A Measure of Time by Porsche
Porsche Design can trace its roots back to a timepiece: in 1972, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed the Chronograph I, establishing a visual language that has endured to this day.
Black-faced watches are currently trending, but few people realise that this is not due to any new material or design advancements. The oldest of Ferry Porsche’s four sons, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, conceived of the concept and created the iconic shape of the Porsche 911.
In 1972, he and his brother Hans-Peter established in Stuttgart what is today known as the Zell am See office of their own design firm. The Porsche firm placed their initial order, which was for timepieces for a small group of employees. His model, the Chronograph I, is notable for being the first time a designer, or “F.A.,” as he is still known today, borrowed styling cues from automobiles and applied them to a timepiece. He drew inspiration from the 911’s instrument panel because, in designing the watch, he was more concerned with making a high-precision instrument than a decorative accessory.
The watch, like the instrumentation in a race car, has to be legible at all times, no matter the viewing angle or lighting conditions. The matte black finish helped immensely by providing a lot of contrast. The combination of this effect with white numbers, a red second hand, and a tachymeter for measuring speed created a true icon that was quickly made available for purchase at Porsche dealerships and was no longer limited to a small group of personnel. The Chronograph I was not just a popular with stars and motorsports greats, but has become a collectible icon around the world.
The watch was reintroduced to celebrate 50 years of Porsche Design, a testament to the design’s durability and longevity. The brand specialists concluded after a thorough analysis that there was very little that could be improved upon in the design. The case diameter, at just under 41 millimetres, is just right. All Porsche Design clocks have since switched from using steel to using titanium, a valuable metal that is both more durable and more lightweight than steel and is also resistant to corrosion. Since 2014, Porsche Design has run its own watchmaking company in Solothurn, Switzerland, and the movement within was designed in-house.
