Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Land Rover Limited Edition 44mm 97.9000.9004/01.R787

Zenith have been knocking it out of the park ever since the release of the Striking Tenth chronograph in 2010, and have continued to evolve the product culminating in the Defy line you see here.

Featuring a highly modernised version of the renowned El Primero movement, it's a technical marvel. It features two independent high-frequency escapements beating at 50Hz for the 1/100th of a second chronograph and 5Hz for timekeeping, with independent power reserves, meaning you can run the chronograph even when the power reserve is depleted for timekeeping. Pretty cool.

This particular reference was created in conjunction with Land Rover, and is a lesson on how to do collaborations. There's no gaudy logo on the dial or case, with Land Rover stepping in to bring in a pared back, military aesthetic as opposed to the usual highly technical aesthetic the Defy is known for. 

It utilises a microblasted 44mm titanium case, which leaves a very light frosted finish rather than the heavy finish you'd usually see with microblasting, and almost looks like a coating (which it is not). The usually heavily skeletonised dial has been enclosed, with a rehaut featuring orange accents leading down to a matte grey dial with stepped sub-dials. The hands are new for this reference as well, being less angular in appearance which suits the aesthetic of the watch perfectly. The power reserve indicator for the chronograph has also been redesigned, now sitting on a horizontal plain under 12, and blends in fabulously with the overall design.

Flip it over and you're greeted with a custom rotor which suits the aesthetic perfectly, and shows the only concession to the Land Rover branding. Finishing it off is a wonderful textile strap, and also includes two other straps in rubber and textile and rubber combinations, all making for a highly technical, super comfortable, and deeply impressive watch.

Sold new in 2020, this particular example presents in TZ 'Very Good' condition. The case is very clean, with light rub marks present on the case sides, edges of the bezel and pushers. No nicks/dings/dents. Please see images for full condition details.

The straps are all in fantastic condition, as is the buckle on the deployant.

No service history that we're aware of. It's keeping COSC time measured dial-up on a timegrapher, at high 200's amplitude. The power reserve indicator seems to be slightly misaligned, so at full reserve it still shows a touch of red rather than being all white. Power reserve is still the same, and likely an easy fix when the time comes for a service, and is the reason for the 'Very Good' rather than 'Excellent' grading on the TZ scale.

Comes with outer box, inner box (shows peeling), hang tag, quick step guide, El Primero booklet, warranty card (expired), card holder, cleaning cloth and two spare straps.

A fabulous execution of the Defy.

Brand: Zenith

Reference: 97.9000.9004/01.R787

Circa: 2020

Case Material: Titanium

Case details: 44mm

Movement: El Primero 9004, Automatic

Dial: Grey

Paraphernalia: Outer box, inner box (shows peeling), hang tag, quick step guide, El Primero booklet, warranty card (expired), card holder, cleaning cloth and two spare straps

TZ Grading: Very Good

Watch Vault utilises the TZ grading system. Please see below for details.