The 901 Collection: Watches made from salvaged aircooled 911s.

A good watch should be timeless. It should look at home on your wrist year-in and year-out. Like a good watch, the 911 is a vehicle beyond the vagaries of seasonal fashion. After more than fifty years, the car has remained true to its original ethos. REC Watches’ latest Kickstarter is an endeavor to create a watch based on parts from salvaged aircooled 911s. Each watch will be unique, their faces made from metal salvaged from these cars themselves.

This project followed a poll put out by the watchmakers seeking an iconic vehicle to use as the basis for their next watch. The 911 beat out the Dodge Charger and the Volkswagen T2 Transporter, which seems appropriate given the 911’s long life and adherence to design principle for its long production run. We won’t dwell on the Charger’s dark days from 1975-1987.

Three variations of the watch will be available, though some features will be shared across the range. Each watch will use Miyota Caliber 9100 Movement, and as detailed above the fundamental design of the case and feature layout will be shared by all three watches.

Classic 911 Design Themes

Above is the third variant of the watch, known as 901 03. The three variants differ primarily in the colors used on the faces, and the type of band fitted. All three watches feature numerous references to the 911’s design, including subtle engravings to evoke the rear decklid vent, a Fuchs-inspired back face, and typefaces and layout inspired by the 911’s bright, clear instrumentation. The bands are designed to evoke classic and modern 911 upholstery patterns and materials.

Each watch will also feature a small plate denoting the VIN of the Porsche which donated metal to the project, along with that car’s year of production.

The Luminous Face

The watches all use classic Porsche fonts on their faces. The lettering and indicators are by SuperLuminova, making them easy to read even in total darkness. 901 01, above, uses green lume. A more subtle black lume is used on the other watch variants.

Presentation

Each watch will be delivered in a bespoke case, and will include a cleaning cloth, manual, and a small pamphlet telling the story of the Porsche used to make your watch.

Backing this project

Rewards are available at a variety of levels. Supporters at the $895 level will receive one watch of their choice, and the rewards only improve from there. This Kickstarter is open until April 28th, and at press time has already achieved its $200,499 goal. To continue to support this project, please follow this link.