It’s exciting because it’s the first time we’ve ever seen the mighty El Primero chronograph in the original Defy case. It makes total sense because the first Defy is the most architectural of Zenith’s case designs, and that pairs well with USM, a family company founded as a metal shop back in 1885 that evolved through a collaboration with architect and designer Fritz Haller into a celebrated furniture maker that’s now part of the Permanent Design collection at MoMA. At the same time, the nods to USM’s unique design cues are subtle and not too in your face. Using some of the original colors from the USM Haller line allows 160-year-old Zenith to play in the colored dial space—a move we’ve seen from bigger rivals, including Rolex and Omega. However, these shades are truly USM, and that makes them original.
The tiny ball joint on the chronograph seconds hand pays tribute to the defining way the USM Haller modular system is configured and joined. Plus, you get a real piece of USM furniture to store watches, or anything else for that matter, at a price of CHF 10,900, which is in line with Zenith’s other top chronographs. It’s an LE, and there are only 60 pieces of each of the four colors. My only warning, if you’re already a watch collector, an introduction to USM is highly likely to form another costly collecting habit, this one for premium Swiss furniture design. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Read the Introducing article about the Zenith Defy Chronograph USM here.