Felipe Pantone has returned to Zenith with his full-spectrum toolkit for a “highly chromatic” op art takeover of the Le Locle brand’s DEFY Extreme.
The 100-piece DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone collection was developed by the Spanish-Argentine contemporary artist as “a new expression of time through light, colors, and motion.”
Zenith had to find a technical method to transpose characteristics from Pantone’s Planned Iridescence series onto the considerably smaller scale of a watch dial when transforming the robust, dual-escapement high beat chronograph.
The brand used a “physio-chemical process to create hidden micro-engraved patterns just 100 nanometres deep” to create a radial hologram on a sapphire crystal disc. When exposed to light, the disc appears “translucent and metallic” at first, before displaying “a spark of colors and geometric patterns.”
The Planned Iridescence series’ metallic elements are reflected in the watch’s entirely polished stainless steel case, while the bezel and pusher guards are crafted from YAS (yttrium aluminosilicate) – a crystalline glass comparable to synthetic sapphire, color matched with a translucent blue silicone strap, which is accompanied by a fully polished stainless steel bracelet as well as a black Velcro strap.
The watch’s four shoulders are etched with “FP#1,” abbreviation for Felipe Pantone El Primero.
Pantone’s first watch partnership with Zenith occurred in 2021, when a limited edition DEFY 21 swiftly sold out, prompting the creation of a one-of-a-kind DEFY 21 Double Tourbillon for the Only Watch 2021 auction, which sold for 480,000 CHF, making it the most expensive Zenith sold at auction.
The DEFY Extreme Felipe Pantone will be available exclusively through Zenith on October 27 at 08:00 for 29,900 CHF (about $29,800 USD).
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