Reviving the Defy name as an ultra high-frequency line of watches seems to be Jean-Claude Biver’s big plan for Zenith. So what’s special about the Defy 100"
by Chris Hall

It carries the hopes of Zenith’s revival 
The fact that Zenith is not doing so well is old news – we covered it here back in January. This watch was presented at Baselworld in march as “the first fruits of a star-studded renewal” – it’s the first significant new product to emerge since Jean-Claude Biver sacked CEO Aldo Magada and took brief control of the company (he has since appointed a new CEO, Julian Tornare). It is the first of a Defy range to emerge, all of which will place an emphasis on advanced technology and materials. To that end, the Defy 100 has a bigger, bolder look than the El Primero; it was presented with an openworked dial but we have no problem saying we prefer this closed version. 
It is fast
As the name might indicate, the Defy 100 is capable of measuring down to 1/100th of a second. You get a central hand that whizzes round once per second, which is officially very cool. You may remember that sister brand TAG Heuer used to make a high-frequency chronograph, the Mikrotimer, capable of a similar feat. But this is more impressive, as the Mikrotimer was only ever a limited-run, highly expensive piece of concept watchmaking: this will go into full production and be expected to cope with the wear and tear of everyday l...