Precision timekeeping has always played a key role in motorsport. No wonder, then, that ever more luxury-watch brands and carmakers join forces — Porsche and TAG Heuer among them. The manufacture has long been tied to racing, and to Porsche above all: Steve McQueen wore the words «Chronograph Heuer» on his racing suit as he sat behind the wheel of his Porsche 917 in «Le Mans» (1970). That the two brands became partners is also down to Porsche pursuing its own watchmaking ambitions from the 1970s on: the first Porsche Design chronograph arrived in 1972 — conceived by Ferdinand Porsche himself; the first titanium watch followed in the early 1980s.
Stepping on the gas together
Since February, Porsche and TAG Heuer have been official partners — celebrated with a new watch, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph. The bezel carries the engraved Porsche lettering, and the indices use the carmaker’s unmistakable typeface. The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the Heuer 02 manufacture movement with an 80-hour power reserve and the redesigned oscillating mass — a homage to the typical Porsche steering wheel. The dial’s asphalt effect symbolises a passion for racing, and the Arabic numerals recall a Porsche’s speedometer. The watch comes with a choice of two straps: soft calfskin or a purist metal bracelet in racing style.
More personal still is the «custom-built Timepieces» concept Porsche Design unveiled in 2020: the world’s first sequentially produced wristwatch, customisable right down to the movement — over 1.5 million possibilities, from the case to the wheel-design winding rotor to a personal engraving. The digital watch configurator is modelled on Porsche’s car configurator, so the watch matches your own sports car perfectly. The offering has been available in Switzerland since June 2021.
This article appeared in MEN issue 1/21 (November 2021).
