Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Revival Diver A3648

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Part of Zenith’s Watches & Wonders 2024 releases was a long-overdue Revival of a popular retro model. But does the 70s aesthetic still hold up today? Let’s find out!

We at Watch Advice were busy throughout all of 2024’s Watches & Wonders. So many brands, so many releases, and all in one place? April was the season for Watch Heaven.

With your eyes darting from brand to brand, it’s easy to get lost in the fog of the amazing new models – however, if you don’t slow down and look around, you might realise that you missed something special.

‘Under-the-radar’ is a somewhat apt description of Zenith’s releases at this year’s biggest watch fair. While there were two new modern defy models worth celebrating, one release didn’t seem to get as much press as everything else did.

Designed in the ’60s, the Zenith Defy lineup was a distinctive collection in a sea of retro timepieces. However, they were built for one purpose: survival. Zenith wanted to make the most resilient Swiss watch of its time, and they made sure that no stone was left unturned. 

From rigorously testing its 300m water resistance and heightened magnetic resistance to strapping it onto motorcycles and even throwing it out a two-storey window, the Defy did as the name suggests. These incredible feats of endurance and unique design are what put Zenith’s Defy collection at the forefront of the integrated bracelet sports watch revolution, predating arguably the most important sports watch of all time – the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak – by three years.

Related Reading: Unveiling The New Zenith Defy Diver Revival

Arguably the most popular of all the designs in this collection was the 600m water-resistant Defy Diver A3648. This was the diver’s rendition of the Defy lineup, which to popular demand finally resurfaced from the archives at 2024’s Watches and Wonders. Naturally, a retro-funky watch, an interesting origin story, and a ruthless manufacturer like Zenith was enough to get me on board with reviewing one of these gorgeous watches.

First Impressions

When I got the go-ahead to review this piece, it was by surprise. Watches and Wonders 2024 had just flown by, and I was operating under the assumption that I wouldn’t be seeing any of the W&W stuff pop up in Australia until later this year.

Then all of a sudden, I got called to a meeting and ended up leaving with the Revival A3648. I’d had my eye on this piece for a while now (it was by far the most interesting of the Zenith releases to me), but to end up with one in my possession, even temporarily, was a bit of a rush. What’s even more serendipitous is that I wore a bright orange hoodie to the meeting! When the time came to shoot it on my wrist, I felt extremely satisfied that I had styled for the watch. Some might call it an accident, but me? I think it was fate.

The Design

Let’s address the elephant in the room: that colour. A veritable assault on the eyes, that bright, highlighter orange is certain to make a statement anywhere you could possibly go. The orange colour is everywhere – from the minute track, to the bezel, and even the hands, the Revival A3648 is unmistakable for anything else. The extremely high contrast you see in these photos almost capture how vibrant it is in real life. Of course, this has a practical application: the Revival A3648 is a diving watch, and orange is the last visible colour in the depths of the ocean. But while it’s on land, you can’t deny how ridiculously fun it is.

Aside from the extreme colourway, the inner dial is coloured in matte black, contrasting vastly from the minute track. The inner dial is topped with the Zenith logo and all associated logotypes, including the ‘automatic’ and ‘Defy’ lines, both of which are absent on the modern models. The minute track, in that fun, absurd orange, is printed in white with thick, lumed indexes for each hour. While the white print stays mostly within the orange periphery, the indexes stretch into the black inner section. The 12, 3, 6, and 9 indexes also get special treatment by being thicker than the other indexes, also being outlined in white. The only other interruption to the minute track is the 4:30 date window pervasive in most of the Zenith lineup. I understand that people have their own misgivings regarding the date window’s placement, but it’s truly never been a bother for me.

The hands, flushed in orange, play a great part in legibility alongside the indexes and colour. Contrast is also at play here, but this time in the shape of each hand. The hour hand is a broad baton, while the minute is a gigantic arrowhead that scrapes the minute track. The second hand remains a classic stick, with a rectangular plot of lume resting atop it. The other hands are also similarly lumed, providing an insanely high level of legibility even in the darkest of environments.

