Earlier this month at LVMH Watch Week in Dubai, Zenith unveiled its fourth watch produced in collaboration with British luxury vehicle manufacturer Land Rover— the new special edition Defy El Primero 21 Land Rover. Like the previous three watches from the Land Rover x Zenith partnership, which began in 2016, this latest model works to offer watch buyers a niche, automotive-influenced timepiece, but one still in-line with the understated elegance one would expect from these two historic brands. The timing of the watch’s release has been coordinated timing with that of Land Rover’s new 2020 Defender— an all-terrain SUV series first showcased in 1948 and making its return to the U.S. market after having been discontinued in 1997.
The new collaborative watch features special redesign of the Defy El Primero 21 base model. Using a 44-mm microblasted and faceted titanium case, the dark watch gives off a rugged appearance, with the sportiness of the model boosted by its stylish chronograph pushers and orange-accented crown. The slate gray, velvet-finish dial of the watch matches the case, and features a 1/100th second chronograph counter on its outer edges, a printed white minute ring just within it, and three subdials for running seconds, a 60-seconds counter, and a 30-minute counter at the 9, 6, and 3 o’clock positions, respectively. Toward the top of the dial, beneath the Zenith logo, you’ll see a subtle power reserve indicator, while sweeping over the face are two Super-LumiNova-tipped, skeletonized hands for the hour and minute, and a thin pointer for the aforementioned 1/100th-second chronograph function.
Inside the new watch and visible via a sapphire caseback is the El Primero 9004 automatic movement, capable of a 50-hour power reserve — the same well-known super-high-frequency chronograph caliber used in the other Defy El Primero 21 models (click here to learn more about its attributes). The special-edition timepiece will be made available with a grey rubber “Adventure” strap, with an additional canvas “Country” strap, both of which fasten to the wrist with a microblasted titanium double-folding buckle.
The Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Land Rover will be available at Zenith boutiques worldwide for $13,400 in limited quantities, with only 250 editions planned for production.
MEH!