Conceived as a Formula 1 car, the design of the DEFY XTREME is closely linked to its function. The dials, for example, combine two complementary methods of construction: multi-layering, where the layers of materials are placed on top of each other, and honeycombing, which - like a bees’ nest – makes the materials stronger. The Manufacture’s engineers have also used the physical theory of shock waves to help design the case so that any shock is dispersed and therefore absorbed by the structure as a whole, rather than concentrated at a single point. The helical hands of the counters are also a guarantee of greater strength because they dissipate energy in case of shock.

With regard to the movement, several years of Research & Development have enabled us to create an exclusive alloy, ZENITHIUM®, which is used for one or more movement axes, depending on the model. This new material, which is three times as hard as stainless steel, combines titanium, for strength, aluminium, for lightness, and niobium, because of its form memory. In the DEFY Xtreme Open, for instance, the balance wheel bridge, the wheel bridge and the inverter bridge have been replaced by components made of ZENITHIUM®, making the escapement, and thus the heart of the timepiece, stronger. This is now a watch that is indestructible, super-performing, capable for example of resisting 100 atmospheres of pressure, or a depth of 1000 meters.

Such a marvel merited a new form of expression. This year, the pink gold provides a whole new design sheet, from which to roll out in force the whole range, be it the Tourbillon, the Chronograph Open and the Aero, or the Elite Power Reserve model. On the case or the strap, the contrast with the titanium and the kevlar is really striking; on the dial, the carbon fibre brings out the pink gold of the helixes, the hands and the upper plate of the movement. Overall, the contrast of the two colours together gives the watch an unlooked-for vibration, bordering on the unreal. On the wrist, it is both revealing and imposing, it revels in its eccentricity with the tranquil assurance of the object that is out of the ordinary but filled with soul.

As for the strap, this is now also available in natural rubber, for the titanium-only versions as well as those in the pink gold combination. Producing performance, strength and surprise has always been the watchword of the DEFY Xtreme collection. Now it has added the ability to seduce.

In a limited series of one hundred items per colour, the Manufacture is also offering two more discreet models, inspired by the Stealth Bomber that no radar can detect... In either natural white or matte black and entirely made of titanium, these DEFY timepieces escape from the light and evade contrasts. Special attention has been paid to the multi-layer dials, which have stronger highlights thanks to a complicated chemical process that blackens the aluminium, whilst the carbon fibre, which is naturally black, looks lighter on the white titanium. The helical bridge is in white gold. The effect is one of sibylline mystery but the dials are still easy to read because the hands are treated in red.