The Porsche Design Studio was created by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the Porsche 911 (1963), in 1972. His design philosophy for the new Studio would impose form following function, with minimalism and technical clarity being at the fore front.
After a collaboration with the watch manufacturer Orfina until the early 1980s, IWC took over the production of the watches designed by Porsche, where the previous design features of matte cases (pure metal and black PVD coated) and clear lines were kept, but Titanium was added as new case and bracelet material, enhancing the technicality of the design language. 1995 Porsche acquired the watch brand Eterna and moved the watch production to Grenchen, where starting 2014 the watch production emancipated itself to a in-house production (1, 3).
The detailed history and wider portfolio of the Porsche Design studio has been thoroughly described and discussed before. The design studio working not only on watch design, but also on the sublimation of everyday objects as well as architectural projects imposing a very recognisable style (1).
As indicated above, watches designed by the Porsche Design studio follow a very specific read threat. The sporty look needs to fit the expectation for a refined tool watch and this is achieved using highly technological materials such as titanium and giving the watches a well balanced combination of smooth and integrated surfaces mixed with edgy chamfers and mostly black dials. The model ranges over time include simple three hand watches as well as sophisticated chronographs, which for the complication alone reflects the well established position of the mother brand in international racing circles.
Ref.:
- Fratello Watches – overall history
- Picture credit: Fratello Watches – watch manufacture
- Porsche US
