Zenith Defy Revival A3648 automatic black dial steel bracelet 37 mm

The collection

Since its launch in 1969, the ZENITH DEFY line of wristwatches has represented reliability and rugged sturdiness. Over the years, numerous versions have displayed designs and features created for specific purposes. The collection that has gone from the highest peaks to the wildest lands returns to the very deep: ZENITH presents the new DEFY Extreme Diver as well as a remake of one of its most sought-after vintage dive watches, the DEFY Revival A3648.

The model

The DEFY reference A3648 is one of the most important sources of inspiration for the DEFY Extreme Diver. Launched in 1969, it was one of ZENITH's avant-garde and robust steel wristwatches designed for specific use. The A3648 was not only one of the first DEFY wristwatches, but also one of the first DEFY diver's watches. Even by today's standards, the A3648 achieved incredible performance in a watch that harmoniously combined style and substance.

A distinctive signature of the original DEFY line, the 37mm-diameter steel case of the DEFY Revival A3648 is highly angular. We find the fourteen-sided steel bezel present on DEFY models of the time, but placed above the round rotating bezel. This unidirectional steel bezel houses a sapphire crystal insert, not Plexiglas as on the historic models, with the same black lettering on a bright orange background - one of the most coveted features of the historic A3648.

The black and orange theme extends to the dial, with a matte black surface contrasted by orange hands and minute track. The hour markers and hands are filled with bright, long-lasting, green-emitting white Super-LumiNova.

With its screw-down crown at 4 o'clock and sapphire caseback, the DEFY Revival A3648 remains water-resistant to 600 meters (60 ATM), a considerable feat for a 1969 creation and still impressive for a particularly compact diver's watch with a sapphire caseback. A symbolic number for ZENITH, since 600 meters correspond to 1,969 feet - the launch year of the DEFY line of wristwatches, including the A3648. The caseback reveals the Elite 670 automatic manufacture movement, with 50 hours of power reserve.

Like the original, the DEFY Revival A3648 comes on a five-link steel bracelet with folding clasp, designed after the one that the famous Gay Frères house made for the historic reference in 1969. This folding clasp includes an extension that allows the watch to be worn over a wetsuit, without the need to add or remove links.