The Porsche 911, a car worthy of the “iconic” label, turns 60 years old in 2023. Naturally, this shall not go unnoticed, not by Porsche, nor by Porsche Design. To commemorate the anniversary, the carmaker has launched the 911 S/T variant of the 992 generation, inspired by the lightened 911 S/T of 1970. Porsche Design follows suit and debuts the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 911 S/T watch, limited to the same 1,963 production number as the 992 911 S/T. It’s also moderately customizable to the specification of one’s very own S/T car, including the self-winding rotor and the unique production number out of said 1,963 units.
Porsche Design is a German product design studio and brand founded in 1972 by none other than Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the original Porsche 911, and whose grandfather founded Porsche AG itself. One would think that Porsche Design had forever tracked this closely different Porsche car releases, but in truth this practice has made a long-awaited return just a few years ago. Porsche Design has matured into a company rather more closely coordinated with the strategy and product cycles of Porsche AG, the carmaker, and the new Porsche Design Chronograph 1 911 S/T watch is the latest proof of this welcome development.
Following a transitional period, the Porsche Design company started with more or less a clean sheet as far as watches were concerned back in 2015 with their Timepiece No. 1 (hands-on here). The first tangible example of the aforementioned greater synchronization between the carmaker and the design company came in 2017 with the Chronograph 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. This was, at long last, a watch that would not only measure up to the quality and design refinement of the luxury car that a 911 is, but could be ordered at the time of configuring the car and made to match the specification of said car.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 911 S/T is a handsome watch, crafted from titanium to match the lightweight approach of the car whose name it bears on its dial at 2 o’clock. The case measures 40.80mm-wide, in-tune with the latest trend of “shrinking” watches — a few years back this easily would have been a 43-44mm-wide watch. The thickness remains rather high at 15.15mm, mainly as a result of the Porsche Design Werk 01.240 movement being clearly based on the old-school Valjoux 7750 architecture. The “up to 10 bar dynamic” water resistance rating and the massive self-winding rotor certainly add to the thickness too, but are both welcome additions. The movement has the exact same measurements as the 7750 at 30mm-wide and 7.90mm-thick, and die-hard watch fans will know the operating frequency and power reserve by now: they are 4Hz and 48 hours, respectively.
Porsche Design delivers the new Chronograph 1 911 S/T watch with COSC chronometer certification for its accuracy, and added a flyback function that actually is a useful complication on a track day or on enthusiast rallies. The rotor is designed to mimic the wheel rim design unique to the 992 911 S/T. Customers will be able to choose a rotor that matches the color optioned for their car’s wheels — Brilliant Silver, Dark Silver, Black, or Ceramica, along with the center cap reading S/T for the S/T models or featuring the historic Porsche crest for the Heritage version.
Other details to try and justify the elevated price include a titanium bracelet with screw-secured links throughout its entire length. This is a rather rare detail, as most brands use pins as opposed to screws in their titanium bracelets, even if they use screws in their steel alternatives. This is due to the differences in the malleability and durability between the two metals. The bracelet also features a quick-release system and a folding clasp with fine adjustment. The front sapphire crystal has a “hard coating” as well as “seven-fold anti-glare properties on both sides” with the promise of superb legibility.
The dial design is inspired by the heritage-style tachometer that can be ordered in some of the special edition and Exclusive Manufaktur 911 models these days, with its combination of white and green markers over a black background complemented by concentric lines between the Arabic numerals. Certain details like the shift pattern (in white on the 911 S/T and in gold on the 911 S/T Heritage variations of this Porsche Design Chronograph 1 watch) or the “M,” “S,” “H” labels in the subdials to mark the minute, second, and hour counters, might be a bit much for some, and just right for others. It isn’t as though the current 911 dashboard didn’t have a few too many things on display at any given time, with the introduction of digital displays on either side of the central tachometer.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 911 S/T watch comes with a titanium bracelet, as well as a perforated leather strap made from genuine Porsche vehicle leather featuring decorative stitching in genuine Porsche vehicle thread in GT Silver (strap sizes M and L included). The Heritage version has a Classic Cognac colored leather strap with Classic Cognac stitching — both the black and the cognac straps seem to complement the black-green-red watch head in titanium nicely.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 911 S/T watch is priced at $13,500 USD, making it one of the more expensive optional extras one can order for their new 911. That said, special edition 911s like the new and strictly limited 911 S/T tend to be more about their investment potential (sadly) than their driving pleasure, and having the Porsche Design watch complete the list of optional extras might be considered a worthwhile addition by those who prefer their cars flipped, rather than driven. On a more positive note, carving some canyons on a Sunday morning with a cognac leather-strapped Porsche Design on the wrist to complete the picture sounds like a great way of treating oneself. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
