Zenith Pushes the Defy Extreme Further With Lapis Lazuli and Ultraviolet Editions

The Zenith Defy Extreme has never been the quiet member of the El Primero family, and these two new editions lean straight into that reputation.

The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli II and Defy Extreme Ultraviolet take the collection’s oversized architecture, openworked dial and 1/100th-second chronograph display in two very different directions.

One plays with stone, carbon and gold-toned accents, while the other revives Zenith’s purple theme inside the tougher, more angular Defy Extreme case.

At a glance

Forged carbon gives lapis lazuli a sharper stage

The Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli II moves away from the steel and yellow gold combination seen previously and into a darker, more technical mix of forged carbon and titanium.

At 45mm across, 15.4mm thick and 51mm lug-to-lug, this remains a large watch, but the carbon construction helps temper the mass while amplifying the case’s geometric form.

The material’s irregular matte finish also does useful visual work, giving the bright blue lapis lazuli counters more impact against the largely black architecture.

Those counters are the defining detail here, with natural pyrite inclusions giving each example its own arrangement of gold-toned flecks.

Zenith adds yellow gold-plated applied markers and faceted hands filled with Super-LumiNova, creating a dial that’s more jewellery-like than stealthy without softening the Defy Extreme’s technical character.

Ultraviolet returns in a tougher Defy Extreme format

The Defy Extreme Ultraviolet takes a different path, using a microblasted titanium case with a dark grey, low-reflection finish.

Its violet-tinted sapphire dial and purple counters create a more transparent, layered view into the movement, giving the watch a cooler and more mechanical personality than the stone-dial version.

The idea links back to Zenith’s earlier purple-themed Defy 21 Ultraviolet, but the Defy Extreme case changes the mood considerably.

Here, the colour sits inside a more muscular sports chronograph with a 200m water-resistance rating, a screw-down crown and a case shape that feels deliberately assertive from every angle.

The El Primero 9004 remains the main event

Both watches use the same display layout and the same El Primero 9004 automatic calibre.

Hours and minutes are shown centrally, small seconds sit at 9 o’clock, the 30-minute chronograph counter is positioned at 3 o’clock and the 60-second counter sits at 6 o’clock.

The power reserve indicator is placed at 12 o’clock, keeping the dial balanced despite the openworked construction and layered materials.

The key spectacle is the central chronograph seconds hand, which completes a full revolution every second.

That motion is possible because the movement uses two escapements, with the timekeeping train running at 36,000 vibrations per hour and a separate chronograph escapement operating at 360,000 vibrations per hour.

The result is a chronograph capable of measuring elapsed time to 1/100th of a second, with around 50 minutes of autonomy for the chronograph and 50 hours of power reserve for standard timekeeping.

On the Ultraviolet model, Zenith finishes the star-shaped rotor in matching violet, a small but fitting detail for a watch built around colour as much as mechanics.

Details & Specifications

Neither of these watches is trying to broaden the Defy Extreme into safer territory, and that’s the point.

The Lapis Lazuli II will speak to collectors who like natural material dials with a genuinely aggressive case construction, while the Ultraviolet offers the same 1/100th-second theatre in a more wearable but still unmistakable colour story.