Custom timekeeping
Porsche Design is the world’s first watchmaker whose products can be configured online. Each one is as individual as a Porsche 911. A sophisticated program to custom-build these timepieces allows around 1.5 million variations.
Porsche Design Timepieces transfers the Porsche 911 philosophy to the wrist.
Each Porsche 911 features inimitable classic design, innovative engineering, and unparalleled individuality. Porsche Design Timepieces transfers this philosophy to your wrist—and to the internet. Founded in 2014 in Solothurn, Switzerland, this is the first watchmaker whose products can be configured online. The elements of each chronograph are developed by Studio F. A. Porsche in the Austrian town of Zell am See, and follow the philosophy of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who gave the original 911 its iconic lines.
Online configuration is possible because Porsche Design Timepieces has mastered the art of sequential manufacturing. Its model is Porsche’s production system in Zuffenhausen. Similar to the sports-car maker, the team in Solothurn is able to manufacture watches with very different features sequentially—from small series to individual pieces. Many Porsche Design chronographs have long since become valuable collector’s items. Dedicated Porsche and watch connoisseurs know about the Chronograph 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series, for example, which was available exclusively to buyers of those 500 limited-edition coupes made in 2017, in color and material combinations that precisely matched their cars. The new chronograph configurator takes this idea a step further, and functions very similarly to that for a sports car.
Crafty:
The rotor matches the wheel rims.
Start:
The configurator will initially be available in 2020 in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA at porsche-design.com/custom-built-timepieces/
Here, too, customers start with the exterior. First they select the color of the case, which, like all watches from Porsche Design, is made of titanium with an untreated matte grey sheen. A hard black finish is an option, which automatically also changes the color of the clasp. The bezel can be configured as well, as can the indices to display either a timer or a tachymeter. The dial remains in black and white like a Porsche speedometer, and the hands can take one of two different forms. The ring around the dial is available in any standard color of a Porsche car, and the leather strap in any of the interior colors. The watchmakers even stitch the strap with the same thread used on the seats of the 911, but spun more finely. Grey or black titanium bracelets are available not only as the primary strap but also as alternatives, thanks to a quick-change system that gives the wearer a new look in seconds. The glass bottom shows the in-house automated inner workings and winding system. Even the rotor can be individualized to match the form and color of the owner’s sports car, including the central Porsche crest. Customers who have just configured a Porsche 911 can take a shortcut to a matching chronograph. One click on the button for additional offers takes them directly to a preconfigured timepiece. The range of variation is nearly unlimited, with around 1.5 million individual possibilities. Despite this variety, delivery times of eight to twelve weeks are realistic—top value in an industry for which every second counts.
