Hodinkee and Porsche Design have teamed up once again to introduce a new Chronograph 1 variation, and this time they’ve brought back a legacy feature of the original which housed the Lemania 5100 courtesy of a new Porsche Design WERK 01.340 movement. Porsche Design first brought back the Chronograph 1 in its old-school form factor in 2022 for its 50th anniversary, and since then the platform has been used broadly in a range of special editions, but this one takes a big step in a new direction thanks to the new movement, which was developed to bring back the unique character of the Lemania 5100, which the original launched with in 1972.
The Chronograph 1 design has proven to be just as effective today as it was in the early ‘70s, which is a testament to the original brief of creating a watch with a focus on legibility through contrast. There’s a character with this particular design that raises above any particular era, and Porsche Design have been careful to preserve that with every modern iteration. This limited edition done in collaboration with Hodinkee is no exception, embracing the original hooded lug design and a dial bristling with complications. In execution, however, this is a modern watch in every sense of the word.
The 41mm case and bracelet are crafted in titanium and receive a uniform bead blasted finish, and while it’s not exactly black like the original, it is a stop or two darker than you’d find in a raw steel counterpart. The black dial hosts a clean white design defining each of the sub-dials and indexes for maximum legibility, while red accents define the timing elements. Unlike previous iterations, this one uses a new movement that brings back the 24 hour sub-dial at 12 o’clock, just like the original Lemania 5100.
In making way for the 24 hour feature, the minute totalizer is also found on the central hand stack. This specific feature set had been under patent since 2022, at which point Porsche Design was able to begin developing this WERK 01.340 caliber to bring it back. It’s a little funky in nature, but entirely awesome in use, and I’d love to see Porsche Design and their movement partners allow use of this caliber elsewhere so that we might see more options down the road. As is, this Chronograph 1 Utility, as it’s called, marks a very special instance of the modern development of the platform.
This is a limited edition being released in collaboration with Hodinkee, and as such, the dial is marked with a ‘Porsche Design for Hodinkee’ label under the day and date apertures. This will likely be the only sticking point for some, but it’s done in a tasteful manner that reads pretty clean at a glance. The red circle containing ‘Ti’ sits above the apertures for an additional old-school touch.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility for Hodinkee will be limited to 350 units globally with 100 pieces available in the U.S. exclusively through Hodinkee and Watches of Switzerland. In addition to the bracelet, the watch also ships with a leather bund style strap option. Pricing is set at $9,650. Hodinkee
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