In its 50th anniversary year, Porsche Design is once again the official timing partner of the 2022 GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria. To commemorate the anniversary, Porsche Design launched the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition at a spectacular launch event at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany on January 18, 2022. The anniversary timepiece is a technically enhanced new edition of the iconic Chronograph I from 1972, and pays homage to the brand’s founder Prof. F. A. Porsche.
The anniversary will also be marked with a special GP Ice Race 2022 chronograph. Ferdinand Porsche, Prof. F. A. Porsche’s nephew and organizer of the GP Ice Race since 2019, developed the Chronograph 1 – GP 2022 Edition together with Porsche Design. Like the 1972 Limited Edition, this timepiece is based on the original model from 1972 and is being produced as a limited edition of only 50 pieces.
PORSCHE DESIGN CHRONOGRAPH 1 – GP 2022 EDITION
The Chronograph 1 – GP 2022 Edition boasts optimum readability and maximum contrast thanks to its white second hands, fluorescent hour indices, seven-layer anti-glare and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal watch face with hard coating, and exceptionally luminous Super-LumiNova pigments on the matte black dial. It is powered precisely by the Porsche Design chronograph caliber WERK 01.140 with COSC certification, developed by the brand’s own factory in Solothurn, Switzerland which features, among other things, an innovative quick-change date display and the day displayed in two languages. The 40.8 mm diameter case is dynamically water-resistant to 10 bar, and the link bracelet with a folding clasp is made of the high-tech material titanium. The timepiece also comes with a functional white textile strap, which is reserved exclusively for the GP 2022 Edition and allows the chronograph to be easily and securely worn over a ski or racing suit. This means that nothing stands in the way of timekeeping even during daredevil skijoring, in which skiers are pulled by vehicles. The special engraving on the case back is a nod to its quirkiest representative, the Fetzenflieger. It pays homage to Otto Mathé, who crossed the finish line first in record time in 1956 in a self-built car based on a Porsche.
PORSCHE DESIGN - OFFICIAL TIMING PARTNER OF THE GP ICE RACE 2022
In its 50th anniversary year, Porsche Design remains the official timing partner of the 2022 GP Ice Race. The race originated some 70 years ago, in the early years of mass motorization when humankind’s dream of going faster and farther than ever before was afforded a vehicle – the race car. In keeping with this sentiment, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created the first sports car for the wrist in 1972 – the iconic matte black Chronograph I, which, as the first Porsche Design product, marked the founding year of the design studio. For some in the watchmaking world, it was a black day when the Chronograph 1 was unveiled with its unmistakable, entirely black dial. The Chronograph I was the world’s first all-black wristwatch. It was the first time the designer had succeeded in transferring the design, aesthetics, and functionality of a sports car to a watch.
In 1974, Prof. F. A. Porsche and his design studio moved from Stuttgart back to Zell am See in Austria, the family’s ancestral home. In the decades that followed, numerous pioneering Porsche Design watch models were created there, which have been developed and manufactured in the brand’s own Swiss timepieces factory in Solothurn since 2014.
THE GP ICE RACE
In 2019, the legendary ice race returned to Zell am See – and in winter 2022, nothing will be left to chance when it comes to form, function, and fantastic driving. Ferdinand Porsche and Constantin Klein, CEO of GP Ice Race, have big plans. The values that the GP Ice Race has always stood for, tradition and innovation, will now be joined by another mission that is very close to the initiators’ hearts – the Ice Race is to become a synonym for sustainable motorsport and future-oriented mobility. Very much in keeping with Prof. F. A. Porsche, who likewise always left his unique designs as a legacy for tomorrow’s world.
ABOUT PORSCHE DESIGN:
In 1963, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created one of the most iconic design objects in contemporary history: the Porsche 911. Following his vision to take the principles and myth of Porsche beyond the automotive world, he created the exclusive lifestyle brand Porsche Design in 1972. His philosophy and design language can still be seen in all Porsche Design products today. Every Porsche Design product stands for extraordinary precision and perfection, boasts a high level of technological innovation and seamlessly combines intelligent functionality and puristic design. Created by Studio F. A. Porsche in Austria, our products are sold worldwide in Porsche Design stores, high-end department stores, exclusive specialist retailers and the official online store (www.porsche-design.com).
