It was in 1972 when Ferdinand Alexander Porsche decided to establish a design company for watches (and other products) after he retired from the operating business at Porsche. Ever since he has been a designer, not only was it him who developed the 911, but he was also in charge of all design aspects of the car conception at Porsche. It was his goal to continue the philosophy of understatement, simple but efficient design, functionality and purism and adopt this to the product line of Porsche Design. A clear readability and reliable functionality are the core values – paired with aesthetic. You will always find elements that are inspired from the sports and race cars of Porsche. Since the very beginning Ferdinand Alexander Porsche used titanium for the watch cases, which comes from the lightweight constructions of race cars.
The Porsche Design watches are a homage to the sports cars from past and present times
Recently we got our hands on some 2018 novelties and took them to a ride to the Dolomites.
The Porsche 911 Targa 4S in front of the impressive scenery of the Dolomites
The Porsche Design 1919 collection has gained a new member. It’s the 1919 Chronotimer FlybackBrown & Leather. As most of the Porsche Design watches are kept in black or natural titanium colour (they are all titanium but sometimes coated), this time the brown colour adds some more dress-watch touch to the rather sporty collection. The case design is kept slim to keep the focus on a clear dial design. This feature is even supported by missing out the tachymeter scale. The new movement Werk 01.200 with Flyback Function is a base movement, which has been jazzed up exclusively to Porsche Design. It was firstly introduced in the 2017 Exclusive Series. The Porsche Design 1919 Chronotimer Flyback Brown & Leather will be on sale from September.
Understatement – the new 1919 Chronotimer Flyback Brown & Leather in expected discrete design and with focus on functionality
The next novelty we inspect joins the Chronotimer collection. It’s the new Chronotimer Flyback Special Edition. Namely similar to the above mentioned 1919 novelty but it differs completely in case design. The Chronotimer Series has the more sporty look with a tachymeter scale and a matte black titanium case – inspiration taken from the cockpit instruments. To strengthen the connection to motorsport cars and their lightweight constructions the dial is made from black carbon and the strap from the same leather, which is used inside the cars – even the red stitching is identically. It also houses the new Werk 01.200 with Flyback Function. The Chronotimer Flyback Special Edition is available mid-June.
Strap and stitchings of the Chronotimer Flyback Special Edition originate from the Porsche sports cars
For even more adrenaline Porsche Design has added two new editions to their Monobloc Actuator collection. Here we talk sports – the watches have nothing to do with dress-watches but are bursting with power. You can nearly smell the burning tires and dripping oil from the racetrack when looking at this timepiece. It’s not without reason that the Monobloc Actuator Chronotimer Flyback Limited Edition is inspired by the Porsche 911 RSR race car. Here again the carbon dial is based on the chassis of the Porsche 911 RSR. The black details against a light background with white and red hands are inspired by the colours of the Porsche GT works team, which with Porsche Design works together closely. It is limited to 251 pieces. Why such an odd number? Because the wheel base of the 911 RSR measures exactly 251 cm which is crucial when it comes to an improved weight distribution between the axes.
The Monobloc Actuator line is expanded by the new Chronotimer Flyback Limited Edition – limited to 251 pieces
The second new piece from the Monobloc Actuator collection is the 24H Chronotimer All Black. Basically the same features as the above mentioned model, just without the new Werk 01.200 but with an additional indication of a 24 hour scale and a black titanium bracelet. What distinguishes these two watches from other collections is that instead of using two standard push-pieces on the side of the case to trigger the stopwatch function, like a conventional chronograph, the Monobloc Actuator’s chronograph functions are set into motion by a single pressure-operated rocker switch integrated into the case. Similar to the mechanism used in the engines of the Porsche 911 RSR.
The new Monobloc Actuator Chronotimer Flyback Limited Edition comes with a Rubber strap with Alcantara leather inlay and the Monobloc Actuator24H Chronotimer All Black comes with a titanium strap with black titanium carbide coating. As you can tell, these two watches are made for speed enthusiasts.
