Porsche Design celebrates 50 years of the 911 Turbo with two new watches

Buffy Acacia

• Along with a new car, Porsche Design has released two new watches to mark the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911 Turbo from 1974.
• The Porsche Design Chronograph I 50 Years 911 Turbo Edition is a new limited edition model available to the public, based on the original watch from 1972.
• The Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years is a more modern watch with plenty of motorsport references, available only to customers of the new Porsche 911 Turbo 50 Years.

Would the Porsche 911 still be as legendary if it was never fitted with a turbo? It did have plenty of impressive wins and finishes throughout the mid-late ‘60s, but it wasn’t until the twin-turbocharged Porsche 917 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 that the brand was cemented in motorsport history. When the 911 Turbo was unveiled to the public in 1974, ten years after the original, a new bar was set for European sports cars. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of that release in Stuttgart, and the new release of the 911 Turbo 50 Years, Porsche Design has released two watches which each capture the vintage glory and the modern progression of the 911 Turbo.

Let’s start with the old school. The Porsche Design Chronograph I 50 Years 911 Turbo Edition is heavily based on the first Chronograph I which came out in 1972. It was designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the very same who designed the 911 itself. While the case was selected from Orfina’s catalogue, the dial was designed quite similarly to Porsche instrument clusters, and it was one of the first watches to be coated with black PVD. The modern version is quite distinct, and it has evolved significantly from a technological standpoint. The case is made from lightweight titanium, and rather than 50-year-old PVD which scratches easily, it’s coated with titanium carbide which has a similar scratch resistance to sapphire.

It’s a pretty tall watch at 15.5mm thick – however, the lightweight properties of titanium and the moderate 40.8mm diameter ensure that it doesn’t feel overly chunky. The 100-metre water resistance means you can take it swimming, just be mindful not to press the flyback chronograph pushers underwater. The layout of the dial is simple to follow, thanks to the Concepto-developed, COSC-certified WERK 01.240, which here features an automatic rotor shaped like a classic Fuchs rim, the first light-weight forged wheel to be fitted to a production automotive vehicle. In addition to the matching black bracelet, a quick-exchange strap is included as a tribute to the tan leather interior of a 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo. The beige fabric even includes a rubber turbo badge as a constant reminder.

Next up is the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years, which is a far more exhilarating watch. The titanium case, tonneau in shape, has been skeletonised to further reduce its weight. It’s reminiscent of an aluminium racing cage or the frame of a race car before panels are installed. The black dial is circularly brushed which still creates a sunburst lighting effect, but also accentuates a rotating energy like a car’s wheel. At 9 o’clock, a semi-circle cut-out reveals spinning blades like an x-ray into an actual turbocharger. It’s such a fun way to integrate the running seconds sub-dial thematically with the Turbo 50 text, and it helps to balance the Porsche Design logo and date window on the right side of the dial.

The 42mm case is 14.9mm tall, and it’s powered by the WERK 01.200 which is based on the architecture of an ETA 7750. It runs at a smooth 4Hz beat rate (for the spinning turbo effect as well as the chronograph seconds hand) over a 48-hour power reserve. The Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years is actually only available to purchase for customers of the 911 Turbo 50 Years car (something Porsche Design has done before for vehicles like the 911 S/T), and you receive a different variation depending on your selected package (akin to Porsche Design’s Custom-Built Chronograph). The base model is black and white with a modern Porsche wheel inspiring the movement’s winding rotor, but the Heritage Design Package gives you a vintage style wheel as well as green details around the chapter ring, with a red section to evoke the rev limiter.

Porsche Design 911 Turbo 50 Years pricing & availability

The Porsche Design Chronograph I 50 Years 911 Turbo Edition is limited to 500 pieces and is now available from all Porsche Design retailers, while the Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years is exclusively available to those who have purchased the new 911 Turbo 50 Years car. Price: US$12,000 (Chronograph I) / US$12,553 (Chronograph 911)

Brand	Porsche Design
Model	Chronograph I – 50 Years 911 Turbo Edition Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years
Case Dimensions	40.8mm (D) x 15.5mm (T) (Chronograph I) 42mm (D) x 14.9mm (T) (Chronograph 911)
Case Material	Titanium with black titanium carbide coating (Chronograph I) Titanium (Chronograph 911)
Water Resistance	100 metres
Crystal(s)	Sapphire crystals front and back
Dial	Black and white (Chronograph I) Black and white or green, depending on vehicle package (Chronograph 911)
Strap	Titanium bracelet and beige fabric strap (Chronograph I) Stitched black leather strap (Chronograph 911)
Movement	WERK 01.240, Concepto-developed, automatic (Chronograph I) WERK 01.200, ETA 7750 base, automatic (Chronograph 911)
Power Reserve	48 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, running seconds, flyback chronograph, day, date (Chronograph I) Hours, minutes, running seconds turbo, chronograph, date (Chronograph 911)
Availability	Limited to 500 pieces (Chronograph I) Available exclusively to Porsche 911 Turbo 50 Years customers (Chronograph 911)
Price	US$12,000 (Chronograph I) US$12,553 (Chronograph 911)