Zenith & Felipe Pantone Engage in A New Element Of Artistic Modern Watchmaking

The DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone was created by Zenith and Valencia-based artist Felipe Pantone as a limited edition of 100 pieces sold exclusively through ZENITH's brick-and-mortar and internet stores. A partnership with no restrictions. Art as a tool for innovative watchmaking and the other way around.

The Valencian artist and the Swiss watchmaker teamed together once again to reimagine time via the use of light, colour, and motion. The DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone, released on October 27, 2022, is a limited edition of 100 units that can be purchased only via ZENITH's brick-and-mortar and digital stores.

Transparent blue YAS (yttrium alumino-silicate), a crystalline glass material equal to synthetic sapphire, is used for the DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone's dodecagonal bezel and chronograph pusher guards. On each of the four corners of the casing is the coded signature "FP#1," which stands for "Felipe Pantone El Primero." A blue silicone band that can be seen through holds the watch together. With the push of a button on the back of the case, you may switch between the accompanying fully polished steel bracelet and the included black Velcro strap.

Looking up at the dial from below, the sapphire sections seem clear and glossy. A little slant towards the light, however, reveals vibrant hues and intricate patterns. A New Level of DEFY The dial of Felipe Pantone's watch is decorated with gradations of colour. Dials are made using a transparent sapphire disc as the base and a novel physio-chemical technique to generate micro-engraved patterns that are 100 nanometers deep. This cutting-edge treatment gives the sapphire an iridescent character, enabling it to reflect different colours depending on the angle of the light. This is Felipe Pantone's first design with sapphire crystal.

The movement and its hands, which exhibit a carefully varying variety of rainbow-colored metallic tones, are created using the same three-dimensional PVD technology that was prominently featured in the movement of the DEFY 21 Felipe Pantone. Even though this artistic process has been standardised, each watch's hands will take on slightly different colours, making each timepiece truly unique. The chronograph's minute counter has a graduated colour scale, with each minute shown by a different shade. The chronograph's second counter is made up of very thin, concentric black and white lines.

El Primero's high-frequency, automatic, 1/100th-second chronograph has a similar Felipe Pantone makeover. The rainbow gradient 3D PVD finish of the hands is mirrored in the open star design of the oscillating weight. El Primero 21's efficient design guarantees that the chronograph function has no effect on the watch's timekeeping accuracy by using two independently powered regulating organs, beating at 50Hz and 5Hz for the chronograph function and timekeeping, respectively.

Pantone's "PLANNED IRIDESCENCE" series served the inspiration for the book-shaped box that houses the DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone. Its appearance is iridescent, like that of the watch face.

In 2020, the forward-thinking watchmaker and the internationally renowned Argentinian-Spanish optical artist collaborated on a specially designed tarpaulin to protect the facade of the historic Manufacture from the elements. In 2021, they released a limited edition series of the DEFY 21 that sold out instantly, and they created a one-of-a-kind piece for the Only Watch 2021 charity auction that set a new record for a ZENITH watch sold at auction.