The dial design is readily something out of the Porsche Design catalog in terms of aesthetics, finishing, and fonts. Legibility takes front row importance thanks to proper sizes, good proportions, excellent contrast, and a lack of reflective surfaces. Small things like some applied elements as well as various channels running through the dial offer a sense of depth, but at the end of the day, the Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 face is just as legible as a classic Omega Speedmaster.
Speaking of Speedmaster, just like that iconic watch, Porsche Design couldn’t help but include a tachymeter scale around the bezel – a feature that continues to be one of the most ubiquitous yet useless elements in chronograph sport watches. Couldn’t this bezel space be used for something more useful now that I am sure we can safely say that no one uses tachymeter scales any longer?
As a titanium watch, the Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 wears nice and light on the wrist which is an added bonus. On the bracelet, it isn’t quite as light, but you do get the added look of a more complete composition. This particular Deep Blue model comes on a blue fabric strap with black leather lining and a matching high-polished titanium folding deployant clasp. Straps like this are mostly great but come with a few drawbacks, notably, the fact that a lot of fabric straps begin to fray after short time. This isn’t a big deal, and some people’s solution is to actually lightly burn frayed fabric off.
Also, the deployant clasp has no locking feature. That means with the right force, you can just pull the watch right off your wrist. Combine a non-locking clasp (it just snaps shut via tension) with a strap that begins stiff, and you literally have a clasp that is annoying to close, as it keeps wanting to open. This means that customers of new Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 watches on the strap versus the bracelet will find putting the watch on annoying until they break in the strap. This could have been easily remedied by using a locking butterfly-style deployant (or something similar).
With that said, once you break in the strap, it wears rather comfortably. After wearing the Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 Deep Blue for a while, its charms began to grown on me, albeit not immediately as with some other watches. I find it very interesting how some watches I love right away, and how others have an appeal that slowly creeps up on me. Those timepieces where the latter occurs do tend to be my favorites for longer periods of time, however.
Porsche Design isn’t trying to draw in serious watch lovers with a particularly distinct design or “wow factor” in the Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1, but they have succeeded in producing a high-quality and very useful timepiece with a minimalist style that is nevertheless very functional and sporty. This is a watch that you wear, versus something that wears you… In terms of cost, the 6010.1.07.003.07.2 Porsche Design Chronotimer Series 1 Deep Blue is actually an entry-level model in the collection, with a retail price of $4,550. Not exactly cheap, but I do consider it a fair price for this quality and name. porsche-design.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Porsche Design
>Model: Chronotimer Series 1 Deep Blue reference 6010.1.07.003.07.2, aka 4046901408770
>Price: $4,550 USD
>Size: 42mm
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Design lover wanting a solidly made modern sports watch loosely connected to the world of driving.
>Best characteristic of watch: Slick look which grows on you and great-looking polished titanium case. Very legible dial.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Timid design requires a lot of inspection to appreciate fully. Polished titanium likely a scratch-magnet before long. Deployant clasp could use a locking mechanism.
