Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Celebrating 75 Years Of Porsche With A Special Porsche Design Chronograph 1
Three-quarters of a century of sports car design, honoured with a robust and sporty chrono.
Just like the Porsche 911, the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 is an iconic piece of design. Both have stood the test of time and are instantly recognizable. And although Porsche’s history goes back much further than that, as it introduced the 356 No 1. all the way back in 1948, it is the first thing we think of when it comes to the brand. The same goes for the watch, which was the first-ever black-coated watch, a very purposeful decision by Ferdinand Alexandre “Butzi” Porsche. The Chronograph 1 also happens to be the first product released by Porsche Design in 1972. Now everything seems to come full circle with the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 75 Years of Porsche Edition, celebrating three-quarters of Porsche-branded sports cars!
We could go on and on about Porsche’s astonishing history, and we often do so in our weekly automatic segment The Petrolhead Corner as you know. And although there is much more to the celebration of 75 years of Porsche cars, we will focus on this new celebratory watch instead, which takes an iconic chronograph and adds a little twist to the wrist.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 75 Years of Porsche Edition comes in the familiar 40mm wide case. It’s glass bead blasted for a matte shine, and given a black titanium carbide coating. It has a barrel-like shape thanks to the hooded lugs, and a stout black-coated bezel on top. On the right-hand side, the crown is flanked by two chronograph pushers, all coated in black as well. With sapphire crystals on both sides, the caseback is engraved with the special 75 Years of Porsche logo. With 100m of water resistance, it’s more than capable of withstanding a rain shower or a jump in the pool.
As you’d expect with the Chronograph 1, the dial is matte black. Taken from dashboard instruments from the 1960s and 1970s, which showed only what’s needed, the design hasn’t lost an ounce of strength. The black and white colour scheme has very strong contrast and is perfectly legible. The hands are finished in white, as are the markings for all the subdials. The only touch of colour is the central chronograph seconds hand, finished in neon orange, to mimic the look of the needle in a tachymeter in a racing car. On the right-hand side, you can see the day/date window, with the modern PD Porsche Design logo just above it.
Turning the watch over reveals the Porsche Design Calibre WERK 01.140, a proprietary automatic chronograph movement based on the Valjoux 7750 architecture. It comes with a Chronometer certification according to the COSC standards. The movement is fitted with a Fuchs-style winding rotor, a tribute to the wheels found on early Porsche 911s and a very popular look even today. It runs at a rate of 28,800vph and offers 48 hours of power reserve. Next to the central hours and minutes, it indicates the small seconds and the chronograph, with a 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter and central chronograph seconds.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 75 Years of Porsche Edition comes on two straps. One is a perforated black leather strap, and the other is a black NATO-style strap with a leather lining. This features a red centre line, light blue stitching and black hardware. The textile strap comes with black DLC-coated titanium end links and an interchangeability system to swap it out for the leather one. The full set is limited to just 475 pieces and retails for EUR 9,975 incl taxes. Although it lands you a very cool and utilitarian-looking watch, we wonder about the increase over the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition that paid tribute to 50 years of Porsche Design.
For more information, please visit Porsche-Design.com
