Join CHRONOHOLIC today!
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
Zenith and Swiss-based modular furniture giant USM have reunited to create a unique version of the Defy Chronograph USM for the third edition of TimeForArt. The Defy Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece, Ref. 03.A780.400-T/01.M3642, comes with a fully mirror-polished case combined with USM’s signature accents and a custom USM Haller furniture piece designed specifically for the project.
The timepiece has been created for the benefit watch auction organised by the Swiss Institute in partnership with Phillips auctioneers. It will go under the hammer at Phillips New York on December 5, 2026, at 3 pm EST. All proceeds, including Phillips’ Buyer’s Premium, will benefit the Swiss Institute and support its exhibitions, public programmes, educational initiatives, and community engagement. The 2026 edition brings together 25 watch brands, each contributing a unique timepiece in support of contemporary art.
Also Read: Zenith and Naoya Hida & Co. double-sign the new G.F.J.
Founded in 1885, USM began as a metal workshop in Münsingen, Switzerland. In the early 1960s, engineer and third-generation CEO Paul Schärer commissioned architect Fritz Haller to develop a modular system for the company’s factory and offices. Their steel-ball-joint design, patented in 1965, became the foundation of USM Haller furniture, which is now recognised internationally and forms part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent Design Collection in New York.
The two first joined hands in September 2025 at Geneva Watch Days, introducing the Defy Chronograph USM capsule collection. It brought together Defy’s angular architecture with the El Primero movement inside and the signature USM Haller system. For the 2026 TimeForArt edition, Zenith replaced the colourful dial of the original collaboration with a highly reflective, fully mirror-polished surface. Three overlapping azuré chronograph counters stand out against the reflective background, with coloured prints and hands in USM Golden Yellow, USM Pure Orange, USM Green, and USM Gentian Blue. The four colours appear together on a single dial for the first time in the collection.
The collaboration builds on a shared history of design and engineering. USM patented its Haller modular furniture system in 1965, while Zenith introduced the original Defy and the El Primero automatic high-frequency chronograph in 1969.
Also Read: Zenith’s limited edition Japanese anime series gets its fourth timepiece
The watch retains the compact 37 mm octagonal stainless-steel case, complemented by the fourteen-sided bezel and stainless-steel ladder bracelet of the Defy Chronograph USM. Its rhodium-plated hour markers and faceted hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova SLN C1. The central chronograph seconds hand is finished in USM Gentian Blue and tipped with a miniature USM Haller ball joint, as in the signature modular furniture system.
Driving the timepiece is Zenith’s automatic El Primero 400 column-wheel chronograph calibre, renowned for operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz) and offering a 55-hour power reserve. The movement features a silicon escape wheel and lever, while its functions include central hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, a central chronograph seconds hand, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and a date display at 4:30. The screwed-in crown supports water resistance up to 100 metres. The oscillating weight features a Côtes de Genève motif and carries both Zenith and USM logos.
The project also includes a unique mirrored USM Haller sideboard created as a display and storage piece for collectors. Its glass top displays the first layer of a collection, while a lockable compartment below opens to reveal a drawer with space for an additional layer. The sideboard can accommodate up to 24 watches.
Images: Zenith
Zenith and Swiss-based modular furniture giant USM have reunited to create a unique version of the Defy Chronograph USM for the third edition of TimeForArt. The Defy Chronograph USM – TimeForArt Unique Piece, Ref. 03.A780.400-T/01.M3642, comes with a fully mirror-polished case combined with USM’s signature accents and a custom USM Haller furniture piece designed specifically for the project.
The timepiece has been created for the benefit watch auction organised by the Swiss Institute in partnership with Phillips auctioneers. It will go under the hammer at Phillips New York on December 5, 2026, at 3 pm EST. All proceeds, including Phillips’ Buyer’s Premium, will benefit the Swiss Institute and support its exhibitions, public programmes, educational initiatives, and community engagement. The 2026 edition brings together 25 watch brands, each contributing a unique timepiece in support of contemporary art.
Also Read: Zenith and Naoya Hida & Co. double-sign the new G.F.J.
Founded in 1885, USM began as a metal workshop in Münsingen, Switzerland. In the early 1960s, engineer and third-generation CEO Paul Schärer commissioned architect Fritz Haller to develop a modular system for the company’s factory and offices. Their steel-ball-joint design, patented in 1965, became the foundation of USM Haller furniture, which is now recognised internationally and forms part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent Design Collection in New York.
The two first joined hands in September 2025 at Geneva Watch Days, introducing the Defy Chronograph USM capsule collection. It brought together Defy’s angular architecture with the El Primero movement inside and the signature USM Haller system. For the 2026 TimeForArt edition, Zenith replaced the colourful dial of the original collaboration with a highly reflective, fully mirror-polished surface. Three overlapping azuré chronograph counters stand out against the reflective background, with coloured prints and hands in USM Golden Yellow, USM Pure Orange, USM Green, and USM Gentian Blue. The four colours appear together on a single dial for the first time in the collection.
The collaboration builds on a shared history of design and engineering. USM patented its Haller modular furniture system in 1965, while Zenith introduced the original Defy and the El Primero automatic high-frequency chronograph in 1969.
Also Read: Zenith’s limited edition Japanese anime series gets its fourth timepiece
The watch retains the compact 37 mm octagonal stainless-steel case, complemented by the fourteen-sided bezel and stainless-steel ladder bracelet of the Defy Chronograph USM. Its rhodium-plated hour markers and faceted hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova SLN C1. The central chronograph seconds hand is finished in USM Gentian Blue and tipped with a miniature USM Haller ball joint, as in the signature modular furniture system.
Driving the timepiece is Zenith’s automatic El Primero 400 column-wheel chronograph calibre, renowned for operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz) and offering a 55-hour power reserve. The movement features a silicon escape wheel and lever, while its functions include central hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, a central chronograph seconds hand, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and a date display at 4:30. The screwed-in crown supports water resistance up to 100 metres. The oscillating weight features a Côtes de Genève motif and carries both Zenith and USM logos.
The project also includes a unique mirrored USM Haller sideboard created as a display and storage piece for collectors. Its glass top displays the first layer of a collection, while a lockable compartment below opens to reveal a drawer with space for an additional layer. The sideboard can accommodate up to 24 watches.
Images: Zenith
.png)
.png)
