Zenith Reveal Defy Extreme Diver and Defy Revival Diver “Shadow” Editions

People like to say that the watch industry moves slowly but I always find myself with whiplash after realising that events such as Zenith re-entering the dive watch game with the launch of the Defy Extreme Diver and Defy Revival Diver was 14 months ago. As it has been more than a year since then, it’s about time for Zenith to release some follow up models, which they have duly done with the release of the new Defy Extreme Diver and Defy Revival Diver “Shadow” Editions. Shadow is more of a nickname that Zenith are using rather than an official designation, representing the dark grey tone of the micro-blasted titanium cases.

Zenith Defy Extreme Diver “Shadow”

While Zenith are traditionally associated with pilot’s watches and chronographs, the Defy Extreme Diver is a professional diver with a 600m water resistance rating. That rating actually pushes it into a tier higher than most professional dive watches, which we categorise as having 300m water resistance. At 600m it qualifies as what’s known as a saturation dive watch, designed for extended use in pressurised environments for days or even weeks at a time. Extreme by name, extreme by nature.

The 42.5mm case is made from lightweight titanium like the 2024 edition but it has a new style of finishing. Where the original was brushed, giving more of a sheen in the light, the Shadow has a micro-blasted finish, giving it more of a matte appearance that shows just how dark titanium actually is in comparison to steel. It looks like it has an anthracite coating or something but no, that’s just the natural tone of the dark metal.

To complement the darker tone of the watch, Zenith have given the Defy Extreme Diver Shadow a black dial with the signature 4-pointed star pattern of the modern Defy collection. But the watch is not without colour, as you’ll have clearly noticed because the most striking part of the whole design is the bright yellow minutes scale around the periphery of the dial. A particular highlight of this new design.

Inside, it houses the same El Primero 3620 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve. As part of the El Primero family it’s naturally a hi-beat movement with a 36,000 vph frequency, which helps to ensure a high level of accuracy. It’s a major factor in the £11,100 price tag.

Zenith Defy Revival Diver “Shadow”

The Revival Diver is based on the A3648 from 1969 with its signature octagonal design and sharp facets. Like the Extreme Diver above, it’s made from micro-blasted titanium revealing the metal’s natural darker tone. Though the case is much more compact with vintage proportions of 37mm, though it remains quite thick at 15.5mm. It also still has a 600m water resistance rating, which is kind of funny because it’s the same resistance rating as the Defy Extreme Diver but Zenith don’t emphasise it anywhere near so much on the Revival model.

For the yellow accents, Zenith have emphasised them to an even greater extent here, using the colour for both the minute track and rotating diver bezel, creating a layered appearance. Stick a Batman logo in the middle of the dial and you can picture it safely tucked away on Adam West’s utility belt. And I meant that affectionately – Adam West is the best Batman, fight me in the comments below.

Powering the Zenith Defy Revival Diver Shadow is the Elite 670 calibre, not quite as prestigious or powerful as the El Primero with a power reserve of 50-hours and a 28,800 vph frequency. Fortunately, the trade-off is that the watch is almost half the price at £7,400, which seems more than fair to me.

More details at Zenith.

​Oracle Time 

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