec works:



The case is actually quite elaborately designed, with a number of details. Just note the intersection between the lugs:



The new El Primero Cal. 9004 is densly laden with new techniques, which are all associated with the ultra-high timing resolution of 1/100sec. As the latter is a separate mechanism, Zenith devised a patented chronograph-reset control mechanism to coordinate the chronograph trains, composed of three heart pieces and an exclusive starter mechanism to ensure simultaneous resetting of the seconds as well as tenths and hundredths of a second.

Furthermore, Zenith introduced a novel balance spring material for both geartrains,, a carbon matrix carbon nanotube composite. The exceptional physical and mechanical properties of this balance-spring with its graphene matrix render it insensitive to temperature and to the influence of magnetic fields, well beyond the known 15,000 Gauss standard, thereby guaranteeing peerless precision in all conditions of use.

 I failed at securing a good movement shot yet. But note: its in a monochrome finish...



Needless to mention it: Chronometer-certified by the COSC!

I've tried the Defy on, it fits nicely and is really, really light.



Andrew Luff followed suit dutifully...





My first impression is: Zenith is back alive, Jean-Claude Biver has certainly succeeded in inspiring a sense of audacity and daring into the offices and workshops in Le Locle. The new El Primero 21, daring heavily from group-internal collaboration with Zenith's colleagues at Hublot and TAG Heuer, is a first manifestation of a re-gained self-confidence, and Jean-Claude freely admitted that this was not an easy path to go, as reservations, objections and the like have to be overcomed. But his energising personality pushed many over.

I see this watch as a statement, as statement for the above. It is also meant as a statement for JCB's desire to transform Zenith such that people buy a 'Zenith because it is a Zenith' - in other words, he send out the El Primero 21 as signal that a very attractive and aggressive contender is about to wake up. Wake up in the sense the its inner beauty is about to unfold. JCB will invest into Zenith's technology, less so in marketing, something he cleary stated.

Back to the El Primero 21: I like what I am seeing, mostly. I find the separate (both as a going train as well in terms of the need to be wound by hand) 1/100sec mechanism something to get used to. I find it technicallly impressive, but as a whole not very consistent.

More with a few days (or a few weeks) time to let the impressions sink in.



Thanks for reading (and more during the following days!),
Magnus
This message has been edited by MTF on 2017-03-23 20:57:10 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2017-03-27 17:50:13