A Week On The Wrist: The Zenith Defy Revival Diver A3648 – The Orange One
Watch enthusiasts love a good reissue. Smaller proportions? Nice. Historic references? Heck yeah. Tasteful accents that mimic years of ever-so-perfect aging and patina? That one’s a toss-up, to be honest. For better and for worse, the watch-collecting zeitgeist puts a lot of stock in the past. Watches are vehicles through time on so many levels that it only makes sense for brands to leverage that history in one way or another. Strong arguments can be made for both leaving this behind (not getting bogged down) and looking forward. Or, alternatively, celebrating one’s heritage and leaning into historical pedigree as a valid identity. Often, the execution of historical references can be hit or miss, but when it’s right – oh buddy, it’s just right.
Short of diving into a long-winded discussion of what is best for watch brands and the industry, I’ll get right to my point and say that the Zenith Defy Revival Diver A3648 is a fantastic and well-executed example of this concept.
First: the details. It’s orange. And it’s a lovely orange at that. I’m not afraid of bright colors, but at first, I was a little skeptical of this “Dayglo” hue and how it would wear in person on a day-to-day basis. However, I was quickly relieved of any worry and only delighted at just how good this bright orange looked. It strikes a wonderful chord in the matrix of saturation, value, and hue. It feels just right, makes for great legibility, and certainly has a lot of mid-century character without being over the top (if you can believe it).
…the watch feels both larger and smaller than you might expect it to.
Also, the size! The case measures 37mm x 15.5mm tall, which sounds weird at first blush. And it kind of is. It’s definitely thick. However, given the octagonal shape and domed crystal, among other factors, the watch feels both larger and smaller than you might expect it to. The faceted lugs, crystal, and, of course, the orange give the watch some outsized presence beyond the otherwise diminutive 37mm case diameter. Inversely, the short lugs and “stepped” design of the case from caseback to crystal hide a lot of that 15.5mm case height. Not to mention, a lot of that height is in the domed crystal itself, which doesn’t really contribute to any visible size. It feels way smaller than nearly 16mm thick.
It’s everything you want out of a reissue, which is to say, it’s an old watch that’s just been made new. It feels solid and reliable but has the charm of a vintage watch without feeling gimmicky with heavy-handed faux “aged” accents. Let’s not forget: this watch is extremely capable! The name of the game for dive watches is water resistance. And while we all know that essentially no one is diving deeper than 40m with any of these watches, I think we can all agree that 600m water resistance deserves some respect. We are twice as deep as the beloved Rolex Submariner and six times the ISO 6425 standard for a dive watch (100m) at nearly 2,000 feet – 1,969 to be exact. The Defy watches from Zenith are all about everyday toughness, both in resistance to shock and water. That pedigree is represented in the A3648 in full – this is no show pony.
Sure, the price is also a lot to shake a stick at. But, this is where Zenith sees their products competing. To put it into context, let’s look at the forward-looking brand-catalog equivalent of this watch, the Defy Extreme Diver. That watch is over $11,000. For your money, in that package, you also get a high-beat movement and a 42.5mm titanium case, yet with the same 600m water resistance. But here, with the Revival A3648, the prize is a modern recreation of a short-lived model from the late 1960s/’70s with the same capability and much more character than its technical and tactical brother from across the catalog pages. This is not to pit one against the other. These watches do the same thing, just differently, but both at a high level of execution.
The point of the Revival is to celebrate where the Defy line of watches originated, in this case, with a 1:1 reissue. The A3648 succeeds by sticking to the plan. This watch is just as if the original model were to be made again without any gimmicks to try and prove that it has some historical pedigree. Granted, the original didn’t come with a sapphire caseback, but that’s not the point here. If anything, maintaining that monster water resistance with an exhibition back is even more impressive.
All in all, the Revival Diver is a great watch on its own, and it doesn’t need historical references to be a great watch. In spite of the spec sheet, the size is neither obtrusive nor demure. The proportions are conservative while still giving plenty of wrist presence – if that’s what you want. The polished facets of the case and the bright orange make just enough of a statement without shouting too loudly. The bracelet is comfortable and sturdy, and the five-link design balances form and function nicely. The brushed links feel tough and rugged for daily wear, and the polished “beads of rice” add just a sprinkle of refinement that you’d probably miss if it wasn’t there.
If you didn’t tell me that this was based on a 50-year-old watch or that it was 15.5mm tall – I wouldn’t know, and I wouldn’t care.
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Hodinkee is an authorized retailer of Zenith watches. For more on the new Defy Revival A3648, visit Zenith online.
Zenith is part of the LVMH group. Although LVMH Luxury Ventures is a minority investor in Hodinkee, we maintain complete editorial independence.
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