Reservoir Unveils Two New Kanister 316 Timepieces inspired by Porsche 356 Speedster

The fifties and the sixties are often considered the golden age of motorsports. It is said that motorsports were so sought-after that luxury timepiece makers would give limited-edition watches to winning drivers as presents after racing teams celebrated their victories at podiums. In fact, timepieces and cars have always been close collaborators. The latest examples of this synergistic relationship are the two new Reservoir Kanister 316 models that are inspired by the instrument cluster of the iconic Porsche 356 Speedster and sport an entirely new caliber.

A pure sports car, the Porsche 356 A Speedster was introduced in 1954 along with coupé and cabriolet models. Behind the steering wheel were three round dials—a gauge for oil temperature and tank capacity on the left, the tachometer in the middle and one for the speedometer, the odometer and the trip odometer on the right. It was rightly called a sports car as it did not have any power steering, side windows or sound insulation that would add additional weight to the car. The driver, the road and the car were in perfect harmony. Powering the car was the 1.5 litre air-cooled, four-cylinder engine producing 60 horsepower. 

A Parisian timepiece maker, Reservoir is known for its obsession with gauges found on cars and aeroplanes. The most common complications are the jumping hours that resemble petrol gauges. The just launched 41.5 mm stainless steel watches come with black (Ref.  RSV01.KN/133/BA) or silver (Ref. RSV01.KN/133.SI.BA) dial options.

Reservoir has upgraded the design and the new timepieces look well balanced. The case is no longer polished but brushed for a sportier look. Replacing the bolder 43 mm option, the watches now look more comfortable on the wrist. Initially launched in titanium cases, the steel-cased watches get the same dials that are inspired by the dashboard of Porsche 356 Speedster, more specifically the rev counter. The silver dial variant has a monochromatic look with silver double digit numerals, from 00 to 60, on retrograde minutes with a jumping hours window at 6 o’clock, which is coupled with a power reserve indicator.

The black variant looks the sportiest with green dual numerals as the colours mimic the sectors found on the rev counter, especially with a green and red tone. The power reserve indicator on the black dial comes with green and red markings while on the silver model, the indicator is shown through red and black markings. Both models come with screw-down crowns at 3 o’clock. 

Turning both watches over reveals the sapphire crystals, open casebacks with titanium oscillating weights with five visible screws and Kanister engravings. Powering the Reservoir Kanister 316 collection is the all-new Calibre RSV-240, the in-house self-winding movement with a 56-hour power reserve.

The Reservoir Kanister watches are finished on stainless steel straps with stainless steel butterfly folding clasps. The wooden box contains an additional black leather or Ostrich Taupe leather strap.

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