Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 – $151,050
New watch alert! You can only buy the new Porsche Design Chronograph if you buy a Porsche GT3. That”ll run ya $143k for the 911 (plus options) and $8050 for the watch. Talk about a missed opportunity. This is easily the best-looking Porsche Design watch in decades – at the exact moment the Porsche corporate mothership sold out to TAG Heuer. While it’s almost worth buying a GT3 to get the watch, it’s worth noting that the high-performance German sports car is about as suitable for daily driving as tank is for casual off-roading. Whereas the configurable chronograph . . .
is a watch for work, rest or play. It’s the ideal size (42mm), fits under a shirt cuff (14.6mm tall) and boasts a scratch-resistant titanium case. The COSC-certified automatic flyback chrono’s powered by Porsche Design calibre WERK 01.200. The quick change strap’s made from Porsche vehicle leather with Shark Blue or GT Silver contrasting stitching. The only downside: 50m water resistance. And the price. If someone’s buying a GT3 and doesn’t want to the watch, let me know . . .
OMEGA Seamaster Diver America’s Cup Chronograph – $10,700
Another day, another OMEGA special edition (even the new watch alert are getting drowsy). Next up: a visually cluttered ode to OMEGA’s sponsorship of the America’s Cup sailboat race – a sport that influences watch purchases like Barbara Palvin influences helicopter sales. Landlubbers will find the 15-minute countdown timer useful for making a grilled ham and cheese sandwich (with four minutes to spare). The OMEGA’s main second hand and “hull shaped” chrono second hand are, uh, different. That said, it holsters a superb Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9900 movement and . . .
rubberized chronograph pushers! I’m totally on board with that (so to speak). As any fetishist will tell you, latex provides extra tactility, precision and security. With the new Chrono Lock you “can lock your measured time without accidentally pressing the pushers.” It’s never happened to me, or anyone else, ever. And a Yema-style bezel lock would have been more useful, in theory. But the Chrono Lock’s a totally fiddle-worthy function. Here’s hoping these features show up on the next OMEGA Special Edition, due out in three, two, one . . .
HappieWatch Dragon – $199
TTAW isn’t just new watch alert to mainstream manufacturers. We understand that there’s room in any good collector’s collection for an inexpensive traditional watch that makes a statement without breaking the bank. Thanks to unspecified dual (but not dueling) Japanese quartz movements, the Happiewatch dragon is a low-end “face” watch for those who find Konstantin Chaykin’s “googly-eyed” watches fun but a bit pricey. The Dragon is more scary than fun, but more affordable than not.
The 41mm square timepiece’s dial is a “bronze multidimensional color.” I don’t think that means actual bronze, but whatever. The Dragon’s 2 ATM water resistance means you shouldn’t wear the watch in anything other than a light drizzle, but you can take comfort in the fact that the strap is made of vegan leather and HappieWatch supports animal shelters. There are other graffiti and tattoo artist-inspired designs, but nothing as aggressive as this piece, which suits the post-pandemic gestalt, IMHO.
The Porsche Design WERK 01.200 is another ETA/Valjoux 7750 based movement. The new titanium Longines BigEye has a much better version of the movement with a column wheel and silicon balance spring.
I would argue the 7750 based Tissot T1004271105100 does the black and yellow color scheme better than this Porsche Design watch. At about 1/10 the price for the same movement.
The best funky/alternative version of the Omega Seamaster is the Apnea, way cooler than this yacht timer.
Another thing Porsche and PD have failed to collaborate on, that Tissot and Renault Alpine have managed to partner on, is the watch/dash clock chronograph:
https://www.alpinecars.com/en/press/tissot-alpine-on-board-automatic/
It’s a bit cheesy, but if there is going to be a car/watch co-branding (something way overdone), the watch might as well integrate with the car.
So that’s not really a functional subdial at 9 o’clock on the Porsche Design?
The Happiewatch website shows a back shot of the twin quartz movements, which I find hilarious.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/6699/5109/files/WechatIMG48_960x.jpg
Being a stickler for hands alignment, I’d have to adjust the thing on the hour lest the independent hour hand not hit the marker exactly. The little case nubs between the lugs seem to exist solely to break the wide skin window.