Zenith And Its Carbon Cool Defy Classic
Carbon is a material that has got increasingly more traction in the watch world, especially in recent years. While it is still not a common material, in part due to its specific production process, it offers significant advantages and adds a very distinct look to a watch. This is also the case with the recently introduced Defy Classic Carbon. One of the reasons that Zenith took this step was the lightness of carbon fiber. The Defy Classic Carbon, with an integrated carbon fiber bracelet, weighs a mere 65 grams. This is already half the weight of the same Defy made from titanium, another material known for being relatively light.
The challenge in making a carbon fiber watch is not only in crafting the material itself, which requires both very high temperatures as well as a significant amount of pressure but also in machining it afterward. Zenith has succeeded in not only crafting the case of the Defy Classic Carbon from this material but the bracelet as well. In particular, this is a tour de force because not only is there the painstaking process of milling each bracelet segment, they also need to be connected in a way that rigidity and durability is ensured. This is why bracelets made fully from carbon fiber are especially rare. This makes it that while Zenith is also offering Defy Classic Carbon on a rubber strap, the bracelet version takes it to an even higher level.
While its lightness and durability make carbon fiber a desirable material, its ‘camouflage’-look with monochrome tones make it also a visual treat. Here the bracelet version also has the advantage as it extends this look all around the wrist. Both watches boast the skeletonized Elite 670 SK manufacture movement. This caliber can be admired from the front and the back, as it is fitted with an open-worked dial and on either side a sapphire crystal. The term tool-watch comes to mind, as this Zenith is not only light and robust but also water-resistant up to 10 ATM/100 meters. One thing that is for sure is that the Defy Classic Carbon, in either of the two versions, is especially carbon cool.
