Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Watch
Porsche Design built its new chronograph around a complication that disappeared from watchmaking when the Lemania 5100 went out of production: a central-minute counter instead of the usual subdial, the layout prized on vintage military chronographs. The new WERK 01.340 automatic movement revives that function after four years of development, COSC-certified with a 60-hour power reserve across 30 jewels. The 1.6-inch titanium case runs 0.61 inches thick and is rated to 330 feet underwater. It stays raw rather than coated, so the bead-blasted surface picks up a gray patina with wear. The outer scale reads in 12-hour increments rather than the tachymeter you'd expect on most sport chronographs, emulating the originals' focus on elapsed time, versus a lap time. The date window splits its day-of-week display between English and German, a nod to the Porsche Design and Hodinkee pairing behind the watch. A red central hand marks stop minutes against the black dial, printed with "Porsche Design for Hodinkee" across the face. It ships on a titanium bracelet with a quick-release clasp, alongside a leather bund strap in Agave Green, the same hue used inside Porsche sports cars. It's the middle release in a three-watch run Porsche Design and Hodinkee are building together, limited to 350 pieces worldwide, with 100 reserved for the US market.
