Official timekeeper Zenith celebrates the Extreme E rally series with a new DEFY timepiece built from up cycled materials.
The second season of Extreme E is at full throttle and to celebrate the innovation and performance behind e-racing, Zenith has created the second edition of its special series crafted for the electric rally racing championship.
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Based on the DEFY Extreme Carbon, the world’s lightest and most rugged 1/100th of a second automatic high-frequency chronograph, the DEFY Extreme E “Island X Prix”, named for the Sardinia race, incorporates upcycled elements from the championship with the back-to-back races’ official colour in vivid orange.
Inspired by the world of motorsports and built to take on Extreme E’s adrenaline-infused off-road courses in some of the wildest and most remote locations around the world, the DEFY Extreme E “Island X Prix” edition is crafted in incredibly light yet highly robust carbon fibre, including the crown and chronograph pushers. Emphasizing the boldly angular geometry of the case, the pusher protectors as well as the twelve-sided bezel are made in microblasted titanium.
Limited to just 20 pieces, the dashboard of this futuristic race-inspired chronograph is an open multi-layered dial with tinted sapphire crystal elements, embellished with fiery orange accents – the official colour of the “Island X Prix” – evoking the scorching-hot temperatures of the Italian island during the summer season.
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Partially visible through the dial as well as the case back is the fastest automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre in production, offering 1/100th of a second time measurements, with two escapements independently beating at 5Hz (36’000 VpH) for the timekeeping part and 50Hz (360’000 VpH) for the chronograph function. The movement is also visible through the sapphire display back, emblazoned with the Island X Prix logo.
In line with the message of sustainability that’s at the core of Extreme E and the Zenith Horiz-On initiative, the DEFY Extreme E “Island X Prix” is delivered with a rubber strap infused with materials produced with recycled Continental CrossContact tires that were used in the first season’s races. Matching the Island X Prix bright orange accents on the dial, the Velcro strap features a black rubber central element surrounded by an orange cordura-effect rubber inlay.
The DEFY Extreme E “Island X Prix” edition also comes with two additional straps in black rubber and black Velcro, which can be easily swapped without any tools by using the case back’s ingenious and intuitive quick strap-change mechanism.
The DEFY Extreme E “Island X Prix” comes packaged in a suitably sturdy waterproof and crushproof watch case inspired by the extreme conditions of the rally, incorporating various recycled and upcycled elements from the side-lines of the first season’s races. The case’s lid coating is made from recycled E-grip tires, while the plate covering is made from parts of an Extreme E Season 1 racing tarpaulin.
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