Zenith Defy History
Vintage Zenith Defy / Credit: Hodinkee
The Zenith Defy is a very important collection for Zenith, one that goes back to the late 1960s, right around the time of the Quartz Attack and the launch of many other important watch models. In fact, the Defy could be said to have been a trendsetting watch, preparing the market for the luxury sports watches of the 1970s.
The Zenith Defy was released in 1969 and had an unusual case shape to go along with the styles of the 1960s and ‘70s. It was dubbed ‘Il casa forte del tempo’ as it was originally made in a thick octagonal case, with a mineral crystal and a screw down caseback to make it water resistant. The original Zenith Defy was fitted with a Gay Frères fold-over steel bracelet and also had a special bezel around the crystal that made it even more water resistant, on some models up to 600 meters.
Zenith Defy A7681 / Credit: WristReview
The Zenith Defy had a real workhorse movement, it featured the chronometer grade, 28,000 bph Caliber 2562PC. It was also a sizable timepiece, whose nickname befitted it as the Zenith Defy was truly made to last. The watch’s design was very much in line with the trend of luxury sports watches that followed in the early 1970s with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and the Vacheron Constantin 222.
If you think about it, Zenith’s Defy could seriously be said to be a precursor to these watches in some way. And that’s not to discredit designers like Gerald Genta, but merely to point out that the design trend started in the late 1960s. Then again, the IWC Club series was also released in the late 1960s.
Today the Defy remains an important part of Zenith’s collection, with the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 and the Zenith Defy Zero G, filling out their ranks. They’ve gone from their relatively plain dials of the late 20th century to the skeleton dials of their current model’s sport. In the vintage watch market, Zenith Defys can be found for a bargain, even for under $1000 if you’re lucky. Whatever they mean to you today, they remain a beautiful example of design for the period and an important one in terms of watch history.
By: Andres Ibarguen