Zenith

A few weeks ago I came across this Zenith Defy Xtreme Tourbillon Titanium Chronograph and took a quick cell phone pic. It's a discontinued timepiece as Zenith has gone from avant-garde to mostly classic references. But still an interesting timepiece from ...  

from the Nataf era .... Been a long time since I have seen one. They have all but disappeared from the ADs I frequent. This must be a NOS ?

Hello F. Correct. Indeed the watch is from the Nataf era and this is new old stock. Best wishes, Joel

I confess, I'm not a fan myself but are those offshores that much better ? The carbon Allinghi, the Survivor, the Grand Prix , .... Imo they are as ugly as the Defy watches ( most Defy watches) but somehow, when they have 'Audemars Piguet' on the dial eve... 

. . . and I think the answer - if there is one - is related to the continuity of development of AP's RO / ROO over decades in comparison to the flowering of Zenith's Period of Excess. In AP's case, the trend was gradual and linear, while in Zenith's, it w... 

"Period of Excess" definition. This explains perfectly that times and the produced goods. Zenith seems to follow a sinusoid route of ups and downs for a long time. I'm hoping that the current path targets the ups. Let's wait and see. Cheers, Nilo

And I concur with your analysis wholeheartedly.

That's the main difference why. Cheers, Anthony

I kove a RO and a 'normal' ROO but the survivor, Grand prix, carbon Alinghi, ... I really see no difference between these and a lot of Defy watches

And how often you see pics of happy wearers... While you can see, quite often, the ROO you don't like. Not that these ROOs are my taste, but this is a fact. Without Smileys... Well, at least one. Best, Nicolas

don't take my reply too serious ;-) But on the other hand I really mean it, I think they would have sold better if they kept better price. I have no idea how many Defy's Zenith made and sold but I'm sure there are plenty of them. The one in the picture is...  

and many people see the difference that's why these watches aren't the same as the Zenith Defy Extreme watches. It's probably safe to say that many more people see the difference and like the look of these Offshores as compared to the Natif-era Defy Extre... 

The main reason why DEFY failed is not because the designs are ugly and not because there was no ground to stand on for Zenith. The was a strong following for DEFY, actually even during the good times, it found it to be one of the best selling pieces and ... 

This is a subject very near and dear to my heart... before I bought my JLC NS GMT Chrono, I was putting money aside for the original Defy Xtreme Open. I bought my JLC over that for more than a few reasons. Those are something I'll get to later in my post....