The New Zenith Defy Zero G Sapphire Limited Edition

This year marks Zenith’s 160th anniversary, which has already been celebrated with the launch of several blue-themed watches. With this specific collection, the brand is in for an encore of its best watches or movements, including the return of the legendary calibre 135. The story continues today with two very limited Defy Zero G models milled entirely from sapphire: one tinted blue and the other crystal clear. We spent some time with the blue variant of this watch, equipped with Zenith’s unique take on the anti-gravity escapement.

The Zero G concept

The Zenith Zero G, a patented, gimbal-mounted escapement, was first imagined for the wrist in 2008 with the Defy Xtreme Zero-G. That debut featured the gyroscopic “Gravity Control” module under a prominent sapphire bubble, allowing the balance and escapement to stay perfectly horizontal as the watch moved; it was spectacular but bulky. The concept matured in the Academy Christophe Colomb series (2010s), where the gyroscope was placed in classically styled pieces. The range explored complications around the module, most notably the Christophe Colomb Equation of Time, and positioned Zero G as a viable alternative to the tourbillon: instead of averaging positional errors, the gimbal cancels them by keeping the regulator level in real time.

Wearability arrived with the Defy Zero G in 2018, when Zenith re-engineered the Gravity Control cage to 30% of its original volume, eliminated the dome and fit the module cleanly between flat crystals in a 44 mm titanium or pink-gold case with 100m water-resistance. In 2021, Zenith went fully transparent with a full-sapphire Defy Zero G. The movement was re-architected for greater openness and set inside a sapphire mid-case, bezel and back, letting the gyroscopic module be viewed from virtually every angle.

The new sapphire Defy Zero G editions

For the new Zenith Defy Zero G, the 46mm case, bezel and back are cut from blocks of deep-tinted sapphire, letting you view the mechanism from every angle. The blue edition bathes the architecture in a deep celestial hue; edges are razor clean, surfaces are essentially scratch-proof, and the whole assembly is sealed for 30m of water resistance.

Time is displayed off-centre at 12 o’clock on a lapis-lazuli sub-dial, each stone unique, with the faceted, rhodium-plated hands and markers with SLN C1. Small seconds sit at 9 o’clock, with a power-reserve indicator closer to the watch´s horizontal centre on the crown side. The rest is purposefully open: slender, star-evoking bridges in alternating blue and rhodium reveal the Zero G module at 6 o’clock and the hand-wound El Primero 8812S. A laser-decorated platinum counterweight on the module nods to the watch’s celestial theme.

Zenith’s Zero G is one of those ideas that rewards a second look, how it neutralises positional errors in real time. Instead of averaging gravity’s effects like a tourbillon, Zenith fixes them at the source: the balance and escapement are mounted on a weighted, two-axis gimbal so they always stay horizontal, no matter how the watch is oriented. Torque from the barrel is redirected through conical bevel gears and a miniature differential that keep power flowing to the escapement as the module tilts. The latest Gravity Control assembly is the same as the one introduced in 2018, made of 139 components and running on nine ceramic ball bearings. The 8812S beats at 36,000 vibrations/hour for high-rate stability, offers around 50 hours of reserve, and uses a silicon escape wheel with a nickel-silicon anchor and a double-arrow regulator.

Both new Defy Zero G Sapphire versions are delivered on a blue alligator strap lined with rubber, closed with a titanium folding clasp. Each variant is limited to 10 pieces, and the price is CHF 200,000 or EUR 220,000. More details at www.zenith-watches.com.