ZENITH – DEFY Extreme Desert Edition

 

ZENITH – DEFY Chronograph Extreme Desert Titanium 45 mm Special Edition 2021

INSPIRED BY THE DESERT: ZENITH UNVEILS ITS FIRST LIMITED EDITION OF THE DEFY EXTREME, ACCOMPANIED BY AN EXCLUSIVE SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY KOUROSH KEYNEJAD

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October 20, 2021, Paris: Zenith celebrates the launch of the first special edition of its most rugged chronograph to date, the DEFY Extreme Desert, with acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad. Expressing the raw beauty of the desert environment through his eyes and lens, Zenith and Kourosh are embarking together to showcase original and previously unpublished works by the photographer, inspired by the elemental watch. The photographs will be unveiled and sold during a traveling exhibition tour, beginning with FIAC in Paris before making its way to Dubai and Tokyo before the end of the year.

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For this first special edition of the rugged DEFY Extreme, Zenith has stepped out onto uncharted territories, resulting in a piece that’s as much precision watchmaking as it is a wearable piece of art. Inspired by the wild and barren desert landscapes, the DEFY Extreme Desert represents a more artistic reimagining of the monolithic 1/100th of a second chronograph, and the first in a developing series of DEFY EXTREME models inspired by extreme environments. Crafted in a titanium case, the Defy Extreme Desert evokes the endless sandy horizon in a singular and unprecedented manner.

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The component that protects the pushers as well as the dodecagonal bezel are crafted from falcon’s eye, a blue-grey opaque macrocrystalline quartz gemstone that’s named after the bird-of-prey that has accompanied desert nomads for centuries, soaring high above the horizon and symbolizing determination and endurance. When polished, the stone can appear fluid with its chatoyancy, evoking a mirage of an oasis in the scorching desert heat. The hand-working of such an exotic gemstone into an integral part of the complex case’s structure is something that has never been attempted before in any watch. And as each stone is different and exhibits slightly different colours and fibrous structures, each of the 50 DEFY Extreme Desert watches is essentially a unique piece.

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The open dial of the DEFY Extreme Desert reveals the inner workings of the El Primero 21 movement beneath, topped by a tinted sapphire crystal for the counters and power reserve indicator in a warm beige-brown hue, complemented by beige luminescent markers and hands as well as applied chronograph counters in a matching tone. Completing the look of this conceptual piece are the supplied durable black Velcro strap and beige rubber strap, which can be easily swapped with the titanium bracelet using the quick strap-change mechanism on the back of the case.

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“The DEFY Extreme Desertcertainly captures the majestic grandness and inspiring beauty of the dry plateaus and mountains of sand.” Exclaimed Kourosh Keynejad about the DEFY Extreme Desert edition.

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After years of traveling solo across the globe to the most extreme and remote destinations and capturing them in stunning images, the British-born photographer based in California has made a name for himself with his breath-taking images, bringing out the unseen beauty of wilderness. This marks the artist’s first project with a brand. Sharing Zenith’s green values of environmental conservation, sustainability and diversity, the connection was natural and immediate. Just as Zenith blends tradition and innovation to craft the future of watchmaking, Kourosh plays with light and colour to create imagery that transports the viewer and deeply resonates the themes and messages that drive his work. 

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“The only true constant in my field is the sun. We use it to control the days, and watch it paint our world with light. The elements and weather are always unpredictable, but the sun never fails to rise. It rises on time. It sets on time. It’s never late. When Zenith approached me with the idea for a collaboration, I couldn’t have thought of a better fit. Precision of time and light are key to a great photograph. With optimal planning and the flawless engineering of Zenith watches, I never miss my moment.” Shared Kourosh Keynejad about working with Zenith.

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“I’ve been following Kourosh’s work for some time now and I have to say, I’m always blown away by the way he’s able to transport us to these faraway, untouched locations and showing us a side of nature that we never really knew – or simply overlooked. The great thing about Kourosh is that by reaching his star, he is also spreading awareness about the environmental issues and challenges that we all must face together.” Shared Zenith CEO, Julien Tornare.

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Accompanying the launch of the DEFY Extreme Desert edition, Kourosh has captured an exclusive set of images for Zenith inspired by the evocative chronograph, marking the first time the artist takes on a photography project for a brand. Comprising of nine images in three triptychs with the themes of “Wind Carved Canyons”, “Deserted Dunes” and “Starry Nights”, the photographs were taken across all four deserts in North America: The Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.

