Zenith Debuts New Ladies Defy Classic Midnight Watches In Dubai

Prepare yourself for a strap frenzy as six new references join the Zenith Defy Classic Midnight family. Still, in the name of personal expression, that’s no bad thing.

To side-step what I’m sure could have been an eloquent, poetic opening gambit as to why we need to look at the night sky and consider all the magnitudinous questions of our existence, I will say this: Gradient dials are pretty. I’ve always been a fan of them. I don’t much care whether they are inspired by an achingly beautiful celestial scene, or by the darkening waters of the briny deep. I see two colors, slowing becoming one another, and I like it. And so, to my eyes at least, the Zenith Defy Classic Midnight watches have something to offer.

Strawberries and cream

There are three dial colors available: A blue fade, a gray fade, and a Mother of Pearl variant. Each dial option comes in either a bare metal case or one topped by a diamond-set bezel.

A sporty woman that wants a versatile watch…

At 36mm, the Zenith Defy Classic Midnight watches occupy a palatable middle ground. It isn’t impossible to imagine a slim-wristed chap with a penchant for shiny things (or astronomy) taking a flyer on one of these. More likely, however, the Defy Classic Midnight collection’s regular customer will be a sporty woman that wants a versatile watch with the wrist presence to be dressed down and enough flair to hit the red carpet.

Stars and Zenith go together like strawberries and cream. As a result, the dial design works particularly well, integrating the brand’s iconic logo into the design. Beyond that, and the luscious fade on the gray and blue versions, there isn’t much to speak of. The case shape is almost identical to the men’s version, albeit scaled down.

It has a real shot

I’m part impressed by this (because I love the Defy case) and part indifferent (because I’d love to see something actually new shake up the ladies’ catalog). As hard a time as I have to imagine a woman choosing this model above all others, it is far more inspiring than many of the shrunken TAG Heuers, Breitlings, and Rolexes I see hanging from the wrists of my female friends, so I guess it has a real shot.

One massive attribute in the Defy Classic Midnight collection’s favor is the wealth of strap options. It is rare for a brand to provide such a wide selection of OEM straps, to begin with. It is rarer still for a brand to include them (three of them, to be precise) in the package. Each Zenith Defy Classic Midnight watch actually comes with three additional straps in the box. I’m sure there will be some customers that would prefer a few hundred euros off the price at the expense of the straps (especially those that would only countenance wearing this watch on the bracelet), but I think it’s a smart value add-on from Zenith. You can check out the range of looks you can achieve with this watch in the gallery below. Better still, a new quick-change system means these options can be cycled through regularly and easily.

The three stainless steel-only models — blue (03.9200.670/01.MI001), gray (03.9200.67/02.MI001), and MOP (03.9200.670/01.MI001) — retail for CHF 8,900. The diamond-bezel (1.48 carats) references — blue (16.9200.670/01.MI001), gray (03.9200.67/02.MI001), and MOP (16.9200.670/03.MI001) — come in at CHF 10,900. All references, which have 0.1 carats on the dial, are powered by the Elite 670 SK Automatic, which has a 28,000vph and a 48-hour power reserve. Stay up-to-date with Zenith’s releases here.