The Porsche Design Chronograph 718 Spyder RS

There is no denying the connection between cars and watches in general. Often fueled by a passion for mechanics, both worlds are deeply connected, and enthusiasts of one category often have a strong interest in the other. This connection is hardly stronger than with Porsche Design. Not only was the studio created in 1972 by the designer of the legendary 911 himself – Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche – but many of the watches in the collection are directly modelled after the car manufacturer of Stuttgart. And the latest model to surface is yet another owner-exclusive watch to be paired with the new and very cool 718 Spyder RS.

Following the presentation of watches dedicated to the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the 911 GT3 RS or the 911 Dakar, it is now time for Porsche GT Department’s latest creation to get its dedicated model. And what a car that is… Possibly the last of its breed, as Porsche’s compact sports car is due to move to electric power in the near future, the 718 Spyder RS is as thrilling as old-school combustion engines can be. Imagine a small, mid-engine sports car without a roof, powered by a naturally-aspirated 4-litre flat-6 engine, putting out 500hp and with a red line up there, at 9k rpm. And if its closed-roof sister, the Cayman GT4 RS, was already known to be one of the best-sounding cars on the market – that induction noise has been reported to be almost painful by some – imagine having this next to your ears, through the high-mounted intakes. I would say that it sounds (pun intended) very promising indeed!

In the same vein as previous watchmaking counterparts to these exclusive cars, Porsche Design releases a new watch that is once again reserved for owners of the car and entirely customisable through an online configurator to make the watch as close as possible to the car that some lucky owners will soon receive. The base of the watch remains the same as the aforementioned models (save for the Dakar watch, which uses a different base watch), meaning Chronotimer Series 1 architecture, a watch that pays tribute to the earliest models created by the Butzi Porsche in the early 1970s, with a proprietary automatic flyback chronograph movement.

The case, made of lightweight bead-blasted titanium, is designed for performance and doesn’t weigh a gram too much. Measuring 42mm in diameter, with a height of 14.6mm, it is available untreated or with a black titanium carbide coating. In the same vein, the bezel can be ordered in natural or black-coated titanium (and not necessarily matching the case), with either a tachymeter or a 60-minute scale – surely, the first option feels more fitting. The case is equipped with sapphire crystals on both sides, with a 7-fold anti-reflective coating, and is water-resistant to 50 metres – which could be helpful in case of rain, if you decided to leave the soft-top of your 718 Spyder RS at home… (yes, you can do that…)

The dial retains the classic architecture of the collection and offers a wide range of personalisation options. First, the individual colour ring around the dial can be chosen in all available Spyder RS standard, metallic, and special colours, but also in the 114 additional colours of the “Paint to Sample” programme. Then, the dial itself can be chosen in classic matte black or, as presented here, in genuine carbon fibre. Three styles of hands complete this wide range of options, with Performance (white), Essence (black) or GT (yellow) options. Markers are blocks of white Super-LumiNova for great contrast day and night, and the vertical chronograph layout is complemented by a “mechanical gear indicator” at 9 o’clock (the small seconds) with Spyder RS lettering.

Under the hood (and contrary to the car, you can actually see the engine in the watch) is the proprietary calibre WERK 01.200, a highly modified Valjoux base, now chronometer-certified and equipped with flyback function. The final touch comes from the oscillating weight designed to look like the wheels of the Spyder RS. Two designs are available – following the look of the classic wheels or the optional lightweight magnesium alloy wheels of the Weissach package – and available in all colours from the Porsche catalogue – Brilliant Silver, Aluminum satin, Dark Silver, Neodyme, Indigo Blue, and Black. For even more individuality, additional model-specific rotor colours can be selected in the timepiece configurator, and a text can be engraved on the back, up to 12 characters, such as the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the matching roadster.

The Porsche Design Chronograph 718 Spyder RS is worn on a leather strap with black Race-Tex inlay and Spyder RS logo embossed (stitching can be Carmine Red or Arctic Gray), and a titanium bracelet can also be specified. Both are equipped with a quick-change mechanism and folding clasp. Now available exclusively for buyers of the new Porsche 718 Spyder RS, this new chronograph can be ordered from Porsche Centres worldwide and through the online configurator. The starting price is EUR 9,500. For more details, please visit www.porsche-design.com.