The knurled diving bezel, turning unidirectionally with a smooth 120-click action, has a sapphire insert also coloured in orange, with a printed black minute track and lumed zero marker. The orange colour on the bezel also seems to be slightly darker than the rest of the orange on the Revival A3648, which provides a subtle sense of contrast whilst enhancing the retro appeal.

The timepiece remains a faithful adaptation of the watch that inspired it, much like the rest of the Revival lineup at Zenith. The Revival A3648 effortlessly captures 60s/70s aesthetic in stainless steel. The sharp, geometric nature of the case almost reminds me of brutalist architecture, exuding a quiet strength that goes much deeper than the crazy colourway suggests. In a way, you can ‘feel’ that this watch means business, despite practically every surface being adorned with high levels of polishing. This does make it extremely easy to smudge, so if you’re one of those guys that abhors any kind of tarnish to the watch’s finish, I highly advise keeping a microfiber cloth handy.

Other than the bracelet, there were only two brushed surfaces I could find on the entire piece: the hooded lugs, brushed vertically to match the brushing of the bracelet. The signed and fluted crown, hidden away at 4:30 with the date window, also helps to boost the retro-cool aesthetic. It’s an odd place to situate the crown, but it allows the user to focus on all the other fascinating design elements present on the watch. 

On the rear of the case you find the display case back, also polished, complete with the engraved text pertaining to the watch’s info. Most divers these days forego a display case back, despite their ability to do so without disrupting the water resistance rating of the watch. I’m proud to say that Zenith, through excellence in engineering, have been able to maintain the original A3648’s staggering 600m water resistance rating even with the display case back!

For haters of that ladder bracelet on the other Defy Revival pieces, you may now rejoice, as the Revival A3648 comes with a five-link bracelet consisting of vertically brushed and rounded polished components. The bracelet tapers down minimally, all the way down to a somewhat disappointingly finished double friction lock clasp. Of course, the clasp is the least of people’s worries when it comes to design, but for a premium luxury brand like Zenith, it seems like an odd detail to gloss over.

All-in-all, it’s a great revision of the Zenith Defy designs of yore, and is irrefutable proof of the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, I would love to see Zenith double down on the outrageousness of this design by releasing an entire ‘highlighter’ collection, complete with a fluorescent yellow, blue, green and pink – kind of like their OnlyWatch 2023 Collection!

How It Wears

At 37mm case diameter, and 13.6mm thick, the Revival A3648 is a one-for-one recreation of the source material. While I haven’t had the honour of seeing the OG for myself, If you happened to own both the vintage and modern piece, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t know how to tell the difference between the two – obvious ageing notwithstanding.

In any case, the Revival A3648 has a strange case silhouette from when you view it down the barrel. This makes it wear considerably higher than other watches within the Zenith lineup. It’s to be expected of such a radical design, though; If you didn’t, I’m afraid that’s kind of on you. The 37mm case, while small, helps to balance out the almost brutalist design principles of the Revival A3648, and permits it to fit small wrists such as my own and opens up the floor to unisex wear. 

I like how geometric the lugs are as the angle to reach the bracelet from the case, and the bracelet itself feels exceptionally comfortable to wear. Having had my own reservations about a ladder-style bracelet, I was happy to not see one included here initially. However, my time with the Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow really opened up my eyes to how good it actually was. I won’t rant too much about it here, so go check out that review, but I’m perfectly happy with how the Revival A3648 wore on the wrist.

Related Reading: REVIEW: Hands-On With The Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow

Something I’m less happy about is the Zenith signed clasp. As stated in my Shadow review, the clasp does have its benefits – five points of micro-adjustment, for example, ensures a fit on even the most specific wrist sizes – but there’s no denying that it just feels plain and ordinary. I was really expecting more at the price point, especially since it feels extremely sharp on the edges and was a massive pain to open throughout my review. Perhaps it loosens up in time, but it somewhat soured the wearing experience of the watch.

Despite this, though, the Revival A3648 feels at home on a steel bracelet without quick-change, although I wouldn’t be completely closed off to customising the look of this piece with another strap. Going orange-on-orange is absolutely warranted by way of a rubber strap, or perhaps even a steel mesh strap would also suffice to add a different spin on the heritage-inspired aesthetics. It would almost make it look like a baby PloProf!

