The history of Porsche Design is rich of innovations in the watchmaking industry, including the first all-black and the first all-titanium watches ever produced.

Thanks to the unique cooperation with Porsche motorsports, Porsche Design has been often able to incorporate the latest knowledge and technology from the world of racing into the development of products and timepieces in particular.

This is also the case of the latest collection launched by Porsche Design on occasion of Baselworld 2017: the Monobloc Actuator.

With this collection, Porsche Design brings a totally new approach to the operation of a chronograph, the most popular complication among watch enthusiasts.

Inspired by the high-performance concept used in the engine of the new Porsche 911 RSR, Porsche Design transferred the technical principle of valve control via a rocker arm for high-RPM racecar engines to an innovative control mechanism for the Monobloc Actuator’s chronograph functions.

Instead of the two push-pieces, which trigger the stopwatch functions of a conventional chronograph, the Monobloc Actuator’s chronograph functions are set into motion by a single, pressure-operated, doubly borne rocker switch which is integrated into the case on the right-hand side of the entire mechanism.

To develop this new technology, the watchmakers at Porsche Design Timepieces AG in Solothurn, Switzerland collaborated with the designers at Studio F. A. Porsche in Zell am See, Austria and the engineers at Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, Germany.

With this new solution, the chronograph’s buttons of the Monobloc Actuator are seamlessly integrated into the case of the watch with the multiply borne rocker switch alternately settting into motion and halting the chronograph mechanism.

Like the valves in the racing engine of the 911 RSR, this mechanism provides absolute precision, dependability, and continual, reliable protection against moisture penetration throughout operation. In fact, the stopwatch function of this chronograph, which is pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 meters / 330 feet), is operational underwater.

The movement of choice is the automatic Calibre ETA Valjoux 7754, beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vph) and offering 48 hours of power reserve. Equipped with the Porsche Design Icon rotor, the movement is visible through the screw-down with tinted sapphire crystal.

The Monobloc Actuator GMT-Chronotimer models come in a 45.5 mm x 15.60 mm asymmetrical case crafted from titanium, a material which is automatically associated to the brand since its innovation in 1980. The watches, available with a matte black or a deep blue sunburst-dial, come on a rubber strap, or an all-titanium bracelet, which utilizes a folding clasp with integrated fine-adjustment-mechanism to ensure a perfect fit.

It is also available an all-black version – the Monobloc Actuator 24H-Chronotimer – which features a black titanium-carbide coating over its titanium case, a matte black dial, and a checkered-flag-design function indicator at 9 o’clock, especially useful for its optimal readability. This model is exclusively available on a rubber strap with deployment buckle.