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Not my cup of tea, but I remember it fondly
These watches were a complete 180 following some beloved Zeniths of the 1990s, like the Chronomaster Triple Date, the De Luca and the Rainbow. With time to reflect though, it was a huge culture moment for Zenith. Remember the pictures of Thierry Nataf with the falcon? I sure do.
To be honest, when it came out, I liked the Open version of the Defy Xtreme. The multilevel dial is interesting. The sub-dial registers are interesting. The heft of the watch is a nice feature. The build quality looks great. 1000 m water resistance is complete overkill.
The details of the watch really make it a conversation piece. The details of the watch make it a controversial piece. If you remove the very unserious text, the illegible sub-registers and the oodles of wasted space, you're left with a watch that isn't as interesting.
Is today's Defy Extreme a better watch? In my opinion, it sure is. Which watch will you reminisce about another twenty years from now? The original Defy Xtreme, of course. The Zero-G was a fascinating watch in the line as well and one of the most interesting watches of the era. IMHO the Defy Xtreme Tourbillon deserves special mention is THE icon of the mid-2000's oversized watch craze. It is a 1000 m dive watch with a tourbillon. It has the so-bad-it's-good date window and, in 2013, an amateur writing community that spontaneously formed on Amazon to submit some entertaining reviews.
More posts:
Z-E-N-I-T-H Defy Xtreme...
A most polarizing watch. Love it or hate it, it's Zenith on steroids. One of my favorites. Great weekends ! ...
I remember Defy models from the mid to late 80’s
Quartz and mechanical El Primero all a breath of fresh air to my limited knowledge. Kurt, this era is not my cup of tea. However, I am sure it is an over engineered precision timepiece worthy of much wrist wear and appreciation. I applaud you, keep loving...
It’s extreme!
I like the occasional wild watch that is like a guilty pleasure to wear. I’ve had two Roger Dubuis Easy Divers, and they were loud and crazy, but super fun to wear. Defy expectation!
Not my cup of tea, but I remember it fondly
These watches were a complete 180 following some beloved Zeniths of the 1990s, like the Chronomaster Triple Date, the De Luca and the Rainbow. With time to reflect though, it was a huge culture moment for Zenith. Remember the pictures of Thierry Nataf wit...
It's interesting...
I bought a Patek 5020 when NOBODY wanted one and they just sat on the dealers shelves. Subsequently, relatively few were made. I fell in love with the TV Screen shape and had to have one. I drove almost to Canada to do a trade over 20 years ago and it was...
Drool...
I like complicated watches, and when you combine that with Breguet numerals—the stuff of dreams. ...just as soon as that Powerball Ticket pays off. ...
I guess, Thierry was...
...ahead of time by designing the Xtremes. Wrong time, wrong brand but an interesting watch. Retail price was so much over the edge that 2nd marked was flooded by this models for very affordable prices. Fun fact: today it's really hard to get one of this ...