The Movement

Following suit with the other Zenith Defy Revivals, this timepiece comes outfitted with an in-house Elite 670 movement. Beating at 4Hz (28,800VpH, for those who care) backed by a 50-hour power reserve, this capable movement is common amongst the smaller offerings from the Le Locle brand, namely the Defy 36 and the heavily underrated Zenith Elite collections. 

One odd quirk that I found about this piece is that, unlike most other movements with a date, can go forwards and backwards on the date wheel. How strange! I’m not complaining at all, though – there have been an innumerable amount of times when I’ve missed the date wheel and have to stew in my own fat-fingered-ness while I cycle through the dates again.

In presentation, it’s not the flashiest movement out there. It’s pretty acceptable finishing: Côtes de Genève rotor; perlage on the periphery; and radial Côtes de Genève on the baseplate is attractive enough to keep you interested if only for a little while. If you’re feeling a tad disappointed, though, do keep in mind that it’s a dive watch – I feel a bit lucky just to see the movement at all. 

So what about the price? At AU$11,900, it’s certainly nothing to scoff at. If you’re familiar with Zenith, it doesn’t exactly come as a shock. Being the reputable brand they are (and as part of the LVMH umbrella), the Revival A3648 finds itself in the middle of the overall lineup. That being said, though, the price point isn’t without its competitors.

As far as capable dive watches go, Omega is a brand that dominates a similar, albeit wider, price range with their Seamaster lineup. Their Nekton Special Edition is of particular interest, which at AU$11,750 boasts design and engineering chops that give the Revival A3648 a run for its money. Another contender is the Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph, which like the Nekton Seamaster sports a Chronometer certification, even coming with a chronograph function! With two tough competitors like these, you’d be wise to think that the Revival A3648 would be outperformed, but don’t count it out yet. 

While the Nekton and Superocean Chronograph have plenty of great qualities about them, they both suffer from one drawback: size. The Nekton’s 42mm stature and no-taper bracelet makes it feel a lot larger and heavier on-wrist, whilst the Superocean stands at a similarly hulking 44mm. To find smaller dive watches, you’d have to go into seriously upmarket territory with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, or the Glashütte Original SeaQ 39.5mm. Even then, the Revival A3648 still outperforms all comers with its incredible 600m water resistance rating.

Final Thoughts

I like to think that I have a unique taste for watches. Well, either that or I like virtually every timepiece that I come across, making me practically immune to disliking anything. It’s a double-edged sword – Sometimes my rose-coloured glasses are screwed on so tightly that I can’t help but like everything.

Still, there remains one unifying factor that determines the attractiveness of a watch: It can’t be boring. I know it’s a board statement, but to me, it means that the watch cannot be beholden to or ashamed by its design or technical ability. It’s odd, but you just know when a watch is trying too hard to be unserious or fun – it’s why I respect brands like MB&F and Daniel Roth so much. They’re so unashamed of what their timepieces are, and to that effect I’d say the same about this new addition to the Defy Revival roster.

As the name suggests, the original Zenith Defy designs defied the logical wristwatch conventions, especially that of the A3648. This Revival is a tribute to the quirky and rebellious nature of the timepiece, both in design and engineering capabilities, while not compromising on anything that made the original great. In a genre where most wristwatches can often blend into one another, sometimes a blast from the past is exactly what one needs to make a splash in the dive watch lineup. The Zenith Defy Revival Diver A3648 is living, ticking proof of such. Old dog, meet new tricks.

Reference: Defy Revival A3648 (03.A3648.670/21.M3648)

Specifications

• Case dimensions: 37mm diameter, 13.6mm thickness
• Case material: Stainless steel with steel/orange unidirectional rotating bezel
• Dial: Black with orange accents
• Bezel: Black aluminium, with a tachymeter scale
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 50 meters/ 5ATM
• Movement: Automatic Elite 670
• Movement Frequency: 4Hz / 28,800bph
• Power reserve: 50 hours
• Bracelet/Strap: Steel bracelet with folding clasp

Australian Retail Pricing: AU $11,900

Availability: Available now at Zenith boutiques, authorised retailers and online at Zenith-watches.com