This Zenith DEFY Extreme E limited edition watch is a winner with racing fans

To commemorate the third year of Extreme E’s Hydro X Prix event, Zenith has released a new limited edition watch, the DEFY Extreme E. The Zenith DEFY Extreme E second edition is a celebration of timekeeping and racing, and gives a nod to Extreme E’s ethos of sustainability.

Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Zenith has had a successful year so far, unveiling new additions to its Pilot collection during Watches and Wonders 2023 and expanding its DEFY Skyline collection at LVMH Watch Week 2023. For the third season of Extreme E, an off-road electric rally racing series, Zenith is marking the occasion with the DEFY Extreme E limited edition watch, which pays tribute to the event while showcasing its own timeless design.

The DEFY Extreme E watch is Zenith's lightest iteration of its 1/100th of a second chronograph to date, the El Primero 21. The world’s fastest automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre in production, the DEFY Extreme E watch accurately measures elapsed time to a high level of precision and is partially visible through the open dial and sapphire case back.

This new limited edition watch from Zenith is made entirely of carbon fibre which has been tried and tested in extreme conditions provided by Extreme E. The material is tough and durable yet surprisingly lightweight, with the entire 45mm timepiece including the strap and clasp only weighing 96 grams.

Taking a closer look at the DEFY Extreme E edition, the watch features an open multi-layered dial that features sapphire crystal elements that are embellished in Extreme E’s official ‘Vital Green’ colour. The watch has a 50 hour power reserve, minute and second timers and has a 20 ATM water resistance.

The DEFY Extreme E comes with a velcro strap made of recycled Continental CrossContact tires that were used during Extreme E’s first season of races. The strap matches the Vital Green accents of the DEFY Extreme E watch dial with a black rubber central element surrounded by green cordura-effect rubber. The watch comes with two additional straps in black rubber or velcro which are easily interchangeable, thanks to the case back strap-change mechanism.

At the heart of the Zenith DEFY Extreme E watch is sustainability. Juline Tornare, CEO of Zenith comments that “this is the third year that Extreme E has been championing the causes of sustainability and climate change awareness, which are central to Zenith’s HORIZ-IN CSR initiative.”

As Extreme E moves towards making the future of rally racing more electric and eco-friendly, “the DEFY Extreme E edition commemorates this with an all-carbon construction, a first for the DEFY Extreme line.” The ‘Vital Green’ colour of the DEFY Extreme E acts as a message of awareness and action on climate change and the strap and packaging is made of recycled and upcycled parts from previous Extreme E races. 

The Zenith DEFY Extreme E second edition watch is limited to 100 pieces and is priced at £26,600.