Whale of a time

If you’ve ever been into a Porsche Design store you’ll know that the legendary German marque is involved in a lot more than making cars. Porsche Design can sell you anything from a coffee machine to a multi-million-dollar penthouse apartment, and from a £13,000 electric bicycle to a wafer-thin television set.

But it all started with the Chronograph 1 – the world’s first all-black wristwatch and the first product to be offered after the Porsche Design studio was set up in 1972 by the creator of the 911 car, FA ‘Butzi’ Porsche.

The Chronograph 1 starred on the wrist of actor Lewis Collins who played Bodie alongside Martin Shaw’s Doyle in the 1970s TV series The Professionals. Watches didn’t have the same following then as they do now, so Bodie’s went largely unnoticed – but now an all-black Chronograph 1 in pristine condition would set many collectors drooling.

Back in Doyle’s day, Porsche Design watches were made for the studio by Orfina. That relationship lasted till 1978, when PD partnered with IWC to produce a string of ground-breaking models, including the nifty Compass and the Titanium chronograph of 1980, the first watch with a titanium case.

In 1998, manufacture shifted to Eterna but, when that was sold to Chinese jewellery group Citychamp in 2014, Porsche Design took watchmaking in-house.

Its latest creation celebrates this year’s 50th anniversary of what many consider to be Porsche’s seminal model: the 911 Turbo. With its fat wheel arches, whale-tail spoiler, blistering acceleration and a top speed of 150mph, the Turbo became a design classic and has prompted this special-edition watch based on the Chronograph 1.

Limited to 500 examples, the Chronograph 1 – 50 Years 911 Turbo Edition features a lightweight titanium case treated with scratch-resistant titanium carbide.

The dial recalls the instruments behind the steering wheel of the Turbo, while a crimson chronograph hand mimics the car’s speedometer and tachymeter needles.

A ‘Flyback’ inscription denotes that the chronograph hand can be stopped, reset and restarted with a push of the button and is written in the font used on the old 911’s dashboard.

The ‘Turbo’ logo decorates the sapphire crystal caseback, beneath which sits an automatic winding rotor based on Porsche’s famous Fuchs road wheels, left.

A beige leather and textile strap, meanwhile, recalls the colour of the first Turbo production car and gets a ‘Turbo’ logo. Each also comes with a blackened titanium bracelet.

Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 50 Years 911 Turbo, £10,950.
porsche-design.com

The Gerald Charles dial name was created by watch designer Gérald Charles Genta in 2000 but now belongs to Italy’s Ziviani family, which explains a tie-up with Ducati to create this watch marking the 30th anniversary of Massimo Tamburini’s most celebrated motorcycle, the 916. It honours the good-looking machine with a skeletonised, jump hour movement in a marbled, forged carbon case with ceramic bezel and titanium crown. Just 250 will be made, plus 250 for buyers of Ducati’s Panigale V4 916 anniversary bike.

Gerald Charles Anniversario Ducati 916, £40,340.
geraldcharles.com

You may not have heard of Depancel – unless you were at August’s Silverstone Masters and noticed the banners alluding to the fact that the six-year-old French brand is now sponsor of the entire series. To mark the moment it has created 150 examples of its Allure chronograph with British Racing Green dials and yellow accents. The hand-wound movement comes from the Chinese maker Seagull, hence the affordable price. Choose from a racing strap in perforated leather or, for £25 more, a ‘beads of rice’ bracelet.

Depancel Allure British Racing Green, £605.
depancel.com

Precision is written by renowned luxury goods specialist Simon de Burton