BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Well that would be Zenith; and while they certainly aren’t immortal (in a literal sense at least) but they did manage to frame the fearful symmetry of the tiger on their newest Defy Extreme Jungle Chronograph El Primero watch. This wild new release follows the Desert and Glacier editions of the rugged timepiece, completing the final piece of the puzzle to showcase Zenith’s vision of extreme and untamed environments.
As a matter of fact, Tiger’s Eye stone, a unique chatoyant gemstone, is deliberately and aptly used for the bezel and pusher guards to evoke the stripes and mystique of the tiger. The pattern on this unique stone resembles the stripes on a tiger, formed due to the natural variation in the stone. The dial uses an openworked design with a jungle green-tinted sapphire crystal to harmonize the visual message with the theme of the watch, where even the sub-dial are Tiger-striped and framed in orange and black. These sub-dials are adjoined with a linear power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock. Gracing the dial are the beige Super-LumiNova on rhodium-plated indices and hands, the green mainplate is visible through the open dial and caseback.
Beneath the calm exterior, a tiger may prowl
The Zenith El Primero 9004 in-house calibre movement has the same character, providing 1/100th second measurement while beating at 36,000vph and offering a 50 hour power reserve; housed inside a 45mm x 15.4mm brushed titanium case with polished bevels, along with a good 200m water resistance.
This wild beast comes with three strap choices: a titanium bracelet, green embossed rubber strap with titanium folding buckle, and a black Velcro strap. The practical strap interchangeability system makes changing straps a breeze with push buttons on the caseback.
Tiger’s true nature is revealed in the hunt
Limited to just 50 pieces, the Zenith Defy Extreme Jungle is a rare beast, it can be yours if you have inclinations for a hunt and have CHF 25,900 or EUR 28,000 to spare.
