Porsche Design is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Porsche, its sibling brand. The automaker has festivities throughout 2023, including a grand display at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now, the accessory maker shows appreciation by creating the new Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition timepiece as something fans can wear. The watch just went on sale on July 15 for $11,000 and a limited run of 475 pieces.
The Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition uses the Porsche Design Werk 01.140 caliber movement with accuracy certification from COSC, meaning the piece should keep very good time. The dial includes many functions, like a running second display at 9 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 12 o'clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock, a big red chronograph second hand, and a day and date window at 3 o’clock.
Gallery: Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition Watch
The caseback has an engraving for the production number out of 475 units and a 75Y logo. The winding rotor is shaped like the classic five-spoke Fuchs wheel with the Porsche logo in the middle.
The dial measures 40.80 millimeters and is 14.15 mm tall. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters (10 bar). The Werk 01.140 caliber movement has 25 jewels and runs at 28,800 beats per hour. It has a 48-hour power reserve.
The watch is available with a strap featuring a leather center section and textile outer area. It features light-blue stitching and a red stripe. There's also a black leather strap with black stitching. A quick-change system allows for easily swapping them out.
The Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition shares styling cues with the stopwatch on the Mission X electric supercar concept's dashboard (see below). The vehicle debuted in June 2023 as the brand's 75th birthday gift to itself. The model features an exterior with subtle cues from the classic 917 while still looking cutting-edge. The situation is similar inside, where a high-tech digital cockpit blends with this ode to a classic timepiece on the passenger side.
The new watch and the timepiece inside the Mission X are inspired by Porsche Design's original Chronograph 1 from 1972. It was groundbreaking for the time by having an antireflective matte-black dial with a matching case and strap. As a chronograph, the watch came with a stopwatch function, in addition to extras like displays for the day and date.
Wearing one feels like having a mechanical Apple Watch on your wrist. You have the time, the day, and the date just a glance away. Plus, you can precisely time things like how long to bake enchiladas for dinner.
The Chronograph 1 proved popular. The German military adopted it in the 1970s but without the black case and tweaks like a 24-hour counter, rather than 12 hours. Plus, Tom Cruise wore one in Top Gun. A post on the Revolution watch blog shows Mario Andretti wearing one, too.
Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed the iconic 911 and founded Porsche Design in 1972. The Chronograph 1 was the first offering from the company.
