Hands-On Review of the Zenith DEFY Revival A3690 Boutique Edition
Everyone seems to be jumping on the Turquoise train and we love it. We’ve even compiled a list of all of our favorite’s in one spot (read it here). One of the brands that’s pulling out all the turquoise stops, with a lot of vintage influence, is Zenith with it’s DEFY Revival A3690 - A Boutique version of it’s newer DEFY Revival line - Except this time, in a brilliant blue / turquoise colorway.
Interestingly, the DEFY Collection has started to encompass a lot of different styles and models. Initially, it was a way to showcase some of the updates to the El Primero movement, featuring a prominent skeletonized dial on most of the models. It evolved into the inclusion of some more basic 3-hand sport watches, with the eventual inclusion of more haute-y options from the brand. The Revival is an interesting piece the really channels the brand’s penchant for fits and finishings more reminiscent of the brand’s heritage. Meaning, while Modern, the Revival doesn’t exactly feel like it, because it utilizes a lot of Zenith’s feature sets from decades ago.
So lets start with the case. The 37mm case may sound a little too small for a lot of our readers, but it actually wears extremely well. We’ll talk about the bracelet in a minute, but because of the extended flat lugs and oversized crown, I’d say it wears more like a 40mm. This keeps in line with the brand’s 70’s-era eight sided case design, and twelve sided bezel. Overall, I didn’t find the case too small as I might have expected, and was extremely impressed with the way that it wore on the wrist.
The dial draws almost exactly from the original 1970’s Defy A3690, this time with a new Lagoon blue with a bit of a smokey gradient. It’s a lovely color that capitalizes on the seemingly frenzies trend of Turquoise dials. While it is a little more toned down and classy than say, a laser Tiffany blue color, I quite enjoyed it. Zenith turns to it’s signature “step indices”, with a bit of a crimp, when in the 70’s, this would have been a very futuristic design language, here it still feels vintage and I quite enjoyed them. The handset is again, taken right out of the A3690 of the 70’s, with a slightly thinned down profile and a much needed extension of the minute hand to reach the edge of the indices. The standard box-pip second hand is there, and all three watches feature a good amount of lume. A small date window is slammed between 4 and 5 o’clock, which feels a little out of place, but was there on the original, so I recognize it’s inclusion here, though I think a matching date wheel would have been less jarring than a white one.
Inside the Revival A3690 is Zenith’s modern Elite 670 Automatic - A welcomed upgrade from the 70’s model, thought still a less exciting offering from Zenith for the watch. Not that it’s a bad movement or anything, but with the brand’s far superior development in the movement space, I would have hoped for something a little less… normal. But I suppose in the pricepoint, a 50-hour power reserve 3-hand movement with the date keeps the cost quite modest. The finishing, however, is lovely. The Cotes De Geneve striping on the rotor and bridges contrast against the perlage on the main plate quite nicely, and with the gemset gears and bridges, it’s definitely a looker.
However, the real controversy and what “everyone is talking about” is the inclusion of Zenith’s signature “Ladder” bracelet - An open-linked design that some people love, and some people hate. I fully expected to hate it, but it grew on me. It’s a little more open than I would typically like, but it was comfortable and not necessarily as kitchy as I would have expected. I enjoyed wearing it, and found that the Ladder bracelet fit the watch well. It provided a bit of a vintage taste, but still felt solid and modern. The watch has upgraded the clasp to a folding clasp as opposed to that “pop in” steel design that was so popular in the 70’s.
My final thoughts are quite positive on the Zenith DEFY Revival A3690. I had my reservations about the model, which is the second in the Revival series, but grew to really enjoy it. I’m not really a vintage guy, but found that there will definitely be those who find this watch appealing. I would definitely recommend seeing this watch in the metal if you can. Like I said, I was pretty reserved before I got it on my wrist. Overall, under the right circumstances, I would definitely keep this watch in a regular rotation. Price for the Zenith DEFY Revival A3690 is a fairly modest $6,900 USD.
