By Jovan Krstevski
The abrupt end of the partnership between Porsche Design and Eterna gave us a hint that the future Porsche Design watches will somewhat result to better designs considering its rich sports heritage. Well, if you’re thinking like me you won’t be surprised for the upcoming release of the Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Series 1 and the 1919 Globetimer Series 1 collections. Contrary to the public sentiment, Porsche Design did not go in-house for the movement of these watches since they are actually using the popular Sellita movements namely the SW 200 and the SW 330. Again this may sound like a cliche to the Porsche Design fans since the watchmaker has a rather long history of brand collaborations. However, it is good to note that Porsche Design absolutely wants to establish its own identity in the horology world which is a good thing.
The Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Series 1 collection comes with four models highlighting differences only in dial designs and case mechanics. Personally, I find the design of the Datetimer to be simple enough for a dress watch judging from its 42 mm case. Albeit its sporty looks takes your perspective somewhere else to the domain of stunning sports watches. Think about its double-sided anti-reflective crystal convex and stylish lugs, bezel and rugged crown. I also find the small date of the Datetimer to be refreshing and surprisingly effective since it doesn’t clutter up the nice clean matte black dial even though its name clearly makes it a date timer. I also like the sporty font of the numeral hour markers. And of course, there’s the authentic Porsche Design DNA seen over the hands and the sporty red tipped seconds hand. Moreover, the Datetimer sports the 4 Hz Sellita SW 200 movement built with 26 jewels and capable of supplying 38 hours of power reserve.
As for the Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer Series 1, its complexity is pretty much eased up by the creative designers of the watchmaker. Like the Datetimer, the Globetimer comes in four models which normally differ only on few factors such as sporting either a titanium case or the rubber version either ways, the movements and the features are the same. Unlike the Datetimer, the Globetimer’s dial is more informative consisting of the 24-hour scale to the inner ring. The date window is also moved to the 3 o’clock contrary to Datetimer’s 4 o’clock date window position. The Globetimer being a GMT watch makes it a must-have for international travelers. Personally, the rubber version leans more on being adventurous which gives me a reason to salivate for it although the full titanium design looks more badass.
Some fans don’t like the position of the 24-time zone reference located at the caseback making it quite impractical. However, it does clear up the dial since the objective of the collection is to be neat and sporty and not cluttered or heavily ornamented albeit you need to familiarize yourself with the usual time zones that you visit. The Globetimer sports the impressive 4 Hz Sellita SW 330 movement built with 25 jewels and yielding 42 hours of power reserve. The 1919 collection is expected this fall with price points ranging from $3,400 to $4,550.
For more info, please visit porsche-design.com
Jovan Krstevski – Founder, Proprietor & Executive Editor
Watch collector, aficionado and an Event profile in the Swedish nightlife. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ His passion for horology jump started in his early teens when he was given his first mid-range wristwatch which was an Omega Seamaster which he still has in his collection. Since then he has always been in love with wristwatches! Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. P.S. He is also a huge fan of The Man of Steel. Read his articles here
