iW Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 99

DRESS 2019 GENEVA DEBUTS SPECIFICATIONS: ZENITH DEFY CLASSIC TWO-TONE Reference: 87.9001.670/79.M9001 MOVEMENT Elite 670 SK, Automatic and skeletonized, with silicon escape wheel Calibre: 11 ½``` (Diameter: 25.60mm) Movement thickness: 3.88mm Components: 187 Jewels: 27 Frequency: 28,800 VpH (4Hz) Power-reserve: min. 48 hours Finishing: Special oscillating weight with satin finishings FUNCTIONS Hours and minutes in the centerCentral seconds hand. Date indication at 6 o’clock. CASE, DIAL & HANDS Diameter: New 41mm brushed titanium case with 18-karat rose gold bezel Thickness: 10.75mm Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with anti- reflective treatment on both sides Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal Material: Brushed titanium & 18-karat rose gold Water-resistance: 100 meters Dial: Openworked Hour-markers: Gold-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLumiNova SLN C1 Hands: Gold-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLumiNova SLN C1 STRAP & BUCKLE Titanium & rose gold bracelet with folding buckle ZENITH ZENITH DEFY CLASSIC TWO-TONE In addition to colorful, high-tech Defy debuts, Zenith in January showed an effervescent Zenith Defy Classic Two-Tone, my favorite of all the firm’s early debuts. This beauty, with its very contemporary openwork dial, pairs a first-ever (for Zenith) rose gold bezel with the well-known Zenith almost- cushion-shaped brushed titanium case. This is Zenith’s first Defy Classic (41mm) in a two-tone package. The dual-metal rose gold and titanium combination, not the most common match-up at fine watchmakers, suits this Zenith perfectly. The dial’s matte grey and black openwork pattern, a quite contemporary rendition of the Zenith star, amplifies the warmer rose gold bezel around it. The choice to use gold plate on the hands and markers intensifies the duality of the two- tone effect. On my wrist, the watch wears smaller than expected, perhaps a sensory trick triggered by its lightweight titanium case and mostly titanium bracelet. You see the gold links in the bracelet, but their weight is minimal. A second trick here is the Zenith Defy Classic Two-Tone’s comfortable retro feel and look, despite an angular, openwork matte dial. I commend Zenith for that clever slight of wrist, and I expect, and hope, to see two-tone designs within other Zenith Collections at some point soon. The Zenith Defy Classic Two-Tone is priced at $15,500. SPRING 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 99