jamie weiss

Few topics are more hotly debated among car enthusiasts, especially Porsche 911 enthusiasts, than the idea of ​​”perfect spec.” It’s not enough to have a great car, but there’s a real art to how you choose it, what badge/performance level/trim, etc. In my opinion, the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring is the epitome of that. This is the ultimate enthusiast car. The GT3 is the purest, wildest version of one of the best driver’s cars on the market, but in touring guise and forgoing the big rear wing and track performance for a more subtle look and (slightly more expensive) everyday drivability. And it has the makings of automotive perfection.

If you’ve been reading T+T for a while, you’re definitely familiar with the following: Porsche Design’s stable of watches and how to customize them almost as much as Porschecreate your own perfect specs. You may also know that there are several Porsche Design watch models available only to you. If you own a specific Porsche vehiclethere are usually fewer options for personalization. Introducing the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 Touring. It is vehicle-specific, highly customizable, and may be the best incarnation of a Porsche Design chronograph to date.

First, the car

One of the best things about reviewing Porsche Design watches is that Porsche (at least in Australia) goes to great lengths to customize a watch to fit one of their press vehicles. So as a reviewer you get the full experience of cars and watches. With that in mind, the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 Touring, which is the focus of this review, is customized to the specific 992.2 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. We also had the pleasure of spending a week reviewing on-track and around town at Sydney Motorsport Park. This is a rare experience that I’ve only had a few times in my career as an automotive journalist (people have ranges).

As for that car, it was something special. Painted in ‘Slate Gray Neo’ with a two-tone tan interior, the car looks surprisingly delicate…the only things that made me believe were the growling air intakes in the nose and the frankly rude exhaust note. When mated to a 4.0L naturally aspirated 6-cylinder engine with an output of 375kW and a 6-speed manual transmission, it accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, but this number alone doubts its true excellence. The 992.2 GT3 Touring may be positioned as a gentler road-going version of Porsche’s top-of-the-line sports car, but all it really lacks is the “standard” GT3’s rear wing. This is a raw, capable performance vehicle that just happens to be wrapped in nice leather.

of the drive Tom Fraser gives it the highest rating in his review. When he said, “That’s the car you want to drive like you stole it… [which] In contrast to the subdued styling of the GT3 Touring… [it’s] It’s for those who are flying under the radar but want the same free experience on the road as driving a Carrera Cup car on the track. ”

For horological relevance, the car I reviewed had a Porsche Design dash clock, which is replicated on the dial of the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 Touring. The watch strap is made from the same supple tan leather as the car seat, and the automatic rotor is patterned after the car’s gray rim.

Now, the clock

Just as the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, its associated watch is in need of an overhaul as well. Unlike the majority of Porsche Design chronographs, this one is actually a flyback chronograph, and its functionality isn’t immediately obvious until you get up close and see the small “Flyback” text on the chrono hour subdial. Another small detail that is often overlooked is the seconds display at 9 o’clock. In the center of the display is the text “Born in Flacht,” which refers to the Porsche Motorsport facility where the 911 GT3 is developed.

In fact, the seconds hand is the most unusual part of this watch. Rather than using hands, it features a rotating disc with a checkered flag motif on one half and a 911 GT3 badge on the other. It’s not particularly useful for keeping track of seconds, but it can be useful for identifying whether the watch is still running.

But the most exciting thing here is the flyback. And again, there are similarities. If the 911 GT3 is a 911 with special sauces, this is a Porsche Design Chronograph with special sauces. And just as there’s something indescribably special about pedaling through the gears of a manual sports car, there are few things that can beat the tactile pleasure of firing up the flyback. chronograph When it comes to watches.

lastly

As we discussed in our previous review of Porsche Design watches, these watches can be seen cynically as an even more expensive addition to the price of an already expensive vehicle, or they can represent the ultimate value-add. At face value, the novelty of a watch that literally perfectly matches your car is very appealing. Top halo supercars like the Porsche 911 GT3 are also worth considering. It is a highly collectible vehicle in itselfAnd for that future collector, one of these watches would be incredibly desirable.

But I’m not here to speculate on future values ​​or justify Porsche’s aggressive pricing. Evaluating the merits of this watch, the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 Touring is a capable and attractive model. This is not a co-branded fashion watch. This is an in-house Swiss-made flyback chronograph made from premium materials (real luxury car leather!) and an inheritor of a historically significant design lineage. top gunAnyone? This is the best version of the Porsche Design custom-built chronograph to date. This is partly due to its flyback function, but also because of its association with the top-of-the-range 911 models.

It would be easy to get lyrical here. The 911 GT3 Touring is a dream car. Probably my dream car. And if I had the odd A$600,000 to option on a perfectly specced watch (for the record, the press car was pretty close, but I’d at least go for the oak green metallic exterior), I’d want to wear one of these Porsche Design watches alongside it, whether I’m behind the wheel or not.

Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 Touring prices and availability

The Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 Touring are, as you might expect, available exclusively to owners of either the Porsche 911 GT3 or GT3 Touring through authorized Porsche dealers or Porsche dealerships. online configurator. Price: From AU$20,900 (as tested) AU$23,900