Zenith Swizz Beatz Defy Edition Set No. 1

Since a few years Zenith can count on the friendship (and support) of American rapper,  DJ and record producer Swizz Beatz from New York City. Considering himself an avid watch collector as well, Swizz Beatz got his creative talent aimed squarely are the new Defy collection - with a result that is not exactly 'classic' or 'elegant', but has a very vivid charm to it: I had the chance to get up and close with the complete Swizz Beatz Defy Set No. 1:



Swizz Beatz needs no introduction for those deeply into hip-hop music, where he is mostly known as - according to his American rapper and producer colleague Kanye West - "the best rap producer of all time". Indeed, his discography and more so the albums he produced for fellow musicians speak for themselves - as are his Grammy Award nominations and wins. Swizz Beatz is married to American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.

When Zenith CEO Julien Tornare joined Swizz Beatz at Baselworld 2018 to present the full three watch set of their collaboration the lobby at the brand's booth was busting with people and an ever hotter air:



Even noted watch author Gisbert Brunner could not resist to be in the first row:



We have witnessed may such 'brand ambassadors' over time, but rarely do you see such a personal involvement to the level Swizz Beatz demonstrated: With perceptible pride and stamina he showed and explained the watches to the guests, patiently smiled at the cameras smartphones, and answered the questions of journalists. All too often I have seen such ambassadors dissappearing after the stage show, not so with Swizz Beatz, whom I could see many times later during the fair just mingling with the people at the Zenith booth. Very nice to see!



All pieces have in common a gleaming white dial, orange accents on hands and indices (orange Super-LumiNova) and are worn on a white rubber straps with orange alligator leather insert.

The watches as well as the presentation case are inscribed with Swizz Beatz motto “Never let people tell you what you can’t do, because sky’s not the limit, it’s just the view”. I'll comment on that a bit later.



There are three different Defy references in this set (from left): A Defy El Primero 21 (in white gold and set with round and baguette cut diamonds), a Defy Zero G, (with a titanium case), and finally another Defy El Primero 21 (in a white ceramic case).

Let's start with the first one, the Defy El Primero 21 in a diamond-encrusted white gold case:



This one comes with a 44mm white-gold case that has been set with 288 round diamonds, and in addition to this a further 44 baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel. Suprisingly, this works quite nicely with the Defy case (you should see this watch with proper lightning, this is a spectacular, airy view!), the Defy case appears to be a a perfect stage for gem-setting.

The piece is limited to 5 watches.



The next one is the Defy Zero G in a Swizz-Beatized version, with a 44mm titanium case. At this time I have unfortunately no information a to whether the piece is limited.







Limited to 25 pieces, this is perhaps the most unsual of the three (as far as Zenith is concerned, at least). The slightly ebony coloured case transmorphes, thanks to colour, almost seemlessly into the strap.



A side-view shows the Swizz Beatz inscription, here in orange:



Swizz Beatz' own life was troublesome at start, coming from a disrupted immigrant family and later being involved in violent bahaviour when at school, the artist still discovered his creative musical talent, got help and support from his uncles (both active in the music industry), only to become, as noted above, one of the most important and influential rappers and hip-hop producers. He later, in 2014, enrolled in and graduated from Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management executive programme.