Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Brings Back The Central Minute Chronograph

A new 350-piece collaboration with Hodinkee revives the functional architecture of the legendary Lemania 5100 in a modern titanium chronograph.

Porsche Design and Hodinkee have reunited for the second chapter of their three-part collaboration, introducing the Chronograph 1 Utility – Limited Edition for Hodinkee. Limited to 350 pieces worldwide, the new chronograph returns to one of the most distinctive features of Porsche Design’s historical military watches: a centrally mounted chronograph minute hand designed to make elapsed time immediately readable.

The watch takes direct inspiration from the military variants of the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 produced during the late 1970s and 1980s. Those watches were developed in response to requests from air and naval forces for instruments that prioritised legibility, reliability, durability and ease of use. For this new collaboration, Porsche Design and Hodinkee have taken those principles and translated them into a contemporary collector’s watch, rather than simply reproducing the appearance of the original.

The Return Of The Lemania 5100 Architecture

At the centre of the new Chronograph 1 Utility is the WERK 01.340, a new movement developed by Porsche Design after the lifting of the patent that had kept the architecture of the legendary Lemania 5100 away from the modern market for more than two decades.

The original Lemania 5100 became particularly recognisable for its central chronograph minute hand, running seconds at 9 o’clock, a 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock and a 24-hour AM/PM indication at 12 o’clock. Rather than simply reproducing the historical calibre, Porsche Design has reinterpreted its functional architecture using modern engineering standards.

The WERK 01.340 brings back the central chronograph minute indication, the 24-hour display and a quick-set day and date function, while adding COSC certification and a 60-hour power reserve. The movement operates at 4 Hz and contains 30 jewels.

Utility As The Design Principle

The design of the Chronograph 1 Utility follows Porsche Design’s long-established principle that form should be determined by function. The case is made from uncoated titanium, combining low weight with strength and connecting the watch to both Porsche Design’s early titanium chronographs and the lightweight construction philosophy associated with the Porsche 911.

Measuring 40.80 mm in diameter and 15.41 mm thick, the case is glass-bead blasted to create a low-reflection surface. A screw-down crown and closed screwed titanium case back contribute to the instrument-like construction, while water resistance is rated to 10 bar.

The sapphire crystal receives seven layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides together with a hard coating, reinforcing the emphasis on readability.

A Chronograph Designed To Be Read At A Glance

The central chronograph minute hand is perhaps the most distinctive feature of the watch. It measures elapsed time directly on a 60-minute scale and is finished in deep black with a red fighter-jet-shaped tip. Its jumping-minute mechanism is intended to make the elapsed minutes easier to interpret against the black dial.

The central chronograph seconds hand receives Super-LumiNova for visibility in low-light conditions, while the 12-hour counter remains red, following the restrained visual language of the historical watches.

At 12 o’clock, the traditional minute counter is replaced by a 24-hour display synchronised with the hour and minute hands. When the time is set in standard 12-hour format, the indication shows whether it is morning or evening.

The chapter ring also avoids a conventional tachymeter. Instead, it carries a 12-hour scale, reinforcing the watch’s focus on measuring elapsed time rather than speed.

Details From The Original Military Chronographs

Several details connect the new model directly to its historical predecessors. The dial carries the period-correct Porsche Design logo and typeface, while the word “Utility” appears at 3 o’clock.

Below the date window, the inscription “Porsche Design for Hodinkee” references the way “by Orfina” appeared on original manufacturer-credited Porsche Design Chronograph I dials.

Near the top of the dial, a “Ti” marking identifies titanium, echoing the small material and lume-related markings found on historical military examples. The date display also uses both English and German days of the week, providing a subtle reference to the partnership between Hodinkee and Porsche Design.

Two Straps, Two Interpretations

The Chronograph 1 Utility is supplied with a matching glass-bead-blasted titanium bracelet, but the package also includes a Bund-style leather strap in Porsche Agave Green with GT Silver stitching.

The leather used for the strap comes from Porsche vehicle interiors, bringing another direct connection to the automotive side of the collaboration. The Bund insert uses the same Agave Green leather with tone-on-tone stitching.

Both configurations use a quick-change system, allowing the wearer to move between the bracelet and the more historically inspired Bund setup without tools.

The titanium bracelet uses a folding clasp with fine adjustment, while the leather configuration uses a titanium folding clasp with pushers.

The Second Chapter Of A Three-Part Collaboration

The new Chronograph 1 Utility follows the Chronograph 1 – Hodinkee 2024 Edition, which opened the partnership between the two companies. The second chapter shifts the emphasis from the external heritage of the Chronograph 1 to the mechanical architecture that made the historical instrument particularly distinctive.

For Porsche Design, the return of the central-minute chronograph is therefore not simply a historical reference. It represents the restoration of a functional concept that disappeared from production for more than 20 years and has now been reinterpreted using a modern COSC-certified movement.

Limited to 350 pieces worldwide, the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility – Limited Edition for Hodinkee is priced at €8,950 in Europe. It became available on October 1, 2026, through Porsche Design’s European channels, while U.S. availability is handled exclusively through Hodinkee and Watches of Switzerland.

With its titanium construction, central chronograph minute hand, 24-hour indication and new WERK 01.340 calibre, the watch remains faithful to the instrument-first philosophy of the original military chronographs while giving that architecture a contemporary mechanical foundation.

Technical Specifications

For more information, please visit the official Hodinkee website.

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