Following this year’s 1971 A3691 Revival model unveiling during LVMH Watch Week, Zenith is now releasing a boutique-exclusive DEFY Revival A3690. The start of Zenith’s return to the historic 1960/70’s models began last year when the brand released the very first DEFY wristwatch model from 1969, the A3642. Since then, the brand has been adding many more iconic timepieces into its DEFY Revival range, with the hopes of many more to come!
The original A3690 was released back in 1970, just after the introduction of the DEFY wristwatch collection. The A3690 was designed with the iconic rugged “bank vault” case and was one of the earliest timepieces in Zenith’s collection to have striking dial colours. In fact, it was almost unheard of the time for brands to use bold colours on watch dials, making Zenith one of the first few brands to do so, along with a marked gradient effect. The use of the colours such as tropical teal blue on the DEFY A3690 and deep crimson red for the A3691 showed Zenith’s progressive approach to watchmaking, in keeping with the evolving tastes of time.
Zenith chose this particular DEFY Revival model to be a boutique-only timepiece as many of the exclusive Boutique editions from the brand’s main collections have featured highlights of blue, which include the dial and movement.
This latest DEFY Revival A3690 has been reproduced in incredibly accurate details thanks to historical production plans. Like the rest of the models in the DEFY Revival collection, Zenith wants to keep the essence of what made the historical timepiece so great while injecting a modern dose of technicality with materials and the latest movements.
The DEFY Revival A3690 comes in a 37mm stainless steel faceted octagonal case offering 300m water resistance. To match the octagonal case is a fourteen-sided bezel, all faithfully reproduced to be accurate to the original 1970s model. The model is offered in the now-iconic Gay Frères steel ladder bracelet.
The stunning tear blue dial with its prominent vignette effect which makes the dial darken towards the edges, also comes with the applied square hour markers that feature four horizontal grooves. The date window is placed in a subtle position between the four and five-hour markers.
Only a few cosmetic differences between the Revival and the original 1970s model can be seen, which include the sapphire crystal, the display case back and the luminescent pigments. The original model came with a solid case back that featured the four-pointed star that became the iconic logo for Zenith.
Zenith’s main touch of modernity for this watch comes in the form of the Elite 670 manufacture movement. The movement operates at 4Hz (28, 800 VpH) while providing a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. With the DEFY Revival A3690 featuring a sapphire case back, this automatic movement can be admired from all angles.
With the hopes of many more to come, Zenith’s faithful reproduction of the A3690 shows the brand’s desire to keep iconic models alive and a chance for everyday collectors to get their hands on a historical timepiece with a modern touch. The DEFY Revival A3690 is now available at physical Zenith boutiques and online boutiques around the world.
Reference: 03.A3642.670/3690.M3642
Specification:
- Case: 37mm
- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Dial: Turquoise gradient dial
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 300m
- Movement: ELITE 670 automatic
- Power reserve: Approx. 50 Hours
- Bracelet: Stainless steel “Ladder” bracelet
