When he created the Chronograph I in 1972, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche managed to transfer his ideas about the design, aesthetics and functionality of a sports car to a watch. It was, amongst other things, completely black – a world first for watches – and its readability as well as the look of the dial were unmistakably inspired by the dashboard of the Porsche 911. Fifty years after the debut of the legendary Chronograph I, Porsche Design released an anniversary edition of this icon, limited to 500 units and quickly sold out – vividly encapsulating the Porsche Design founder’s passion for timeless, sporty precision instruments in a purist form. In this redesign, the long-established company shows courage by preserving the shape of the watch and focusing entirely on the use of modern innovative materials. The “Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition” thus, at a first glance, looks unchanged, but has in fact been optimised to meet the standards of cutting-edge technology. Instead of stainless steel, the wristband and case are exclusively made of black, carbide-coated titanium. This high-tech material, which is also used in motorsport, is characterised by its light weight while simultaneously being extremely strong, durable and corrosion-resistant. The choice of materials was one of the factors that won over the jury. “It makes the ‘Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition’ much lighter as well as skin-friendly, and the haptics have, in our opinion, also benefited tremendously from this change.” The watch furthermore comes with a specially developed automatic movement with COSC certification which attests to maximum precision. The tachymeter scale around the dial as well as the day and date indicators retain the 1972 typography, and the hands are also still designed as baton hands. The dial, crown and clasp bear the historic Porsche Design logo from 1972. Optimal readability is ensured by luminescent hour indices as well as by modern hard-coated sapphire crystal with anti-glare properties on both sides. The jury believes, “the redesign of the ‘Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition’ has perfected the original concept.”
