The Porsche Design Sport Chrono Subsecond 39 Blue Titanium watch hands-on

The legendary Porsche Design Sport Chrono package sets apart track day enthusiasts from everyday Porsche drivers, despite any standard Porsche offering track-ready performances.

Yet, if you’re asking for more and opt for adding this magic package while configuring your upcoming new 911, for example, get ready to access engineering and electronic upgrades that turn your fast GT into a machine for the most demanding petrolhead.

Next in the pipeline would be to opt for a GT-engineered Porsche, but that’s a different story.

The Porsche Timepieces AG division is working unstoppably to offer current or potential Porsche owners several timepieces to complement their beloved sports cars.

I still can’t forget the beauty and ingenuity of ultra-complicated masterpieces like the Porsche Design Indicator P6910, back in the day, but the current scenario is different, and the market has evolved to demand uncluttered, no-complication, yet refined, products too.

I see the strategy has turned to include more and more fine sports timepieces into Porsche Design‘s “total look” high-end offering, which consists of a broader range of luxury accessories than ever before like, for instance, top-of-the-range skis crafted by Elan and curated merchandise for him or her.

Nonetheless, I often believe that timepieces deserve a separate chapter and dedicated communication strategy and website.

However, let’s bear in mind that Porsche Design is long-established; Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created the atelier and pioneered high-tech Porsche-branded luxury accessories as much as he did with sports car production.

Case in point, the Porsche Design Sport Chrono collection draws inspiration from the Sport Chrono package and, specifically, the mid-dashboard mounted analogue-digital gauge, a complementary instrument for drivers ready to kick off the Launch Control or ask for the PDK gearbox to top perform while driving fast on a twisty road.

Therefore, the new collection focuses on a specific package, rather than a new Limited Edition car, like the atelier did with the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition.

The headline news is the new 39 mm collection paired with a blue sunray dial in this option. The brand has widened its product portfolio to attract a larger unisex audience with smaller wrists adding a more vivid Pantone when compared to the mainstream black livery (you can also opt for a dark brown, mimicking the car’s interior).

We placed the timepiece under a macro to get the most out of the product’s craftsmanship and detailing. The midsection is beautifully sun-ray-finished, and the execution is exquisite, including how the indices, numerals and date window are displaced.

The Subsecond 39 Blue proves as a great template of how to integrate a date window into the overall design seamlessly; the day of the month’s font and size match brilliantly with the other pieces of information surrounding the date window.

A 39 mm size option is a winner; it wears perhaps too small on a bold wrist like mine; I suggest therefore opting for the 42 variant if you have a big wrist. In either case, the watch comes in titanium, an excellent choice for a timepiece this sporty.

Among the improvement areas, I’ll pick the folding clasp only. I love the butterfly clasp’s design and its double safety button, but with the top end rigidly fastened to the hollowed lugs, I found it hard to easily and quickly wrap the watch around my left wrist.

As a result, it ends up being too stiff and tapered or, else, too loose; I believe a titanium tangle buckle is more than enough and far more comfortable. It’s a pity since the current one is perfectly engineered.

Equipped with a screw-down crown and a solid case back, the Porsche Design Sport Chrono Sub Second 39 Blue is 100 meters water-resistant, which is excellent news, but I hardly believe you’re going to swim with the blue leather strap, which is the same upholstery found on any leather equipped Porsche car.

The watch houses a self-winding calibre coded as Werk 03.200, which offers a 38-hour power reserve. The Porsche Design Sport Chrono Subsecond 39 Blue retails for 4,450 Euros; at such price, you get a Chronometer–certified mechanical timepiece, sporty yet subtle, offering a remarkable build quality.

Porsche logo and design (which always is subjective) aside, the superb product build quality is the most relevant “take away”.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Gaetano C @Horbiter®