Few watches are as decidedly modern as Zenith’s Defy Extreme. Despite the company having a history that dates back to 1865 and a legacy of producing ultra-accurate movements and the world’s first in-house wristwatch over 100 years ago, Zenith is also one of the names synonymous with skeleton dials, especially those in its Defy series.
Following up the Desert and Glacier variants in 2021 and 2023, respectively, the Defy Extreme now gets its third and final iteration of its adventure-inspired trilogy. Now, it’s headed to the jungle with its most thematic watch yet.
While the Desert got some sandy coloring and patterns, and the Glacier just looked like it was cut from a literal block of ice, the Jungle edition could be labeled as gimmicky by some. However, the inherent confidence of the Defy Extreme gives this reference the same sort of pass as a loudly-dressed celebrity at an award show.
Taking after some of the most formidable environments on Earth, these three watches are all built on the standard Defy Extreme platform, including the 45mm case, the flat sapphire crystal, the 200m of water resistance, and the same chronograph setup. This includes a trio of subdials and a power reserve indicator right above the center. The Defy Extreme also utilizes very modern case materials, with this one employing titanium.
However, for the Jungle version, the crystal that forms a platform underneath the four registers is tinted in a bright green. Meanwhile, the three chronograph subdials have orange tiger stripe patterns around the outsides.
Underneath the dial, you can catch a glimpse of the El Primero Caliber 9004 automatic chronograph movement with a khaki green-colored rotor and upper bridge. This is really an astounding movement, from a lineage of the legendary El Primero family. There are two different escapements, one beating at 5Hz for the central hands with another beating at an ultra-fast 50Hz for the chronograph operating at 1/100th of a second. The movement is also visible through the caseback.
The watch is also given three different integrated band options: either a green rubber strap, a titanium bracelet, or a black Velcro strap.
What makes these watches so unique is how they utilize stones in their case structure. While the Desert featured falcon’s eye and the Glacier featured chalcedony stone, the Jungle variant prominently uses tiger’s eye quartz, which brings a warm brown color to the overall look of the watch. The stone is featured on the outermost 12-sided frame of the bezel and also right below the pushers. I love how it doesn’t match the tiger stripes on the chronograph subdials but still brings dimensionality to the watch and closes up the jungle motif perfectly.
Case Size: 45mm
Case Material: Titanium with tiger’s eye stone
Water Resistance: 200m
Movement: El Primero Caliber 9004 automatic chronograph
Band: Titanium bracelet, green rubber strap, or black Velcro strap
Limited Edition?: Yes, 5
Limited to just 50 pieces, the Defy Extreme Jungle will be a difficult watch to nab — and that’s if you can even cover the $26,900 retail price. For more information, head over to Zenith’s website.
Zenith closes out its adventure-inspired series with a Jungle variant of the Defy Extreme skeleton, with tiger stripes around the registers and a green-tinted sapphire crystal.