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Over the coming weeks and months, the photographs can be discovered during a traveling exhibition tour, beginning with FIAC in Paris before making its way to Dubai and Tokyo before the end of the year. The original photographs will be sold during the exhibitions. The DEFY Extreme Desert is available now at all Zenith boutiques around the world as well its online shop. 

ZENITH: TIME TO REACH YOUR STAR.

Zenith exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds. Since its establishment in 1865, Zenith became the first watch manufacture in the modern sense of the term, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith is also highlighting visionary and trailblazing women – past and present – by celebrating their accomplishments and creating the DREAMHERS platform where women share their experiences and inspire others to fulfill their dreams.

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Zenith exclusively uses its own in-house developed and manufactured movements across all of its watches. Since the creation of the El Primero in 1969, the world’s first automatic chronograph calibre, Zenith has gone on to master the complication with even more precision, capable of measurements to the closest 1/10th of a second in the most recent Chronomaster lines, and 1/100th of a second in the DEFY collection. Zenith has been shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking since 1865, accompanying those who dare to challenge themselves and break barriers. The time to reach your star is now.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: DEFY EXTREME DESERT EDITION

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Reference: 95.9200.9004/77.I204

Key points:
Pushers protectors & bezel made of Falcon's eye gemstone
Stronger, bolder and more powerful design.
1/100th of a second Chronograph movement,
Exclusive dynamic signature of one rotation per second for the Chrono hand,
1 escapement for the Watch (36,000 VpH - 5 Hz) ;
1 escapement for the Chronograph (360,000 VpH - 50Hz),
Certified Chronometer, New Interchangeable strap system,
2 straps included : 1 Rubber with folding buckle & 1 Velcro.
Sapphire dial, Screwed-in crown.
Limited edition of 50 pieces.

Movement
 El Primero 9004 automatic
Frequency 36,000 VpH (5 Hz)    
Power reserve min. 50 hours
Functions: Hours and minutes in the centre.
Small seconds at 9 o'clock. 1/100th of a second

Chronograph: 

• Central chronograph hand that makes one turn each second,
• 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock,
• 60-second counter at 6 o'clock,
• Chronograph power-reserve indication at 12 o'clock.

Finishes:  Black colored main plate on movement + Special black colored
oscillating weight with satined finishings
Diameter: 45 mm
Thickness: 15.40 mm 
Material: Brushed titanium & falcon’s eye gemstone
Water resistance: 20 ATM
Dial
Tinted sapphire with three beige-coloured counters
Hour markers: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with beige Superluminova
Hands: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with beige Superluminova
Bracelet & Buckle
Titanium triple folding clasp and microblasted titanium bracelet. 
Also comes with a beige rubber strap and a black Velcro® strap.

 Price 21.900 CHF 

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Press Release - 2021
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ZENITH | Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865
Rue des Billodes 34-36 | CH-2400 Le Locle
Minh-Tan-Bui
Tel. +41 32 930 65 59
Mobile +41 79 515 47 54
Email: minh-tan.bui@zenith-watches.com

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De Bethune – DW5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’ Edition

 

De Bethune – Dream Watch DW5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’ Titanium Blued Limited Edition 2021

The austerity of metal transformed into an expression of life.

An anthem to transparency and light:
De Bethune presents the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’
This timepiece is the result of a genuine challenge
issued to De Bethune by the American star Swizz Beatz.
Denis Flageollet and his team came up with a response.

Mastery of sapphire crystal, skilled workmanship in titanium, horological virtuosity:
the outcome is an exceptional timepiece, breathtaking in its singular technical
sophistication and aesthetics, as visually understated as it was complex to create.

 

Only 10 of these timepieces will be produced

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This watch does not stem from the kind of collaboration to which the watch industry is accustomed – in fact quite the opposite. Driven by a spirit of going further and indeed as far as possible, it is the story of an authentic challenge set by American rap star, producer and talent scout Swizz Beatz. He spontaneously contacted De Bethune in 2020 and dared the Swiss watch manufacturer to create a totally different Dream Watch 5.

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Master Watchmaker and brand founder Denis Flageollet set to work with his team on creating a timepiece that would convey his resolutely futuristic vision of the watchmaking art. The design of this watch was to be fully in line with their existing achievements, yet at the same time challenging them to create a singular, refined and sophisticated timepiece that would remain user-friendly and easily legible, based on materials and construction typifying De Bethune's quest for contemporary aestheticism.

