Pardon any “purple prose” you may encounter in this article, as it may well be a reaction to the big news that Zenith has launched its first automatic chronograph movement in violet. The Defy 21 Ultraviolet (Ref. 97.9001.9004/80.R922) takes its inspiration from the human eye’s ability to perceive colors as “visible light frequencies.” Ultraviolet, as the Swiss watch manufacturer describes, is the color with the highest frequency, so it only made sense for the brand to pair this intense color with its high-frequency chronograph caliber.

Zenith Defy 21 Ultraviolet (Ref. 97.9001.9004/80.R922) with titanium case.

Violet is the color of light at the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum, between blue and invisible ultraviolet. It is one of the seven colors that Isaac Newton labeled when dividing the spectrum of visible light in 1672. Violet light has a wavelength between approximately 380 and 450 nanometers. The color’s name is derived from the violet flower.Wikipedia.org
The Defy 21 Ultraviolet features Zenith’s El Primero 9004 automatic movement, with a violet-colored finish (obtained through a PVD coating), whose integrated chronograph measures elapsed times up to 1/100th of a second thanks to the movement’s ultra-fast frequency of 50 Hz. 

The movement is equipped with two escapements, one for the watch (beating at 36,000 vph or 5Hz), and a second one for the chronograph (beating te...