Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Singer Reimagined Track 1 Flamboyant Red Edition
A racy combination of red and black for the chronograph that revolutionised chronograph displays hits the track for Dubai Watch Week 2021.
With Dubai Watch Week in full swing, Singer Reimagined presents the latest version of its award-winning Track1 chronograph with this Flamboyant Red Edition. With its powerful and racy combination of colours, the Flamboyant Red highlights the revolutionary movement that turned the classic chronograph layout upside down and inside out to pit the chronograph function centre stage. The brainchild of a formidable trio comprised of American car designer Rob Dickinson of Singer Vehicle Design, Italian watch designer Marco Borraccino, and Swiss movement guru Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, the Singer Reimagined Track1 made its debut in 2017 and is back in a sensational sixth iteration, limited to just 25 pieces.
Pimp my ride
Singer Vehicle Design was founded in 2009 by Rob Dickinson in Los Angeles, California, a customisation factory devoted to air-cooled Porsche 911s that gives owners a vast array of choices to personalise their car. Like so many car fanatics, Rob Dickinson is also a watch fanatic and a chance encounter with watch designer Marco Borraccino was the departure point for Singer’s first chronograph. Although both men shared a passion for sports chronographs from the 1960s and 1970s, the Singer chronograph was ‘reimagined’ from head to toe with a radical focus on functionality.
The Singer Reimagined Track1 of 2017 reversed the general order of precedence and placed the chronograph centre stage. Brought to life in the hands of master watchmaker Jean-Marc Widerrecht at his Agenhor workshop, the complex AgenGraphe movement powering the novel Singer Reimagined Track1 was unlike anything out there and took home the Chronograph Watch Prize at the 2018 edition of GPHG. Revisited in six different suits since its debut, including the titanium London Edition, the black ceramic-aluminium Hong Kong Edition and the dashing gold Geneva Edition, the latest version comes in a Grade 5 titanium case with a deep red dial.
Elapsed Times Centre Stage
Sticking to Dickinson’s philosophy of ‘reimagining’ mechanical objects, be they classic Porsche 911s or chronographs, the Track1 dispenses with the traditional sub-dial and central seconds hand of most chronographs and places the indications smack in the centre of the dial. The three co-axial orange hands in the centre of the dial correspond to the elapsed seconds, minutes and hours of the chronograph (upping the complexity, the hour and minute hands are jumping hands).
When the chronograph is not in use, the three hands align at noon. The silver tachymetre scale separates the chronograph functions from the time of day. On the periphery of the dial, picked out on a black track with white numerals, are the hours and minutes that rotate clockwise. An orange marker at 6 o’clock indicates the current hour and minutes.
Titanium case and Red dial
Dipping quite dramatically from the black peripheral time rings to the centre, the deep red section of the dial has a sunray and circular-brushed finishing that changes colour with the light. Like all former Track1 models, the 43mm barrel-shaped case (height 15mm) is a nod to the 1960s and 1970s chronographs that inspired Dickinson and Borraccino. Crafted in grade 5 titanium, the curved anatomy of the case makes it comfortable on the wrist, and the bullhead polished chronograph pushers – a feature associated with vintage chronographs – are also practical to manipulate. New to this model is the circular brushed finishing on the case and the contrasting hand-polished bevels.
Marvellous movement
Under the bonnet is the impressive movement found on other editions of the Singer Track1: the calibre Singer 6361 or AgenGraphe. Developed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht over a period of ten years, this groundbreaking movement reimagines the architecture of classic chronographs to display the chronograph functions in the centre of the dial. A veritable mechanical feast, the chronograph mechanism is connected to the timekeeping gear train with an innovative clutch mechanism. The coupling is horizontal, requiring less space, yet uses friction, just like a vertical clutch. A full description of the movement, the clutch and the jumping indications can be found in this article. This movement is automatic (the rotor is placed dial-side), and its specifications are a 3Hz frequency and a 60-hour power reserve. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the 477-part AgenGraphe movement is meticulously hand-finished.
Availability and price
The black textile rally strap with red stitching to match the dial has black DLC-coated titanium rivets reminiscent of the signature seat design from the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer. If you prefer, the brand offers plenty of other custom-made straps. Limited to 25 pieces, the Singer Track1 Flamboyant Red retails for CHF 45,000 (excl. VAT).
For more information, please consult the official Singer Reimagined website.
