The new Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC all black
A sporty, now all black and super practical traveler watch inspired by the Porsche PDK gearbox…
For a while, with the complex years that now (let us hope so) passed, we thought that the concept of a traveler watch should never be used again…Thankfully, the idea of traveling and crossing national borders and time zones is not dead. We can’t start to enjoy the fun of wearing GMT, dual time or world time watches again-at least, for a real purpose. And, speaking of this, there is a new Porsche Design model that has just landed, which is a new interpretation of the brand’s super practical and clever Globetimer watch. This new version is very much in line with the brand’s secret and streamlined design concept. Let’s take a look at the new Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black.
In 1919, Globetimer UTC itself was not a new watch. First of all, this watch, which was launched at the Basel Watch Fair in 2019, is a typical Porsche. Although it is one of the brand’s rare models with complications (except for classic chronographs), like the rest of the watch, this extra layer of functionality is purposeful and practical. As Ferdinand Alexander Porsche put it, “If you analyze the function of an object, its form tends to become obvious.” This is where this watch was born. It is to adjust the time zone. One of the most ingenious ways. Many GMT watches have to be adjusted by the crown (often screwed), which is obviously not the most practical method, nor the safest method (I see you dust particles and moisture…)
Porsche Design and Porsche (the car manufacturer) have always had a lot in common… After all, the design studio was created by FA Porsche in 1972, the designer of the timeless 911, and the first product that came to his mind was… Watch! With Globetimer UTC in 1919, Porsche Design took another look at what its parent company Porsche did with its cars, which were not only fast and fun, but also well-designed. Combine form and function. In this particular case, the inspiration comes from behind the steering wheel of the 911 (and other models), in the fluttering paddles of the PDK gearbox-with the famous + and-signs…see how this is going ? One goes up and one goes down. In watchmaking, this means the promoter of time zones!
New 1919 GLOBETIMER UTC all black
The other three members who joined Globetimer UTC, all use a grade 5 titanium case with a black, blue or brown dial, and are now a new black-coated version. This version is actually what I expected of this watch from the beginning. Why? Well, there is something natural about the black-coated Porsche Design watch. You must remember that the first commercially available black-coated watch was the 1972 chronograph designed by FA Porsche. Therefore, this is not only the iconic design of the brand, but in this case, no one else is as legal as PD. We are back to square one, because Globetimer UTC is now more PD than ever.
Let’s talk about design first. The 1919 Globetimer UTC All Black has the typical case shape of the brand, which can be found in the rest of the series. The combination of its clean, simple but recognizable cylindrical central container and integrated hollow module is used as the lugs and accessories of the strap . These modules account for about 99% of the personality of the watch. Although the design is stylish and extremely simple, it does have a strong personality. This may be the definition of a great design…Of course, the case is made of glass sandblasted titanium (what else does a PD watch have), with a diameter of 42 mm and a height of 14.90 mm. Not the smallest watch you can think of, but ergonomics is also incorporated into the design brief, so as long as your wrist is more than 17 cm, the watch will be a pleasure to wear.
For this new fake watch, the case has been fully coated with black PVD coating-the crown, buttons, back cover and buckle are all black and matte. The watch is paired with a stylish one-piece leather strap, made of genuine Porsche vehicle leather, decorated with black Porsche vehicle thread decorative stitching. It is closed by a three-fold clasp with a safety button.
Regarding this new 1919 global time UTC all-black dial, it is no surprise… it is also (almost) all black. Like the rest of the watch, the display is clean, but quite pleasing. This watch is about concentric indications and textures. The central part of the dial has a discreet circular drawing pattern. Moving to the outside, you will notice a series of 3 different tracks. The first is the date, indicated by a thin central pointer with a white arrow tip. Then there is the hour chapter ring, with minute markers and bolder hour-applied luminous hour markers, echoing the polished and luminous large hands (perfectly sized). Finally, on the inclined inner flange is the 24-hour indicator, and the larger pointer has a light blue arrow tip. This color can also be found in the UTC reference at 6 o’clock. at last,
But now let’s go back to UTC complication, or dual time function. Here, I will quote Rebecca in our previous article because she explained the whole idea behind Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC better than me: “Many GMT or dual time zone models operate directly through the crown, but anyone who has these Travelers of watches know that once you start fiddling with the crown, things become complicated. How many crown notches need to be extracted to set the reference time, and how many is the local time? Did you bring the manual? Setting the local time will cause Is the minute and second function paralyzed? Porsche Design 1919 Globetimer UTC abandoned these traditional systems. The two buttons on the right side of the case are very similar to the timing buttons on other Porsche Design fake models. They are inspired by Porsche’s PDK paddles, making this watch So easy to use. The top pusher (+) advances the local (current) time in one-hour increments, while the bottom button (-) moves the hour hand in the opposite direction. The beauty of this system is that the time setting function does not stop the minute hand And the second hand, which means you won’t lose timekeeping accuracy. After all, if the hour, minute and second hands of the watch stop every time the watch is set, then what is the point of having a COSC chronometer-certified movement?”
Due to the in-depth study of the movement, the system is extremely simple to use, practical to the extreme, and safe and reliable. The base is known and relatively simple, namely the sturdy Selita SW 200-1. In fact, the most important is the UTC module developed by Porsche Design. Since there is no push rod-driven GMT module on the market (only brands such as Patek or Ulysse Nardin have this in their series), the brand only designs it by itself and requires Dubois-Depraz to manufacture it. The 4Hz movement runs for about 38 hours, and as mentioned above, its accuracy has been certified by COSC. It also has a ball-type bidirectional winding rotor, which can improve winding efficiency.
Technical specifications-PORSCHE DESIGN 1919 GLOBETIMER UTC ALL BLACK
Case: 42 mm diameter x 14.90 mm high-titanium case, glass sandblasted, black PVD coating-sapphire crystal with hard coating, scratch resistance and seven anti-reflective coatings on both sides-titanium watch Time zone engraved on the back-screw-feather crown-100m waterproof
Dial: Round brushed black dial, white date scale, raised 24-hour scale on the outer ring, polished hands and three-dimensional hour markers with luminous material, light blue decoration
Movement: Porsche Design caliber WERK 04.110 (based Sellita SW 200-1 with proprietary UTC module)-COSC certification-automatic-28.50 mm x 6.94 mm-26 jewels-28,800 vibrations/hour-38 hours power reserve- Hour, minute, second, date central hand, central 24-hour dual time zone hand, day/night display
Strap: The strap is made of Porsche car leather, black, with black stitching of Porsche car thread-PVD coated folding clasp with buttons
Reference: 4056487005355