The Chronograph 1 marks the origins of Porsche Design. In the early 1970s, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was commissioned by Porsche AG to design a watch as an anniversary gift. Although F. A. Porsche had already left the company, the creative link remained strong.

As with the Porsche 911, the Chronograph 1 also adhered to a radically functional design philosophy: every design decision was based on practicality and technical logic.

The main inspiration for the design came directly from the cockpit of the Porsche 911. Drawing on experience gained in motorsport, particularly in endurance races such as Le Mans, F. A. Porsche was already developing instruments with maximum readability as early as the 1960s.

Reflections and glare should be minimised, and information should be immediately comprehensible.

He consistently applied this principle to the watch: matt black surfaces, high-contrast white hour markers and minimalist graphic elements made the Chronograph 1 the world’s first entirely black wristwatch.

The design was not a stylistic device, but a direct consequence of functional requirements.

Whilst quartz movements were regarded as a technological advance in the early 1970s, F. A. Porsche made a conscious decision to reject them. For him, a high-quality watch had to be based on a mechanical movement. In doing so, he deliberately went against the spirit of the times.

The aesthetic and technical clarity of the first Chronograph 1 continues to define Porsche Design Timepieces AG to this day. Despite ongoing technical developments and production at the company’s own Swiss manufacture, the original design concept remains virtually unchanged, thus providing a rare example of consistent design continuity spanning decades.

On 19 March, Porsche Design officially opened its new watch manufacture in Grenchen, Switzerland, thereby underlining its long-term commitment to in-house watch production. With the move from its previous production facility in nearby Solothurn to the new manufacture, the company now has, for the first time, a permanent base in the heart of one of the regions with the richest traditions in Swiss watchmaking.

The historic building was taken over in the spring of 2024, comprehensively modernised within just 18 months and specifically adapted to meet Porsche Design’s requirements. The result is a state-of-the-art centre of excellence that forms the basis for the next generation of exclusive mechanical timepieces.

The grand opening also marks a significant milestone for Porsche AG, the parent company of Porsche Design. As the only car brand with its own watch manufacture, Porsche is reaffirming its long-term commitment to the Timepieces business segment, as well as its ambition to develop high-quality, technically sophisticated timepieces with a distinctive design language inspired by sports car engineering.