Zenith is excited to announce a new addition to its Revival series. While 1969 will forever be known as the year of the birth of the El Primero, it also marks the important introduction of the first Defy timepiece. Originally dubbed the ‘coffre-fort’ —bank vault in English—, the new Zenity Defy Revival A3642 is a modern reproduction and a celebration of Zenith’s DNA in a 250-piece limited edition. With its octagonal case and distinctive 14-sided bezel, it showcases the historical source of inspiration of today’s Defy models.

Taking a firm stance against the wave of quartz watches that was threatening to decimate traditional Swiss watchmaking, in 1969 Zenith proved that mechanical movements were here to stay by creating a timepiece with a singularly edgy design and robustness that mass-produced electronic watches of the time, simply could not rival.

The A3642 was fittingly nicknamed the ‘coffre-fort’ in French, which translates to “bank vault” or “safe-deposit box”. With its steel ‘ladder’ bracelet designed and manufactured by the famed Gay Frères company, the original DEFY was certainly ahead of the curve when it comes to sporty steel bracelet watches with highly geometric designs. With a water resistance of 30 meters ensured by a screw-down crown, the DEFY A3642 and its modern Revival reincarnation are assuredly all-terrain and all-occasions watches.

Reproduced in stunningly accurate detail using the original production plans from 1969, the DEFY Revival A3642 brings back all the details and singular design elements that made the original so outstanding in its era and how it established the codes that continue to inspire modern DEFY references. Its warm grey dial with a striking gradient effect that darkens towards the edges was among the first of its kind during its introduction in 1969.

The new Zenith DEFY Revival A3642 'Bank Vault' is fitted with a stainless steel case measuring 37 mm in diameter, a ‘ladder’ steel bracelet, and is fitted with a gradient greyish brown dial evoking the design cues of the original model from 1969. The unusual applied square hour markers feature horizontal grooves that convey a sense of perpetual motion. The wide sword-shaped hands are generously filled with superluminova in a similar tone to tritium found in the original, paired with a paddle-shaped seconds hand that is a prominent feature in numerous Zenith watches of the same era. In fact, the only cosmetic differences between the Revival and its progenitor are the sapphire crystal, the display case back, and the type of luminescent pigments.

The other main difference beats away inside. Instead of the original’s solid case back emblazoned with a four-pointed star that became one of the brand’s logos and recurring design elements for years to come, the DEFY Revival A3642 features a sapphire display back showing the automatic Elite 670 in-house movement, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vph and delivering a power reserve of 50 hours when fully wound.

With the DEFY Revival A3642, Zenith is not only bringing back one of its most daring and outstanding references from the 1960s, but also highlighting the unique genesis of the Manufacture’s boldest and most innovative collection by returning to the source.  

 Sticker Price $7,000 USD. For more info on Zenith click here.