Porsche Design can also do colour

Porsche Design can also do colour

The Porsche subsidiary with its own watch manufacturer demonstrates this with the “Chronograph 911 Spirit 70,” which refers to the roots of the Porsche Design Studio in the 1970s.

Anyone who was there can confirm: It was a very special decade, characterized by: independent designs, legendary discos like Studio 54, revolutionary musical styles, colorful floral dresses, absurdly high platform shoes, lots of glitter... this incomplete list testifies to a sense of freedom and unbridled creativity.

Porsche Design and Zero Hour

In this spirit of departure and exploration of boundaries, Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded his design studio in 1972, which to this day successfully stands for sophisticated and independent design according to its own rules.

More precisely, according to the rules of the German-Austrian industrial designer and grandson of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche. These so-called "Ten Commandments" of Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche represent his ten design requirements. Yet these in no way restrict creativity, as the then Managing Director and Chief Designer of the Porsche Design Group, Roland Heiler, explained in an interview in 2022:

"The important thing is that Ferdinand Alexander Porsche never defined a formal language. There is no single way Porsche Design products should look. The entire design process is based on an attitude."

"When you consider the function of something, the form sometimes emerges on its own," was the premise of Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. Following this principle, he created the Porsche 911, one of the most significant design objects of contemporary history, in the 1960s.

With the founding of Porsche Design, he transferred his idea of good design to many other objects that we encounter in everyday life, and it lives on today in the brand's creations and product developments.

The "Chronograph I" from 1972 marked the beginning of Porsche Design's design history. It was the world's first black chronograph—and this in an era full of flower power and explosions of color in all product categories.

Back to the future – with well-dosed color accents

Porsche is commemorating these roots in the 1970s, when anything seemed possible, with the revival of a very special sports car: the Porsche 911 Spirit 70, limited to 1,500 units.

Exclusively for owners of this collector's item, Porsche Design is launching the equally strictly limited "Chronograph 911 Spirit 70." Manufactured in Porsche's own watch factory in Solothurn, Switzerland, this timepiece evokes the spirit of the 1970s and early 1980s on the wrist.

The dial, with its black "Pascha pattern," is reminiscent of the seat center panel of the Porsche 911 Spirit 70. Additionally, the colors Phosphor Green and Traffic Red from the Heritage rev counter were transferred to the bezel.

The numerals in the two totalizers at 6 and 12 o'clock respectively and the date display at 3 o'clock are also in phosphor green and, together with the white hour indices with luminous Superlumiova material and the dial, create a strong contrast and comfortable readability.

The minute and hour hands are black and white and also coated with Superluminova. The chronograph seconds hand performs its duties in an innocent white, which also adorns the tips of the black hands in the totalizers.

Accents such as the Porsche Design logo and the "911 Spirit 70 Limited Series" lettering on the seconds dial are gold-colored, just like the motorized model. Sapphire crystal with seven layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides and a hard coating protects the dial.

Lightweight with inner values

In terms of materials, Porsche Design, as usual, opts for titanium with a black titanium carbide coating for the 42-millimeter case, as well as the screw-down crown and pushers. An engraving on the case back with the same limited-edition number as the car emphasizes the direct connection to the sports car.

The COSC-certified Porsche Design caliber WERK 01.100, powered by a 360° rotor, can be viewed through the sapphire crystal caseback. Matching the rim, it features a two-tone finish—black and bronzite—and is adorned with a central rotor hub cap featuring the historic Porsche crest.

The "Chronograph 911 Spirit 70" is worn on a basalt black strap made of original vehicle leather and thread, equipped with a quick-change system and a titanium double folding clasp. The decorative stitching is in neo olive or dark silver, as is the interior, and the 911 graphic on the hood and the decorative stripes on the vehicle are embossed on the strap. Available in sizes M and L.

The new Porsche chronograph with color accents is available at Porsche Centers and can only be ordered by buyers or owners of the 911 Spirit 70. (RRP €11,950)