In 2022, Porsche Design celebrates its 50th anniversary. The company was founded in 1972 by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who created one of the greatest design icons in contemporary history with the Porsche 911. Rooted in its cherished motorsport heritage, Porsche Design has applied Porsche’s principles and spirit to many other lifestyle product categories over the past five decades. On the occasion of its anniversary year, Porsche Design pays tribute to the past while looking to the future – with modern reinterpretations of its most iconic product creations. One of the highlights is the long-awaited comeback of the Chronograph 1, the very first Porsche Design product launched in 1972. Two new models of the Chronograph 1 will be unveiled along with a unique restored 1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa Classic and the new 911 Edition 50 Years Porsche Design, limited to just 750 vehicles worldwide. The timepieces are part of a special 50 Years Porsche Design Capsule Collection inspired by the brand’s rich design heritage, which also includes sunglasses, apparel, sneakers, accessories, and luggage. The limited-edition Capsule Collection will be available in Porsche Design stores and the official online store from January 18. Further product launches are planned for 2022.
“I am delighted that the philosophy and pioneering design language of our founder, F. A. Porsche, lives on in every Porsche Design product,” said Dr. Jan Becker, CEO of Porsche Lifestyle Group. “Today, the brand represents an entire lifestyle and manages again and again to combine technical innovations with maximum functionality and puristic design to set new standards.”
A Nod To The Past: Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition
The Chronograph 1 remains a groundbreaking design icon for Porsche Design that revolutionized the watch industry. The matte black timepiece took design cues from the dashboard of Porsche sports cars and transferred them to the wrist to make reading the time on the watch as efficient as possible. This was achieved by using white numbers and hands on a black dial. The new Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition pays homage to the original while bringing it up to date with the latest technology. This includes a new automatic and COSC-certified Porsche Design caliber WERK 01.140 and a water-resistant case. The design of the timepiece remains completely unchanged. The dial, crown, clasp, and case back bear the historic Porsche Design logo, while the tachymeter scale around the dial and the day and date displays use the original typography from 1972. The baton hands also have the original rectangular shape. An important innovation is the use of high-performance titanium for the case and bracelet, a material that originated in motorsports and is now used in almost all Porsche Design timepieces. Another notable change is where the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is made. Since 2014, all Porsche Design Timepieces have been manufactured at Porsche Design Timepieces AG, the brand’s own watch manufacture in Solothurn, Switzerland. The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is limited to just 500 pieces worldwide and is available now in Porsche Design stores and online at www.porsche-design.com at an MSRP of $7,700.
Complementing the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is a unique 1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa, fully restored by Porsche Classic and featuring the exclusive “50 Years of Porsche Design Edition” branding. The vehicle bears the design language of F. A. Porsche is equipped with details that link it to Chronograph 1.
The Next Generation: Chronograph 1 – 911 Edition 50Y Porsche Design
Porsche is honoring the 50th anniversary of Porsche Design with the launch of the Porsche 911 Edition 50 Years Porsche Design. Limited to just 750 vehicles, the sports car bears the design style of F. A. Porsche and features a black exterior – the same color as the first-ever Porsche Design product – black Sport-Tex seat covers with slate gray stitching and a classic check pattern, a special anniversary badge on the engine radiator grille, embossed “50 Years Porsche Design” lettering on the headrests and a “911” badge with the limitation number on the dashboard. The limited-edition also features the Sport Chrono Package with the Porsche Design sub-seconds clock, which complements the Porsche Design sub-seconds clock on the dashboard with the small red second’s hand of chronograph 1.
The perfect counterpart to this vehicle is the Chronograph 1 – 911 Edition 50Y Porsche Design. This watch is available exclusively to owners of the sports car in a limited edition and is limited to 750 pieces worldwide. The timepiece brings together the best of the past and present by combining the historic design of the Chronograph 1 with the high performance and sportiness of the new Porsche 911 Edition 50 Years Porsche Design. The design of the winding rotor is derived from the Turbo S and matches the wheels of the special model, which are specially painted in Satin Platinum. The Porsche Crest is depicted on the rotor cap, as it is on the exclusive central wheel lock. Inside the timepiece beats the COSC-certified Porsche Design caliber WERK 01.240 with an innovative flyback mechanism that allows stopping, resetting, and starting successive time intervals in one go. Each Chronograph 1 – 911 Edition 50Y Porsche Design features the car’s laser-engraved production number on the case back.
50 Year Capsule Collection – New Design Icons
In addition to the anniversary watches and cars, Porsche Design is also bringing its 50 years of design expertise to other product categories in 2022. The Porsche Design 50Y P’8478 sunglasses are a contemporary version of the style-defining 1978 eyewear originally designed by F. A. Porsche and feature the world’s first interchangeable lens mechanism. For a more masculine look, Porsche Design offers the 50Y P’8928 sunglasses, which also feature interchangeable lenses. Both sunglass models will be available in February 2022 as limited-edition product packages. Another brand new iconic eyewear that will debut later this year is the Porsche Design P’8950 Iconic 3D sunglasses. Inspired by the popular Porsche Design shield glasses from 1979, the glasses are made using a state-of-the-art manufacturing technology that fuses titanium powder to form the shape of the avant-garde glasses.
Other product launches, including 50Y fashion, sportswear, accessories, bags, and luggage, carry style hallmarks from the brand’s motorsports heritage, such as the racing checkered flag and satin platinum accents. All pieces continue the theme of drawing inspiration from the past and combining it with contemporary technologies and innovations. In keeping with F. A. Porsche’s vision of combining functionality, material, and technology to create unique everyday objects that become lifelong companions
50 years of Porsche Design will be celebrated throughout the year with product launches, special anniversary events, and much more. The first of these will be a six-month special exhibition entitled “50 Years of Porsche Design” at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, which will open on January 18, 2022. Visitors can experience a unique journey through time and explore 50 years of Porsche Design’s rich brand heritage. For more information on the “50 Years of Porsche Design” campaign, please visit: https://www.porsche-design.com/50Y
