Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black

In 1972, having already designed the Porsche 911, one of the most iconic cars in history, Professor Ferdinand Porsche established his eponymous company, Porsche Design. From the outset, this company created a diverse array of products, yet all of them shared one trait in common, sublime styling.

Throughout its history, Porsche Design has taken inspiration from the iconic cars made in Stuttgart. In 2017, Porsche Design Group became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche. The acquisition of equity coincided with the car brand declaring it wanted to ‘focus on lifestyle products for men’.

In recent years, Porsche Design has released various timepieces which feature many design elements taken from Porsche cars. Some examples include straps made from the same leather as found in a Panamera and oscillating weights, visible via an exhibition caseback, that resemble the appearance of a 911’s wheel. In fact, Porsche Design can even match the colourway of your chosen watch to that of your beloved Boxster. The cross-pollination of ideas can be readily seen.

However, the similarities between both firms extend beyond mere aesthetics. Over the years, Porsche has tested prototype cars in some of the harshest and most extreme conditions, from the searing heat of South Africa to the frozen planes of Scandinavia, close to the Arctic Circle. Indeed, the recently launched Taycan was tested in 30 different countries and assessed over approximately 6,000,000 kms. It’s this rigorous evaluation process that contributes to the renowned reliability of each car that leaves the brand’s Swabian factory.

Likewise, the Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black has been subjected to the onerous requirements of the Chronofiable test protocol. A trademark of Laboratoire Dubois, ‘the tests are applied to watches and their components’. They are intended to detect any design weaknesses and ensure good product reliability before launch. Sound familiar?

Porsche Design released the 1919 Globetimer in 2019. The inaugural models were offered in a choice of titanium or 18-carat gold. The latter model was presented with a black dial and leather strap, while the titanium model came on a choice of strap or bracelet with a blue, black or brown dial. The new Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black is presented in a 42mm titanium case dressed in black titanium carbide coating. The stealthy hues of the case extend to the dial and the ‘black leather strap made of high-quality Porsche car leather.’

As its name implies, the watch is equipped with a dual-time function. The local time is shown with the dominant hour and minute hands, while the prevailing hour at ‘home’ is shown with a black hand sporting a blue and white prominent tip. Where the Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black differs from most GMT watches is that the local hand can be adjusted with the chronograph-style pushers on the right flank of the case. Marked ‘+’ and ‘-‘, the system is highly intuitive and reminiscent of the logical and ergonomic switchgear found in a 911. So very Porsche.

A day/night indicator is positioned adjacent 9 o’clock and uses a white dot to indicate the daytime hours and a black dot to denote it is night-time. A 24-hour track is positioned on the flange and a pointer-style date indicator points to a track framing the central area of the dial.

The Porsche Design Caliber Werk 04.110 sits at the heart of the Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black. The movement features a module for the time-zone mechanism made by the specialist firm Dubois-Dépraz. The watch is certified as a chronometer by COSC.

Porsche is a byword for excellence. Most adults are familiar with the brand and will readily talk of luxury and performance. However, as a former 911 owner, I can attest, a Porsche is much more than this. It represents a magical blend of considered design, smile-inducing tactile encounters and meticulous engineering. Even the air is filled with the seductive fragrance of premium leather. As this latest timepiece demonstrates, these qualities can also be found on Porsche Design’s exquisite watches.

The brand’s press release

Two years ago, Porsche Design introduced the 1919 Globetimer UTC, a GMT watch that offers intelligent functionality, optimized legibility, and convenient, easy operation. No matter where in the world your travels take you, the simple push of a button resets the twelve-hour hand to indicate the local time. Previously available in three different color variants, the chronometer-certified timepiece will be available in an All-Black edition this August. The timepiece features black titanium carbide coating and a black leather strap made of Porsche interior leather – reduced, sporty, and, as expected of a Porsche Design watch, with optimal legibility.

Up-to-date day and night – all around the world

The 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black not only embodies a pure sports car feeling on the wrist – it is also always ready to embark on a journey, anywhere around the globe. Derived from the simple and precise handling of the Porsche double-clutch transmission, the display of the world’s 24 time zones can be adjusted in 1-hour increments – without the loss of the current time display – by simply pressing the form-fitting push- button which is ergonomically embedded into the case. Each push of this button causes the short, local-time, hour hand to advance clockwise one position. When flying east, each push of the “+” button advances the second time zone by an interval of one hour. When flying west, pressing the “–” button causes the UTC hands to move in the opposite direction. All the while, the UTC hands automatically move, remaining in synchrony. To ensure this occurs at midnight and not at noon, the time needs to be set correctly just once. A circular window on the left-hand side of the dial facilitates this task: a white dot appears here during daytime hours, while the aperture remains black at night. Porsche Design has also taken into account the reference time indicated by a second, and clearly distinguishable hour hand with a distinctive luminous tip. This hand turns once every twenty-four hours, displaying the home time.

Keeping an eye on the time – every second

Perfect legibility is another essential feature. To intuitively display the time from any viewing angle, the dial’s radius was designed to be as large as possible, while the titanium case was made uncommonly slim. Well-balanced styling imbues this watch with a unique lightness, further enhanced by the handsomely shaped wristband. Colour contrasts, distinctive hands, indices and numerals combine with the generous use of nonradioactive Super-LumiNova luminous material to minimize the chance of misreading, even in poor visibility conditions. In addition, a sevenfold anti-reflective coating and an extra hard-coated treatment protect the sapphire crystal.

Maximised performance – tested, proven and certified

The latest version of the 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black is also powered by the Porsche Design Caliber Werk 04.110. The movement is equipped with the genuine Porsche Design ball-borne, bidirectional winding rotor. It builds up a 38-hour power reserve with its balance paced at four hertz. The front of the calibre is equipped with an innovative time-zone mechanism specially developed by Porsche Design and manufactured by the Swiss complication specialist Dubois-Dépraz. Before starting serial production, the mechanisms underwent several long-term tests in compliance with the strict criteria of Chronofiable®. The impact test’s candidates receive a blow equivalent to nearly 5,000 times their own weight, while each push-piece must withstand at least 10,000 switching cycles – far more than the watch will ever endure, even under extreme use. Before it is concealed in its case, each movement must also prove its timekeeping accuracy for fifteen consecutive days at the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The caliber must not lose more than four, nor gain more than six seconds per day, throughout the fifteen-day trial. During this time, the movement undergoes testing in five different positions and at three different temperatures. The 42-millimeter titanium case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters and features a black titanium carbide coating, perfectly pairs with the black leather strap made of high- quality Porsche car leather. This combination not only ensures that the 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black is an indispensable travel companion, but also makes a strong statement with its purist monochrome design.