Innovation For The Watch
When it comes to longevity in the luxury Porsche replica watches UK industry, innovation is the name of the game. It’s not enough just to create nice looking watches, you must innovate to stay relevant, whether it be improvements to the internal mechanics, using new and exotic materials in the case and dial construction, or simply coming up with entirely new ways of doing things. Porsche Design has always understood this concept, which is why the company created the world’s first ever titanium chronograph with an integrated titanium bracelet (in collaboration with IWC), all the way back in 1980 – the original Porsche Design by IWC Titan Chronograph . Many innovations have followed since, all of which have been inspired by the world of motor racing, a world that Porsche Design is inextricably linked to.
One of the latest, introduced during Baselworld earlier this year, is the Monobloc Actuator 24H-Chronotimer. At first glance, this new model looks somewhat similar to other chronographs in the brand’s current line-up but then you take a closer look and realise something is missing: where are the pushers for the chronograph? The answer, of course, is that they have been cleverly integrated into the case itself, which in and of itself is rather impressive. Not that this is the first time Porsche Design has pulled of such an illusion. Remember that titanium chronograph I mentioned earlier, the world first? Well, that was called the Titan chronograph and it also featured, you guessed it, chronograph pushers integrated directly into the case. Although that design wasn’t anywhere near as sophisticated as what we have here today.
All New Look
According to Porsche Design, the unique, integrated design of the new Monobloc Actuator 24H-Chronotimer fake watches were inspired by the functionality of the mechanical valve control of the new Porsche 911 RSR. The 911 RSR is the very first 911 that comes with a flat-six engine positioned in front of the rear axle, whereas every other 911 ever has always had the engine positioned behind the rear axle, so this new engine is kind of a big deal. As a fun side note, Porsche Design became the official timing partner of Porsche Motorsport in 2017, hence the very cool new 911 RSR is adorned with the Porsche Design name and logo.
This may all sound like marketing hyperbole but it’s important to remember that the relationship between Porsche and Porsche Design goes deeper than just a shared name. Porsche Design has always been inspired by Porsche in motorsports and in fact the development of the integrated rocker switch for the chronograph was only made possible thanks to the collaboration of the watchmakers of Porsche Design Timepieces AG (Switzerland), the designers of Studio F. A. Porsche (Austria) and the engineers of the Porsche Research and Development Center (Germany).
The result is an integrated rocker-style switch, which controls the chronograph’s operation entirely from inside the watch’s case. What that means is that unlike previous integrated pusher designs from the brand, which featured dual pushers on either side of the crown, this new watch only uses a single pusher which pivots on a hidden rocker. It’s a little confusing at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun to use and the movements required to start, stop and reset the chronograph feel very natural. I will admit though that it was a bit disconcerting at first when the side of the case seemed to collapse in on the dial but then it made a very satisfying ‘click’ sound and popped back out into its original position. Plus, it’s immensely fun to watch the looks of amazement on your friends’ faces when you appear to crush super-strong titanium with only the strength of your finger.