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Entirely themed around the concepts of light and transparency, the project appeared to offer a new field of research, an opportunity for a different interpretation. A fresh approach to the use of sapphire crystal; blued titanium as the keystone; a movement with multiple reflections and finishes finally revealed to the observer’s admiring gaze: the equation began to take shape and now unveils a unique result, breathtaking to those who capable of perceiving the extreme complexity of its creation.

Contemporary creations

Among the various collections, the one titled “Dream Watch” encompasses the most experimental creations. Impossible to classify, it is at once the most extreme form, yet also the one that best reflects the philosophy developed by the brand, i.e. an approach involving fundamental exploration of watchmaking.  

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A veritable wrist sculpture, Dream Watch 5 derives its distinctive shape from its predecessors, from the bridge of Dream Watch 1 to the case of Dream Watch 4, and is thus part of ongoing research into shapes, materials and colours. With each new creation, the design is refined in the direction of a curved deltoid motif, a major component of the aesthetics of the collection and more generally of De Bethune watches.

Finally, the Empreinte (mark) made on all young designers by Pierre

The DW5, a stature naturally conducive to transparency

Amid the vast range of horological complications and skills in which De Bethune has become a virtuoso, the mastery of sapphire crystal has played one of the leading roles for the teams at the Manufacture in the Swiss Jura town of Sainte-Croix.

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De Bethune has been a pioneer in the use of this technical material, generally used in watchmaking to produce glasses or cases – and always in constant, regular, flat or spherical shapes. The Maison has instead taken a path less travelled by introducing sophisticated and unexpected applications. As early as 2008, De Bethune produced the first sapphire crystal hands, encircled by blued titanium, to be fitted on the DB26QP. This was followed by the production of movement components, including the famous delta bridge of the DB28 Steel Wheel movement, ingeniously complemented by two small barrel covers, also made of sapphire crystal, enabling users to immerse themselves in every last detail of the mechanism.

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There is nothing straight or flat about the DW5 case, nor any constant radius or regular lines. Its design pushes the envelope in terms of exploration and research.

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Far from simply carving the case from a single block of sapphire using customary traditional methods, Denis Flageollet endeavoured to adapt the sapphire to the watch's titanium case. This was no small technical challenge, as the team had to insert no less than seven different sapphire parts – each crafted with unique curves and proportions – which would then be perfectly embedded into the blued polished titanium exoskeleton.

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This involved extremely complex adjustment work, meticulously performed by the most expert hands. No rough edges could be tolerated. Every tiny angle detail must be controlled so that the result features lines that are entirely smooth both visually and to the touch: a true technical feat. Aesthetically, the blue-tinted sapphire matches the blued titanium of the case middle and the cold light emanating from it magnifies the shimmer of the movement finishes.

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The dial side reveals the small two-tone sphere indicating the moon phases. Composed of two assembled and polished half-spheres in blued steel and palladium, it guides the eye towards the minimalist digital display of the hours and minutes, visible through a hand-cut cabochon-shaped crystal such as only a select few are capable of producing.

On the back of the timepiece, the sapphire crystal creates the illusion of a magnifying glass effect enabling even greater appreciation of the beauty and elegance exuded by the DB2149 calibre and its tourbillon, fully revealed for the very first time. Visually very technical and extremely slender, it is truly showcased by its blued crystal surround.

Superlative timekeeping precision

While De Bethune is dedicated to pursuing an aesthetic and creative approach to the DW5, the team remains faithful to the essence of watchmaking, which involves developing and producing the most accurate possible timepieces. In the case of the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon 'Season 1', the mechanical hand-wound DB2149 movement incorporates a high-speed tourbillon developed by De Bethune.

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Ultra-light at a mere 0.18 grams for 63 components and beating time to the nearest tenth of a second, it makes a complete revolution in 30 seconds. These three key elements determine the precision of a tourbillon and De Bethune has chosen optimum performance for each. 

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The calibre houses a titanium balance-wheel encircled by a patented white gold ring, a balance-spring featuring an in-house developed and patented De Bethune terminal curve, and a silicon escape-wheel oscillating at a rate 36,000 vibrations per hour, which gives it superior chronometry. The likewise in-house developed self-regulating twin barrel ensures constant torque for the calibre. All this has enabled the movement to gain 20% in terms of power reserve.

