Planning a trip to the wilder reaches of Borneo, the Amazon or Rwanda? If so, you’ll be needing some jungle essentials – a good-quality mozzie net for one thing; definitely some empire-building shorts; at least one machete.
And don’t forget those water purification tablets.
Or, for that matter, this limited-edition, jungle-themed wristwatch from Zenith (the very brand, incidentally, that supplied Colonel John Blashford-Snell’s wristwear for the 29,000km British Trans-Americas Expedition from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1968).
The final piece in a three-model series of limited editions, the new Defy Extreme Jungle follows “Glacier” and “Desert” versions inspired by similarly harsh environments and, despite its highly decorative appearance, is built tough for serious explorers.
The 45mm diameter case might be almost large enough to double-up as a camp frying pan, but it remains deceptively light thanks to being hewn from titanium.
To redress the balance, the Defy Extreme Jungle is also adorned with stone in the form of a generous helping of tiger’s-eye quartz that embellishes both the bezel and the chronograph push pieces.
The sapphire skeleton dial is tinted with a suitably verdant jungle hue, with the big cat theme being reprised in the applied “tiger stripe” borders of the subdials.
And the Defy Extreme Jungle isn’t all “show” and no “go”, because it contains the most technically advanced version available of Zenith’s famed El Primero movement – meaning it’s capable of recording elapsed times down to a pounce-evading 1/100th of a second.
It achieves the high-speed feat by incorporating two separate oscillating mechanisms – one beating at a regular 36,000 vibrations per hour to run the regular timing side, and another that runs 10 times faster to power the chronograph.
Each watch is supplied with a trio of straps, too: one in khaki rubber and a second in black Velcro, with the third being a titanium bracelet.
But if you really want a Defy Extreme Jungle, you might have to cross a few other luxuries off that kit list. It’s priced at approximately £23,000.
Simon de Burton is a journalist and author who writes for the FT’s How to Spend It, British GQ and Boat International, among other publications
