Debuting at Couture 2015: Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1


Sports watches with titanium cases are now de rigeur for many luxury brands, but few may realize how revolutionary such a watch seemed back in 1980, when Porsche Design launched the very first such timepiece, the Titanium Chronograph. The new Porsche Design watch collection, called Chronotimer Series 1, which debuts at this week’s Couture watch and jewelry show in Las Vegas, hearkens back to that groundbreaking watch as well as the very first Porsche Design watch, 1972’s Chronograph I.

The Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 represents a significant step for the brand, which was founded by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (1935-2012), grandson of the car company founder and designer of the legendary Porsche 911. It is the first complete watch collection independently developed and manufactured by Porsche Design Timepieces AG, based in Solothurn, Switzerland. (Most recently, Porsche Design watches were produced by the Swiss company Eterna as part of a licensing agreement, but that partnership ended in March 2014.) The Chronotimer 1 family consists of 11 references and offers a variety of case finishes and strap/bracelet options.

Porsche Design Chronotimer_1 Ref. 4046901408695
Porsche Design Chronotimer_1 Ref. 4046901408718

All the cases are 42 mm in diameter (like the original Porsche Design Chronograph I, which debuted in 1972), water-resistant to 50 meters, and made of titanium, the lightweight-but-sturdy, skin-friendly material pioneered by the Titanium Chronograph in 1980 and adopted by numerous watchmakers since then. The bezels are available in brushed titanium, black PVD-coated titanium, and 18k rose gold, while the dial options are black, dark blue, and carbon fiber. Wearers can secure the Chronotimer to their wrists by means of a leather, fabric or rubber strap, or a titanium bracelet.

Porsche Design Chronotimer_1 Ref. 4046901408725
Porsche Design Chronotimer_1 Ref. 4046901408732

The movement in all the watches is the tried-and-true ETA Valjoux 7750, an integrated chronograph caliber with  48-hour power reserve and 3 o’clock date indication, which was also used as the engine of the watches’ early-’70s forebear, the Chronograph I. A black-tinted sapphire crystal caseback allows a view of the movement, including its distinctively styled Porsche Design rotor.

The Porsche Design Chronotimer 1 collection is set to debut at retail in July 2015, at prices ranging from $4,450 to $7,950. Scroll down for more product photos of the various new models. And check out WatchTime.com’s coverage of the JCK and Couture shows later this week for more details and live photos of the Chronotimer as well as other new watches making their debut in Vegas.

Porsche Design Chronotimer 1 Ref. 4046901408763
Porsche Design Chronotimer 1 Ref. 4046901408770
Porsche Design Chronotimer 1 Ref. 4046901408787
Porsche Design Chronotimer 1 Ref. 4046901408800
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