That is an version of the e-newsletter Field + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Join right here.
My torrid affair with the brand new Zenith Defy Revival A3648 started as love at first sight. The second I noticed the retro dive watch in April at Geneva’s Watches & Wonders commerce present, I couldn’t take my eyes off its peculiar shade of orange. Nothing in nature may even try to match to the shade. It makes me proud to be human—I’d wish to see a tangerine tree make one thing this synthetic. From the species that introduced you Mountain Dew Reside Wire, Carrot High, and Tang, we now have the A3648.
Final month, the watch arrived at my house for a take a look at drive the identical day I examined optimistic for COVID. Oops. Being the [watch] sicko I’m, I vaguely bear in mind stumbling out of the room I used to be quarantining in when nobody else was house to grab the FedEx bundle that held the Zenith. The watch waited patiently for me to heal up on the nightstand. I’m not going to lie and declare that seeing the vivid orange watch brightened my darkish, sickly days—that’s what the Paxlovid is for—however it was definitely an awesome prize for recovering. After I lastly emerged from quarantine six days later, I did so with the A3648 on my wrist.
So what’s so particular about this piece? What drew me to it instantly was its funky beauty. The orange is generously slathered throughout the bezel, the interior observe across the fringe of the dial, and the palms. The toothy round bezel sits atop an angular, stop-sign-shaped case, which provides the watch extra muscle than I’d anticipate from a revival of a mannequin that debuted in 1969—again when all the pieces was a bit of smaller and daintier.
I’ve been protecting a very shut eye on Zenith since final January. In 2023, the model introduced again its Defy Revival with a ladder-style bracelet from Homosexual Frères, a legendary bracelet producer that Rolex acquired in 1998. After so a few years of primarily pushing its Chronomaster, I used to be glad to see one thing new from Zenith. However earlier this 12 months, the model proved its flagship mannequin can nonetheless study new tips. Zenith’s gem-set Chronomaster was one among my favorites from LVMH watch week, a worthy contender within the crowded luxury-sports watch house. However it was the A3648, which prices $7,700, that I actually wished to get my palms on for a real take a look at drive.
The Pop Tradition Icon This Watch Belongs On
If I might strap the A3648 on any well-known determine, actual or imagined, I’d select Austin Powers’ wrist. The shagadelic superspy is a caricature of the swinging ’60s who isn’t afraid of vivid colours—and he wants a watch with a complete lot of mojo. That is Powers’ reply to James Bond’s critical Rolex Submariner.
That isn’t to say that I used to be all of a sudden in the marketplace for ascots to match with my new watch. The Zenith’s vibrancy and sportiness finest pairs with extra informal outfits. Because of its 600 meters of water resistance, I by no means needed to fear throughout a visit to the seashore or my son’s bathtime. And whereas I’m a robust advocate for mixing sports activities watches with formalwear, it is a watch higher constructed for play than black tie.
