As the 50th anniversary year of the Porsche Design Chronograph 1, which was widely celebrated with an array of special models, draws to a close, the watch manufacturer is already presenting its next highlight. With the Chronograph 1 – GP 2023 Edition, Porsche Design is launching a second limited special edition to mark the GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria. The event will take place for the fourth time in a newly designed format at the end of January 2023.
Since 2019, Porsche Design has been the official timing partner of the race, which was revived in the same year after a 45-year hiatus. Ferdi Porsche, nephew of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche and watch enthusiast, has made a major contribution to the success of the new GP Ice Race edition, also playing a role in the design of the new Chronograph 1 – GP 2023 Edition.
GP Ice Race – 2022, Zell am See, Austria
Credit © GP Ice Race
After all, it was his uncle who laid the foundation for the Porsche Design brand in 1972 with the original Chronograph 1. As a trained architect, Ferdi Porsche has the necessary flair for form and aesthetics and was involved in the development of the chronograph in Porsche’s own watch manufacture in Solothurn, Switzerland.
In 1952, the Skijöring Race in Zell am See stems from the trendy sport of skijoring, originally involving horses pulling skiers over the ice track. Evolving from horses to sports cars pulling skiers over the slopes, the race is now an established motorsport event. At its peak, 10,000 fans have made the pilgrimage to Zell am See, with sports cars competing for the fastest lap time across various disciplines. The last historic race took place in 1974 – it was only 45 years later, in 2019, that Ferdi Porsche and his friend Vinzenz Greger revived the old tradition of ice racing with the modern-day GP Ice Race.
Skijoring, Lake Zell, Austria
Credit © GPI Ice Race
Anyone who follows Ferdi Porsche on social media will see the passion he has for motorsport. Fred Porsche embodies a lifestyle that polarises predominantly young motorsport fans for the GP Ice Race’. He once said that for him, there is almost no better feeling than driving up the Großglockner early in the morning with his father and their sports cars. For three days at the end of January 2023, an array of spectacular racing cars will once again compete against each other under extreme conditions: prototypes, rally cars, and restored classic cars.
At the finish line, Lake Zell, Austria, 1952
Credit © Porsche AG
Ferdi Porsche and the design team of Studio F. A. Porsche meticulously oriented themselves to the original chronograph from 1972, which takes inspiration from the aesthetics of the dashboard of the Porsche 911. On the matte-black dial, bold, light-coloured hour indices with Super-LumiNova luminous material provide 24/7 legibility.
In the predecessor model as well as the original from 1972, the surrounding dial ring integrates a tachymeter scale, however the new model replaces this with a 60-minute display.
Porsche Design Chronograph 1:
GP 2022 Edition (left) & GP 2023 Edition (right)
Furthermore, on the new edition, the minute hand is pointed (instead of rectangular), while the stop hand is red instead of white. Additionally, there is also a small but noticeable innovation in the case: the 40.8 mm titanium case is no longer black PVD coated, but rather silver coloured. In this respect, the Chronograph 1 – GP 2022 Edition is certainly even closer to the original.
While Porsche Design develop the precise WERK 01.240 calibre at the manufacture in Solothurn, the company uses the specialist Concepto for the base. The WERK 01.240 movement in this new model is a further development of the WERK 01.140 from the 2022 edition with a flyback function, innovative quick-switch date display and bilingual day display. The movement is COSC-certified and offers a power reserve of 48 hours. Finally, the caseback is engraved with the historic Porsche Design logo, the edition number and the small but playful GP insignia: a Yeti sitting on a tractor.
The new GP 2023 Edition will be available with two strap options; a white textile strap that can be worn over a ski or racing suit, or alternatively a car leather strap with a matt-black titanium folding clasp. In addition, the watch comes in a black box with a laser-engraved acrylic plaque. The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – GP 2023 Edition is a limited edition of 250 pieces and can be ordered from 11 January 2023 online and in Porsche Design Stores worldwide. The chronograph costs 8,950 euros.
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