One of my favorite pastimes within the world of watch enthusiasm is to tell anyone who will listen that the “Leopard” Rolex Daytona is my favorite version of the storied chronograph. When the Daytona comes up in conversation (and it does, a lot) I’m always ready to share that the intricate gem and diamond set version inspired by leopard prints and favored by Nicolas Cage is my favorite example. This assertion is only half a joke – I really do admire craftsmanship inherent in these watches (which is somewhat uncommon for Rolex) but mostly I like that the watch exists as a transgressive alternative to the norm. And what better way to do that than with a watch inspired by big cats and the jungle? The new Zenith Defy Extreme Jungle, a watch which immediately made me think of my favorite Daytona, knows that there is, in fact, no better way to gently push on the expectations of the typical watch enthusiast.
There’s an important distinction to be made between this new watch from Zenith and the Daytona, and that’s that the Leopard Daytona is, in every way, an outlier in the Daytona collection and for Rolex as a whole. The Zenith Defy Extreme, and the Defy line more generally, are made up almost entirely of outliers. In other words, it’s not actually that strange to see a jungle inspired Defy Extreme when we’ve already seen high concept Defys taking on various themes over the course of many years. This isn’t even the first time Zenith has played with the “jungle” theme – you might remember the Defy 21 “Urban Jungle” with a green ceramic case that was introduced in early 2021. Like I said: a crazy Defy is really just a Defy.
That said, the Defy Extreme Jungle reaches a level of opulence that most Defys don’t, and that’s worth examining. While it’s built on the frame of Zenith’s most rugged sports watch in the Defy Extreme (including a big 45mm brushed titanium case), there are lots of little details giving this watch its distinctive personality, and they are all executed in a notably luxurious and elevated way. The bezel and pushers, for instance, are inlaid with Tiger’s Eye, and provide a natural complement to the chronograph registers which have been given a tiger stripe accent.
Like most other watches in the Defy Extreme collection, this one incorporates a skeletonized dial of sorts to add a sense of depth and to show off the El Primero 9004 caliber. Here, the dial is green tinted sapphire, which complements both the Tiger’s Eye accents on the case and the tiger stripe counters nicely. The 9004 caliber visible under the green tinted dial is the undisputed star of the show, however. According to Zenith, it is still the world’s fastest automatic chronograph, capable of timing events to the 1/100th of a second. When actuated, the chronograph seconds hand makes a full rotation around the dial once per second. While I suspect most human beings do not possess the fine motor skills necessary to take full advantage of this caliber’s key feature, it makes for a visual spectacle that is rarely replicated, and might be enough for some to buy into the idea of the Defy Extreme.
The new Defy Extreme Jungle has a retail price of $26,900 is a limited edition of just 50 pieces. Will one of them go to Nicolas Cage? Time, perhaps, will tell. Zenith
