Porsche Design is the design arm of the German automobile manufacturer Porsche AG that produces a range of luxury merchandise but also has a solid history of making watches. The brand recently announced the Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity One Millionth 911 Limited Edition watch to commemorate the production of the one millionth Porsche 911, the iconic sports car.
The 1919 Datetimer is the time-only variant in the 1919 collection, and we saw some earlier Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity watches hands-on here. It features a 42mm by 11.92mm titanium case with black carbide coating – titanium and black-coated cases are kind of a signature for Porsche Design. The standout feature of the case design is the lugs, which are reminiscent of fixed lugs that take a NATO or ZULU strap, but there is a mechanism to use a two-piece strap. The brand claims to have eliminated – and I quote – “the disadvantage of classic lugs located above a spring bar.” I’ll be honest – I’m not really clear on what they’re talking about and there isn’t much information on how exactly the strap system operates on this watch – so I look forward to getting my hands on a piece and testing out these claims for myself.
The question of how the strap system works aside, the lugs and case are quite nice with a good mix of straight edges and curves. The case is completed by a large, ergonomic screw down crown, screw down caseback, and is water-resistant up to 100m. The dial on the Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity One Millionth 911 is black and simple in design with, of course, the commemorative car silhouette and text for “911” and “1,000,000.” With Arabic markers at 12, 3, 6, and 9, lume-filled sword shaped hands, and a green seconds hand, there is plenty of contrast, and legibility should be good. The seconds hand is green to reflect the color of the one millionth 911.
When I first saw images of this watch, I really wanted to like the dial for its simplicity but there was one thing troubled me – the date indicator, once again. I understand that manufacturers include date indicators as it is more popular with customers, but there are well-designed and implemented date windows and then there are more starkly cut out date windows like on the Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity One Millionth 911 – even a matching date wheel isn’t always enough to save a date display if you are particularly sensitive that design element.
The Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity One Millionth 911 Limited Edition is powered by the Sellita SW200-1. A suitable alternative to the well-known ETA 2824, this is a good and reliable movement but nothing to get excited about, especially at this price point. The position of the date wheel also betrays how small the movement is relative to the watch (25.6mm movement diameter to 42mm case diameter, for those who are curious).
The Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Eternity One Millionth 911 Limited Edition will be produced in a limited run of 130 watches, with only 20 watches available in the US. Aside from that date window, there may also be some sticker shock as the watch is priced at $4,200. This pricing bracket has some stiff competition and great alternatives, so the appeal of the 1919 Datetimer One Millionth is mostly in its association with Porsche over anything else. porsche-design.com
