Porsche Design Drops New Chronograph 1 F.A.T. 2025 Edition with Lume Dial

As the annual  F.A.T. International Ice Race gets underway at the Zell am See Airport in Austria, Porsche Design is releasing a new Chronograph 1 that celebrates the group’s history. What began as a logistics company that set out to win Le Mans with the Porsche 962 (which they did in 1994 with drivers Mauro Baldi, Yannick Dalmas, and Hurley Haywood), has turned into a lifestyle brand that captures the history of racing by, and for the automotive community. The outfit is run by Ferdi Porsche, the great grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, and the annual Ice Race is the culmination of Porsche racing culture and history. 

Each year, Porsche Design celebrates the event with a special release, which included the re-launch of the original Chronograph 1 back in 2022 with a 50 piece GP Ice Race Edition. Porsche Design have iterated on the classic design in the years since, and for 2025, we’re getting the most exciting variation yet: a white lume dial fitted to the black coated titanium case. This is the inverse of the original concept, and it should come as no surprise that it works just as well. Unlike the release in 2022, there are loads of easter eggs to discover here that serve as a nod to Porsche history. 

The newest Chronograph 1 uses a familiar 40.8mm titanium case and bracelet that’s been given a black titanium carbide coating with a glass bead blasted. The result is a matte, but silky smooth finish that’s lightweight. The watch still measures 14.1mm in thickness, but the integration with the bracelet (and the use of titanium to keep the weight in check) keeps the watch imminently wearable. What really sets the edition apart is the unique dial. 

Lume dials are making something of a (slow) comeback, and its application here aligns with the original goals of the Chronograph 1, namely in making legibility a priority. The high contrast white base gets black markings and hands which jump off the dial even at a distance. It’s the same in low light situations, obviously, with the entire dial being a light source. The time seconds hand is still red, making it the only color contrast in sight (almost). 

Plenty of other details begin to jump out with a closer inspection. The first of which appears on the day wheel, which replaces Sunday with F.A.T. in red lettering. The acronym stands for Français Allemande Transite, and it’s taken on a new meaning in this form as synonymous with the Porsche livery that won the 1994 Le Mans. The car used was the Porsche 962, a prototype racecar that made its debut in 1984, though this was built by German Jochen Dauer’s Dauer Racing, and was a highly modified variant of the chassis. The 962 is also acknowledged on the dial at the bottom of the hour totalizer sub dial, with a ghosted 9 and 2 appearing on either side of the 6. Above it you’ll find a similarly ghosted profile of the car itself. Finally, the F.A.T. International logo is applied under the day and date apertures along the right side of the dial. 

Inside, Porsche Design is using the Valjoux 7750 based Porsche Design WERK 01.240 automatic movement, and this one gets flyback functionality. Yes, it wobbles. Porsche Design will produce just 136 individually numbered pieces, and each will come with three strap options: the case-matching bracelet, a white velcro unit, and a Mankei purple passthrough. Pricing is set at $11,500. Porsche Design


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *