With electric vehicles taking the helm, can electric car rallies be far behind? Case in point is the Extreme E championship, which returns for a second season this year. And with Zenith as its official timekeeper and founding partner, the watchmaker is unveiling a special edition of the Defy Extreme Carbon, called the Defy Extreme E ‘Desert X Prix’ Edition.

The 45mm watch (Ref 10.9100.9004-1/23.I303) is the first of five, each of which will commemorating and inspired by the five legs of the race for 2022, and personifies the spirit of the rally in different ways. Crafted in highly durable carbon fibre, including the crown and chronograph pushers, the Defy Extreme E ‘Desert X Prix’ Edition uses recycled elements from electric rally championship. The case’s lid is coating is made from E-grip recycled tires and the plate covering is crafted from parts of racing tarpaulin, and microblasted titanium has been incorporated in the pusher protectors and the twelve-sided bezel. The watch, understandably, is hardy – crush-proof, waterproof, and light (thanks to the carbon fibre) on the wrist, in keeping with extreme conditions.

The dial is open-worked and multi-layered, and features a yellow and black colour combination, with a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides; the caseback features a transparent sapphire crystal with special engraving with ‘Desert X Prix’ logo. The small seconds sub-dial is at 9 o’clock, a 30-minute sub-dial at 3 o’clock, a 60-second sub-dial at 6 o’clock, and a chronograph power reserve indication at 12 o’clock. The hour markers and hands are rhodium-plated, faceted, and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1, and the dial topped with tinted sapphire.

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Partially visible through the dial is the movement, the automatic El Primero 9004 calibre, which powers the 1/100th of a second chronograph, and has two escapements – 5Hz for the timekeeping movement and 50Hz for the chronograph - and has a minimum 50 hour power reserve. The watch is limited to 20 pieces.

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The Zenith Defy Extreme E or Desert X Prix Edition comes with full interchangeable strap system with yellow recycled tires velcro strap (Ref 27.00.2320.I303) coupled with a microblasted titanium triple folding clasp buckle. The wearer also gets two additional straps – black velcro and black rubber.

Images: Courtesy Zenith