ZENITH has unveiled the "Defy 21 Felipe Pantone," a watch born from the brand's first collaboration with Felipe Pantone, a contemporary artist based in Barcelona, Spain. Limited to just 100 pieces, this exceptional timepiece masterfully merges vivid colors and monochrome, a signature of Pantone's work, with cutting-edge technology.

ZENITH introduces the "Defy 21 Felipe Pantone," a watch designed by Felipe Pantone, the Argentine-Spanish artist making waves globally with his contemporary art. The collaboration between ZENITH and Pantone began in 2020 when Pantone transformed the Manufacture's building facade into a canvas for contemporary art. Now, Pantone has reimagined ZENITH's state-of-the-art chronograph, creating a timepiece that embodies both the excellence of watchmaking and the aesthetic beauty of kinetic art.

The highly colorful "Defy 21 Felipe Pantone" aims to visually and mechanically express Pantone's concept of the "visible spectrum." The base model, the "Chronomaster El Primero 21," is ZENITH's highest-frequency model, beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour and capable of measuring time to 1/100th of a second. It serves as an ideal canvas for Pantone's concept, where the frequencies of visible light and refracted colors interact within the chronograph.

Pantone commented on his first watch collaboration: "The initial concept was to transform this piece of incredible watchmaking technology into a wearable kinetic artwork, a vessel of time and light. I was thrilled with the result."

Just as Pantone consistently pushes the boundaries of innovation with his bold artworks, ZENITH developed new, previously unknown techniques in watchmaking for this creation, further extending the limits of innovation. Particularly striking are the multi-colored bridges, a hallmark of Pantone's work. Treated with a special PVD coating based on the principle of interference colors, these bridges display a metallic, rainbow-like gradient. The central hour and minute hands are uniquely shaped like lightning bolts, another motif found in Pantone's art. While also featuring the same special PVD coating as the bridges, ZENITH's engineering has achieved a precise rainbow gradient on these distorted shapes, a feat previously considered difficult.

These visual effects are themes that Pantone repeatedly explores in his paintings and sculptures, and they are incorporated into the details of the watch. Moiré patterns created by intricate laser engraving and lacquering techniques on the upper bridges and parts of the dial create a visual illusion of fluid movement. To accentuate these colorful movement and dial details, the watch is housed in a black ceramic case with a refined grid-patterned bezel, paired with a black rubber strap featuring a distorted grid motif, creating a striking contrast.

This timepiece comes in a custom box designed to resemble a hardcover book, featuring a miniature print of a painting specially created by Felipe Pantone for this limited edition, complete with his signature. It is offered alongside an interchangeable rainbow-colored strap, with only 100 pieces available worldwide at ZENITH boutiques and online.