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The time can be read off in digital format through a trapeze-shaped sapphire aperture with a jumping hours disc and another trailing minutes disc. The centre displays the regular rotation of the spherical moon phase, a patented complication so accurate that it requires adjustment by lunar day only every 1,112 years. The watch is wound and set by means of a crown adorned with a blue cabochon-cut sapphire.

Supremely refined finishes provided by the deft hand of the engraver Michèle Rothen

The De Bethune approach to artistic crafts bears vibrant tribute to human skills. Among the various handmade decorations specific to De Bethune movements, the mirror-polishing of the movement components creates an astonishing play on light. The surface of each component is patiently polished until it becomes a real mirror. It can take up to several days of polishing of the different parts to achieve this result.

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Inside the case, by dint of craftsmanship involving a blend of engraving and micro-sculpture, the work of Swiss engraver Michèle Rothen – who has been collaborating with Denis Flageollet for many years – consisted of patiently and meticulously raising the material with the tip of her burin. She thus retouched each surface state, each micro-detail and each relief in order to "lift" the design and thus perfect the whole – a process much like redrawing the piece one last time and thus enabling it to catch the light even more generously.

Blue, a fundamental element

Finally, for De Bethune, the colour blue carries a broad and deep meaning, associated with the notion of fullness: within oneself or beyond, and extending to the unfathomable infinity of the universe, the source of life. Evoking water, sky and space, it is envisaged by Denis Flageollet as a luminous vibration. "The cosmos, the heavens above… when you want to see time evolve and you have no instruments, you observe the sky. This is one of the recurring themes in watchmaking.” Since the foundation of the brand, blue has been intimately associated with the technical and aesthetic research and development of the maison. The Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon 'Season 1' will be a single-colour version. The radical and mesmerising blue of the different materials stems from artisanal and natural treatments specific to each. 

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Faithful to the codes of Manufacture De Bethune, the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon 'Season 1' remarkably perpetuates the heritage of its predecessors: a contemporary and audacious aesthetic, along with perfect balance, dedicated to serving an exceptional mechanism.

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A 10-piece limited edition presented by De Bethune with the collaboration of its friend and fine watchmaking connoisseur Swizz Beatz.

About  Clara Martin: ▶️ Clara-Martin.com

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection  Dream Watch 

Name: DW5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’

Reference: DW5TSB

Number of timepieces: 10-piece limited edition

Functions: Hours, minutes, central spherical moon-phase indication, 30-minute
indication on the ultra-light silicon and titanium De Bethune tourbillon cage appearing on the back

Movement: Calibre DB2149
Type: Mechanical hand-wound
Adjustments: By means of the crown adorned with a blue cabochon-cut sapphire
Three positions for winding, the spherical moon phase and time-setting
Technical characteristics of Calibre DB2149
Number of components: 356
Jewelling: 35 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: Four days, ensured by a self-regulating twin barrel
De Bethune innovation (2004)
Specific characteristics : Titanium balance-wheel with white gold inserts
De Bethune patent (2016)
De Bethune balance-spring with flat terminal curve
De Bethune patent (2006)
Silicon escape-wheel
Spherical moon-phase display accurate to within one lunar day every 1,112 years
De Bethune patent (2004)
De Bethune ultra-light silicon and titanium 30-second tourbillon
De Bethune innovation (2008)
Frequency: 36,000 vibrations/hour
Decorations: Hand-crafted finishes and decorations

Dial: Blued grade 5 titanium aperture frame
Display
Displays: Jumping-hour aperture at 3 o’clock
Minutes indication on a dragging rotating disc
Palladium and flame-blued steel spherical moon-phase indication
accurate to within one lunar day every 1,112 years De Bethune patent (2004)
Case
Ogive-shaped in hand-polished and blued grade 5 titanium,
openworked with sapphire blue inserts and hand-engraved motifs
Diameter: Length 58 mm – width 47 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Crown: Cabochon-cut blue sapphire
Glass: Hardened mineral
Caseback: Screw-in back in polished and blued grade 5 titanium, openworked
with blue sapphire inserts and opening onto the ultra-thin silicon and
titanium De Bethune tourbillon performing one rotation every 30 seconds
De Bethune innovation (2008)
Water resistance: 3 ATM, equivalent to 30 metres
Strap
Blue canvas/leather with an additional rubber strap
Buckle: Titanium with polished and blued titanium pin buckle
 

EDITION     Limited edition to 10 pieces

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De Bethune Geneva Office 
25 Grand-Rue 1204 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 310 22 71
Fax: +41 22 310 33 40
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