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Zenith Defy Extreme 45mm Limited Edition Mens Watch Grey Interchangeable Strap
Ref. 06.9100.9004/21.I001
Sits in Zenith’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Zenith watches we list, which start at £7,000.
Price range £7,000 to £28,000 across 27 Zenith watches in stock.The collaboration with Carl Cox is not decorative. Cox is among the most influential figures in electronic music, and the brief here was to translate the culture of the DJ booth — records, strobes, the physical mechanics of mixing — into a watch that could actually keep 1/100th-of-a-second time. The El Primero 9004 achieves that by running two entirely separate escapements within a single automatic movement: one regulating ordinary timekeeping, the other beating fifty times a second purely for the chronograph. That architecture, packed into 293 parts, is genuinely unusual and explains why the edition is limited to 100 pieces. The result reads unmistakably as Cox's. The skeleton dial arranges its three counters as vinyl records, the minute track mimics a stroboscope, and the two-tone case pairs microblasted steel with an 18k yellow gold dodecagonal bezel ring — an aggressive combination that suits both the brief and the 45mm scale. Through the sapphire caseback, the black-finished main plate and matching oscillating weight make the movement part of the same visual argument rather than an afterthought. Two additional straps ship with every piece, and the integrated quick-change system means swapping between bracelet, rubber and Velcro requires nothing but the wrist.
- Reference
- 06.9100.9004/21.I001
- Brand
- Zenith
- Collection
- Defy
- Case size
- 45mm
- Case thickness
- 15.4mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Tonneau
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- El Primero 9004
- Functions
- Chronograph, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 200m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Black
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 50 hours
- Strap
- Interchangeable
Learn more about Zenith
Georges Favre-Jacot founded Zenith in Le Locle in 1865, aged twenty-two, with an idea that was radical for the Swiss industry: bring every trade needed to make a watch — movement, case, dial, hands — under one roof and one management. The integrated manufacture was largely his invention, and the Le Locle site he built is still in use.
The approach produced results at observatory trials, where Zenith accumulated more precision awards than any other manufacture. The name itself came from a calibre Favre-Jacot considered the summit of his work.
Its defining achievement is the El Primero of 1969, developed over seven years and announced in the same year as the Heuer-Breitling consortium's Calibre 11 and Seiko's 6139. It was an integrated automatic chronograph beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, allowing measurement to a tenth of a second — a frequency almost nothing else matched for decades.
It nearly did not survive. When American owners ordered the mechanical tooling scrapped during the quartz crisis, a watchmaker named Charles Vermot hid the plans, presses, and cams in a walled-off attic. When demand for mechanical chronographs returned, Zenith could restart production because of him. Rolex used the El Primero in the Daytona from 1988 to 2000.
LVMH acquired Zenith in 1999.
- 1865
- Georges Favre-Jacot founds the integrated manufacture at Le Locle.
- 1969
- The El Primero automatic chronograph debuts at 36,000 vph.
- 1975
- Charles Vermot hides the El Primero tooling from destruction.
- 1988
- Rolex adopts the El Primero for the Daytona.
- 1999
- Acquired by LVMH.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Zenith Defy range (23), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Automatic Watches (1,417), Chronograph Watches (1,131), Watches 44mm and Over (810), Sports Watches (667) and Dive Watches (486).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 200m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Zenith's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 45mm is a large watch with real presence
- 15.4mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Zenith Defy Extreme alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 06.9100.9004/21.I001 | 3723-170-1A/3A | 1-36-13-03-90-33 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £28,000 | £24,390 | £25,400 |
| Case size | 45mm | 44mm | 43.2mm |
| Water resistance | 200m | 200m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 50 hours | — | — |
| This watch |
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|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 200m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 50 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £20,050, against £28,000 at Mappin & Webb. Two UK retailers stock this reference.
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