This year is shaping up to be the year of the watch industry trade show. As brands begin to diversify away from the traditional stalwarts like Baselworld and SIHH, more groups are beginning to host their own shows as well. The first of these for the year comes courtesy of LVMH, which is displaying its entire brand lineup in Dubai from January 13-15. As part of this massive exhibition, Zenith has announced several new additions to its model lineup including a pair of limited-edition variants of the cutting-edge Defy 21 series. Both of these new models, the Defy 21 Land Rover Edition and the Defy 21 Carl Cox, take full advantage of Zenith’s broad range of partnerships to deliver distinctive limited run styles.

The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition takes its inspiration from the legendary capability and ruggedness of the Land Rover Defender off-roader, offering a masculine and monochrome take on the basic Defy 21 chronograph design. The main case is crafted from bead-blasted titanium for a lightweight, durable and extremely matte finish, while the matching deep gray of the dial keeps the overall package cohesive and stealthy. The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition uses Zenith’s dual escapement El Primero 9004 automatic chronograph movement, allowing for 1/100 of a second chronograph precision alongside a 50 hour power reserve, certified chronometer accuracy, and the Defy 21’s first ever linear power reserve display proudly rendered in white and orange at 12 o’clock. This unique design is paired with a unique “Adventure” strap in gray rubber, along with an additional gray fabric strap with titanium deployant clasp. Limited to 250 units, the Defy 21 Land rover Edition is priced at $14,278.

As the latest installment in Zenith’s “Friends of the Brand” series, the Defy 21 Carl Cox celebrates the legendary DJ and electronic music producer of the same name with a distinctive lightweight take on the Defy 21 formula. Every element of the case, pushers, crown and deployant buckle are rendered in forged carbon, which imbues the modernist design with an additional jolt of high-tech durability, weight savings and eye-catching style. The dial of the Defy 21 Carl Cox, appropriately for a watch celebrating a dance music producer, centers around the idea of displaying the “beat”. The main dial is completely skeletonized, leaving only the black subdials at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock behind while the beating heart of the El Primero 9004 automatic movement is exposed. Playful splashes of red in the power reserve indicator, central chrono seconds hand, subdial hands, and on the 9 o’clock subdial itself inject further life into the mix. The musical inspiration continues further in this 9 o’clock running seconds disk, which takes the shape of a tiny vinyl record complete with label. The Defy 21 Carl Cox utilizes the same El Primero 9004 automatic chronograph movement as its Land Rover Edition stablemate. This avant-garde package is paired with a bright red Cordura-effect strap with lumed contrast stitching. The Defy 21 Carl Cox is limited to 200 pieces, and will be priced at $20,030.

Both of these new limited-edition Defy 21 models are only part of a major series of announcements from Zenith at LVMH Watch Week – Dubai 2020. For more information on these new models, visit the brand’s website.