Continuing their close connection with motorsports, Chopard has announced a second iteration of their Superfast Chronograph Porsche 919. Much more limited than the original 919 Superfast, this new model is dubbed the “Black Edition” and pays tribute to Chopard’s ongoing relationship with Porsche Motorsport’s World Endurance Championship team and their 919 Hybrid race car. With the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans taking place this weekend at Circuit De La Sarthe in Le Mans, France, Chopard has selected an ideal time and place to launch the new Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition. This is a big year for the team as Porsche looks to repeat last year’s outstanding performance which saw their 919 cars take 1st and 2nd place at one of the most challenging races in all of motorsports.

Like the Superfast 919 from 2014, the new Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition is a 45mm-wide sporty flyback chronograph, but where the original 919 chrono was steel, the Black Edition is titanium that has been treated to a bead-blasted DLC black finish. With a bold and luminous time display, black dial, and a mix of red accents, the Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition certainly looks at home within the world of professional motorsports. With an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, 100m water resistance, and a screw down crown, this is no pit queen. Indeed, Chopard may be best known for their dressy watches and haute-horology L.U.C line, but they are far from new to designing capable luxury sport watches. Having had hands-on time with the original Superfast 919, I love the direction of this new, more racy, model.

Using Chopard’s COSC-certified 03.05-M automatic chronograph movement, the Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition sports a 12-hour chronograph with flyback, 60 hours of power reserve, and a rate of 4Hz. The three chronograph hands, the chrono start pusher, and the 919 icon in the nine o’clock sub dial are all bright red and mimic the livery of the updated 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid race car (seen below). Both of the pushers and the crown are coated in rubber and offer a welcome detail that should feel noticeable to the touch and the red chrono start button is like the engine start button on a sports car. The 03.05-M is an in-house movement that is produced and assembled by Chopard in Fleurier, Switzerland, and can be seen via a display case back that proudly proclaims their role as Official Timing Partner for Porsche Motorsport.

Delivered on a black rubber strap with a matching DLC titanium buckle, the Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition is a 100-piece limited edition for Chopard boutiques. With a retail price of $14,370 USD, if you’re hoping to get one to match your racing number, you’d best act quickly. The Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition is a fitting tribute for Chopard and their work with Porsche as it reflects all of their watchmaking strengths while still looking like a piece of rather cool race-ready equipment. chopard.com