The Stewart Dawson SD 911 Black

Today, I’ll take a look at an object that blends two of my favorite subjects — cars and watches! I’m not unique with those interests, but this watch takes it a step further. You see, it’s inspired by one of the greatest sports cars in history, the Porsche 911. The brand behind this creation is new to us. Stewart Dawson London debuts on Fratello with the SD 911 Black.

Stewart Dawson London takes its name from the watchmaker and jeweler founded in 1871 in Liverpool. The name still exists in New Zealand as a high-end jeweler. D Group, a small company, owns the Stewart Dawson watch brand along with a suite of smaller brands, which also produce luxury watch accessories and make private-label pieces. The current lineup includes several sports watches and today’s piece, the SD 911 Black. Let’s have a closer, hands-on look.

A word about the gauges in 911s

Few cars deserve to be called iconic as much as the Porsche 911. It’s an instantly recognizable silhouette with many well-known styling flourishes. If we talk about the air-cooled models, the headlamps, the slotted grill above the rear-mounted engine, and the side window design are just some of the famous giveaways. Inside, the car also has its renowned traits. Chief among them are the five gauges facing the driver behind the gloriously thin steering wheel.

And, unlike in most cars, the 911 always had its tachometer front and center. Once the early ’70s rolled around, Porsche entrusted German instrument maker VDO, now owned by Continental, to create one of the most businesslike and legible gauge sets ever. White numerals on a black background, a red hand, and a brushed stainless steel pinion were joined by a trip meter, odometer, and hidden-until-lit twin green turn signals. As someone lucky enough to have owned an old 911 (ugh, I should have kept it), it’s awesome to stare into the face of these individual vertical displays. So, how will a watch translate?

The Stewart Dawson London SD 911 Black

Let’s begin with some basic specifications. The watch has a 316L stainless steel case with dimensions that should make it easy to read while cruising along in a classic car. With a 42.5mm diameter and 51mm lug-to-lug, it’s not small, but as we’ll see, the watch sits well on the wrist. Aside from the measurements, the watch has a sapphire crystal with antireflective and fingerprint-resistant coatings. Considering this is a watch without a rotating bezel, potential buyers should be interested to know that the SD 911 Black has a screw-down crown. This contributes to a 100m water resistance rating.

Here for the dial

Stewart Dawson created a nearly identical design to the Porsche gauge for its SD 911 Black. The watch has a black dial with simple Super-LumiNova-coated numerals. After checking some representative VDO gauges, the font looks identical on the watch. Bold white printed hash marks extend from the numerals to the dial’s edge. In between, there are thinner, shorter hashes. The design is a replica of an early-’70s instrument. But then, we notice a red chevron at 37 past the hour, and it gives us a clue about which car inspired this dial. The 1973 Porsche 911 RS had a then-high redline of 7,300 rpm, which is recounted here.

The red needle-like seconds hand sweeps around the dial with a large circular pinion made from brushed stainless steel. While the so-called gladiator hands don’t necessarily refer to the historic vehicle, the brushed frames and central stripes of Super-LumiNova fit the overall theme. Aside from these details, a glossy, barely visible “11” sits next to the numeral at 9 o’clock as an ode to the famous car. A small black-on-white date window looms quietly at 3 o’clock.

An interesting seat-like strap

The SD 911 Black has a black nappa leather strap with red stitching. Keeping it at that description wouldn’t do justice to the details, though. Each strap end has four padded square sections. These are meant to evoke the stitched sections of the car’s Recaro seats. It’s incredibly soft and flexible on the wrist. As far as the looks, it’s certainly a unique design. I do think it’s a cool addition, but I’d love to see Stewart Dawson include a perforated design mimicking the car’s original headliner material.

Using the venerable Sellita SW200

The watch uses a solid stainless steel screw-in case back. I like the fact that it lacks adornment, which also allows an owner to have it engraved with his or her car details. Underneath, the watch uses the veteran Sellita SW200 automatic movement. In addition to a hacking feature, the movement has a 4Hz (28,800vph) frequency and claims a power reserve of 41 hours. Naturally, the date is set via the crown.

On the wrist and in the metal

Overall, the SD 911 Black comes off as a well-made watch with nice details. The finely brushed case works well with the polished and stepped bezel. As mentioned earlier, the lugs curve dramatically down toward the wrist. Yet, for someone like me with a smaller wrist, it is a large watch. It has me hoping and wondering if the brand will add a smaller 38–39mm edition with a shorter lug-to-lug dimension to the catalog. I think it would play well and draw in fans of the car. Additionally, the 22mm strap has a 2mm taper to the buckle, but I think an even more dramatic thinning would look great.

Final thoughts on the SD 911 Black

The SD 911 Black is a nice effort from Stewart Dawson London and should prove popular with 911 owners and lovers. At €1,490 / £1,295, it’s not inexpensive, but it’s in the same realm as plenty of other watches using this type of movement. Plus, the watch is competitively finished and comes with a nice leather carrying case. As mentioned, I’d only like to see a smaller model join the lineup to make it even more inclusive. For more information and ordering details, visit the brand’s official website.

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