Porsche Cars GB has announced a partnership between Porsche Design and the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB single-marque race championship, that will see the the driver in each class achieving the most fastest laps in the season presented with a chronograph timepiece at the end of year.
With a guiding philosophy that regards a watch as an instrument and not jewellery, designed to provide maximum readability, the high speed, high precision environment of the race track is an ideal setting for Porsche Design timepieces.
The sponsorship was launched at Porsche Centre Mayfair in London by Krishan Bodhani, CEO Porsche Cars GB, and Gerhard Novak, General Manager Porsche Design Timepieces, at an event celebrating the European debut of the latest Porsche Design timepiece, the handcrafted 911 Spirit 70 chronograph.
In 1963, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created the 911, one of the most significant design objects in contemporary history. With his vision of transporting the principles and legend of Porsche beyond the boundaries of the automobile, he founded the exclusive Porsche Design lifestyle brand in 1972.
Since 2017, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche AG. The first watch from Porsche Design – the Chronograph I – was created in 1972. All Porsche Design timepieces are manufactured at the company’s in-house watchmaking facility in Solothurn, Switzerland.
The range of timepieces spans the iconic originals such as the Chronograph I, through a range of custom-built timepieces offering a variety of personalisation options (featuring the same leather materials and stitching shared by the car interiors) up to the unique timepieces available to be paired with GT and special series Heritage Design sports cars.
Porsche Design timepieces and the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB
“If you analyse the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious.” F A Porsche not only designed the rear-engine 911 that launched in 1963, but prior to this he also created the 904 GTS. The 904 was a more pure-bred, limited series race car than the 911, but its sleek styling and innovative design configuration nevertheless combined everyday usability with scintillating performance. With a choice of four-cylinder as well as six-cylinder engines mounted in the middle of the chassis behind the driver, the 904 set the template for the Cayman when that model was launched 20 years ago. Thus, it is fitting that Porsche Design timepieces is sponsoring the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB in 2025.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge GB sees a mixed grid of otherwise identical examples of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport line up alongside the more powerful GT4 RS Clubsport. The race car is faithful to the road-going two-door, two-seat, mid-engine 718 Cayman coupe, with a flat-six engine driving the rear wheels through a PDK double-clutch gearbox, combined with modest modifications for optimised circuit performance and safety. Drivers can choose to start their Porsche motorsport journey in the lower-powered Clubsport, before progressing to the more specialised RS derivative. In whichever car, drivers compete at circuits around the UK in support of the British Touring Car Championship, entertaining packed spectator grandstands and primetime ITV audiences.
718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
Offering drivers switchable ABS, traction control and stability control, the GT4 Clubsport is optimised for racing, though it bears close similarities with its road-going counterpart through a high percentage of carry-over parts. The GT4 Clubsport's ‘zero hours’ engine and gearbox rebuild schedule ensures lower running costs for competitors.
718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
The RS Clubsport is based on the successful 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, its 4.0 flat-six engine – derived from the engine found in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – developing 500 PS. A seven-speed PDK gearbox features shorter ratios than that of the GT4 Clubsport. An enhanced aerodynamics package includes a larger front splitter and dive planes, front air curtains and wheel arch vents, NACA ducts to improve brake cooling and efficiency, and a larger rear wing with increased adjustability. The GT4 RS Clubsport's engine has a long 100-hour rebuild schedule, while its ‘zero hours’ gearbox rebuild schedule lowers competitor running costs.
In addition, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport was the first ever production race car to feature body panels made of natural-fibre composite material. The driver and passenger doors and the rear wing are made of an organic fibre mix, which are sourced primarily from agricultural by-products such as flax or hemp fibres. These offer similar properties to carbon fibre in terms of weight and stiffness, yet bring considerable sustainability benefits.
In a fitting historic parallel, the 904 GTS was the first Porsche to use glass fibre reinforced plastic for its body construction, a tradition of innovation with material technologies that extends to today’s Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
New 911 Spirit 70 inspires design elements of exclusive wristwatch
The latest example of the Porsche Design watchmakers’ artisanal skills, the handcrafted 911 Spirit 70 chronograph was unveiled together with the matching 911 Spirit 70 road car at the Shanghai Auto Show in China last month.
Receiving its European premiere at Porsche Centre Mayfair the day after its world debut, the 911 Spirit 70 chronograph is a mechanical masterpiece reserved for owners of the 911 Spirit 70. Based on the 911 GTS convertible, this latest limited-series Heritage Design edition from Porsche is limited to 1,500 examples, with styling details which embodies the essence of the 1970s and early 1980s. The unique edition number of each vehicle is engraved on the caseback of the respective chronograph, so the watch and sports car are inextricably linked.
Many of the design details of the timepiece are based on features of the car, and at the same time give insight to the craftsmanship and quality of the production: the satin-gloss Pasha pattern of the dial, for example, is inspired by the seat centre panel of the 911 Spirit 70. In addition, the colours Phosphorus Green and Traffic Red were carried over from the tachometer. The font for the date display and minute/second scale also matches the design of the instrument cluster. The subdial is decorated with a ‘Spirit 70’ logo. The leather strap is made of original Porsche interior leather in Basalt Black. Another detail carried over from the car’s interior is the decorative stitching in Olive Neo or Slate Grey. The ‘911’ graphic that appears on the sports car’s front hood is also embossed on the strap.
The case is made of lightweight, corrosion-resistant and skin-friendly titanium and is coated in black titanium carbide. The sapphire crystal has a hard coating and seven-layer anti-glare properties on both sides. The chronograph is powered by the COSC-certified Porsche Design movement WERK 01.100 with calendar disc. The design of the 360-degree rotor resembles that of the wheels used on the 911 Spirit 70, in the matching colours of satin-finish black and Bronzite. Both are visible through the sapphire case back.
The Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Spirit 70 is priced from £12,000.00 RRP and can be ordered through Porsche Centres exclusively by buyers or owners of the 911 Spirit 70. The timepiece is complemented by a metal plaque with a Heritage Badge engraving, included in the high-quality limited-edition watch box.
The 911 Spirit 70 is the third model in the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur heritage design strategy. These extraordinary, limited series sports cars reinterpret iconic 911 models and features from past decades, reviving classic design elements. Released in stages and in strictly limited numbers, the first edition was launched in 2020 with the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition, inspired by the style of the ’50s and early ’60s. This was followed in 2022 by the 911 Sport Classic, bringing back the spirit of the ’60s and early ’70s.
For each of these special models, Porsche Design also introduced an exclusive chronograph that was available only to the vehicle buyers. With its blend of historic design elements, superior craftsmanship, and unique reference to the 911 special edition, the Chronograph 911 Spirit 70 is a masterpiece of watchmaking that reinterprets the aesthetics of this legendary decade in a modern way.
