With the start of the second season of Extreme E just this past weekend, official timekeeper ZENITH also took advantage of the season’s kickoff by launching the first DEFY Extreme Carbon special edition watch themed around the event, incorporating the promotional focus of the off-road electric car rally championship – energy recovery – into this creation. What’s most special is that ZENITH will introduce this series in an innovative way, releasing a limited edition piece for each round of this season’s competition.
In the second season of the competition, the number of teams has increased from nine in the first season to ten, with a star-studded lineup. The reigning champion team from last year, Rosberg X Racing, led by former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg and driver Johan Kristoffersson, continues to compete and has already scored 30 points in the opening round. However, last season’s teammate Molly Taylor has switched to JBXE team founded by another former F1 world champion Jenson Button. In addition, X44 team founded by 7-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton continues to have “racing royalty” Sébastian Loeb and off-road female racing legend Christina Gutiérrez, as well as 4-time Dakar Rally champion Carlos Sainz partnering with 13-time FIM Women’s Trial World Champion Laia Sanz.
Speaking of watches, the first DEFY Extreme Carbon special edition recently launched will pay tribute to the Desert X Prix held on the shores of the Red Sea in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, known as “NEOM.” In terms of design, the DEFY Extreme E “Desert X Prix” watch comes with a matching and sturdy waterproof pressure-resistant safety case, inspired by the extreme environments of rally races. The coating material of the safety case lid comes from E-grip recycled tires, and the nameplate protective layer is made of Extreme E race car waterproof fabric. The crown and chronograph buttons are made of modern carbon fiber, echoing the emphasis on the weight ratio of the Odyssey 21 race car in modern racing sports. The button protection parts are made of micro-blasted titanium, and the bezel continues to highlight the bold and angular geometric design of the DEFY series with a twelve-sided shape.
The watch features a unified case, and the multi-layered hollow dial adopts a deep yellow tone that matches the official color scheme of the “Desert X Prix” event, reminiscent of the endless sand dunes in the Arabian desert, the location of the world’s largest continuous desert. Through the dial and the partially visible high-frequency automatic chronograph movement on the back, the movement can measure time accurately to 1/100th of a second, equipped with two escapements, one for time display with a frequency of 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour), and the other with a frequency of 50 Hz (360,000 vibrations per hour) for timing purposes. The transparent sapphire crystal case back is embellished with the Desert X Prix logo, complementing its El Primero 9004 automatic winding movement.
DEFY Extreme E watch comes with a rubber strap made from recycled German Continental tire rubber used in the first season, paying tribute to the environmental awareness symbolized by Extreme E. Its Velcro strap features yellow Cordura effect rubber inserts around the black rubber central component, echoing the gravel yellow tones of the Desert X dial. Additionally, the DEFY Extreme E “Desert X Prix” comes with two additional straps, one black rubber and one Velcro strap, both with a quick change system.
DEFY Extreme E “Desert X Prix” watch will be limited to 20 pieces, ZENITH will release 5 exclusive special edition pieces starting from this race, paying tribute to the 5 races. DEFY Extreme E “Desert X Prix” made its official debut last weekend and will be available for purchase at Zenith’s physical boutiques and online stores worldwide.
資料及圖片來源：ZENITH
