ZENITH LAUNCHES THE MOST PRECISE WATCH IN THE WORLD: the DEFY LAB.
The past makes room for the future. The Swiss brand launches a new oscillator that represents one of the greatest innovations in watchmaking since the invention of the principle of balance and spiral invented by the scientist Christiaan Huygens back in 1675. Presented yesterday at Le Locle in Switzerland after the announcement given to press at a conference held at the Manufacture Zenith in Le Locle and hosted by Jean-Claude Biver, president of the Watch Division, together with Zenith CEO Julien Tornare and Guy Sémon, CEO of the LVMH Institute of Sciences, the DEFY LAB is now reality thanks to the work of the Watch Division of the group led by Guy Sémon.
DEFY LAB, THE WATCH THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
Making the difference is above all the movement that, with respect to Christiaan Huygens’ invention, foresees a new oscillator that forms a monolithic complex, made of monocrystalline silicon (with subtler details than a human hair), and which replaces the equilibrium in Suspension. The 30 components of the standard adjustment member (requiring assembly, adjustment, timing, testing and lubrication) are then replaced by a single element with a thickness of just 0.5 mm (compared to the usual 5 mm) that beats at the incredible frequency 15 Hertz, with an amplitude of +/- 6 degrees and has a power reserve of almost 60 hours – more than 10% more than that of El Primero – despite the frequency is 3 times higher.
ABSOLUTE PRECISION AND HIGH PERFORMANCE
The highest frequency gives the watch also an exceptional degree of precision of almost 10 times higher !!! Its daily average is accurate within 0.3 seconds (a considerable and admirable data if one thinks that one of the criteria for the COSC “chronometer” certification is the daily average of the first ten days of testing: from -4 seconds to + 6 seconds, or up to 10 seconds per day). The Defy Lab ensures very high precision even after 24 hours of operation (the moment when mechanical clocks start to lose their energy and therefore their precision). The watch also performs on maintenance: the lack of contact cancels friction or wear, so even the lubrication becomes obsolete. The insensitivity to temperature, gravity and magnetic fields eliminates the key weaknesses of the current rocker arm assemblies and springs subjected to deformation and / or dilatation, making the watch gain the triple certification, including the chronometric one displayed in the emblematic symbol of the vipera, conferred by the Besançon Observatory, on behalf of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. As far as thermal behavior is concerned, the spectrum of the ISO-3159 standard has been extended: the variants of about 0.3 seconds per day and degrees of deviation are certified, equal to double the recommended amount. Finally, the watch meets the ISO-764 magnetic criteria, exceeding 18 times (for the completed watch), which means it can withstand 88,000 Amperes per meter or 1,100 Gauss.
AERONITH
Another absolute novelty is the choice of the material that holds the movement, the Aeronith, the lightest aluminum composite material in the world, which lands for the first time ever in the world of watchmaking.
The top ten ZENITH Defy Lab watches (10 different versions, each one is different) are sold in an exceptional collector’s gift box. They are all already pre-sold, but for more information, please contact us at the address info@baggioluxury.com
Photo by @zenith