2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Porsche Design, which was founded by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche in 1972 following his creation of one of the most iconic design pieces in contemporary history – the Porsche 911. Rooted in its esteemed motorsport heritage, Porsche Design has transferred the principles and spirit of Porsche to many other lifestyle product categories for the past five decades. To commemorate the anniversary year, Porsche Design is paying tribute to the past, while looking ahead 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 released alongside a one-of-a-kind restored 1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa Classic, and the new 911 Edition 50 Years Porsche Design that is limited to only 750 vehicles worldwide. The timepieces are part of a special 50-Year Porsche Design Capsule Collection inspired by the brand’s rich design legacy that also includes sunglasses, apparel, sneakers, accessories and luggage. The limited edition capsule collection is set to launch in Porsche Design stores and the official online store on January 18th, with additional product launches scheduled throughout 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 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 pioneering design icon for Porsche Design that revolutionized the watch industry. The matte-black timepiece took design ques 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. White numbers and hands on a black dial achieved this. The new Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition pays homage to the original while bringing it up to current day performance standards, including a new automatic and COSC certified Porsche Design caliber WERK 01.140 movement and water resistant case. The design of the timepiece remains completely unchanged with the dial, crown, clasp and case back all bearing the historic Porsche Design logo while the tachymeter scale around the dial, as well as the day and date display, use original 1972 typography. The baton hands also bear the original rectangular shape. One key enhancement is the use of high performance titanium for the case and watch strap, a material derived from motorsports and used in nearly all Porsche Design timepieces today. Another noteworthy change is where the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is manufactured. As of 2014, all Porsche Design Timepieces are produced in-house at Porsche Design Timepieces AG, the brand’s own timepiece manufacturing facility in Solothurn, Switzerland. The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is limited to only 500 pieces worldwide and is now available at Porsche Design stores and online at www.porsche-design.com at a RRP of $7,700.
Complementing the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition is a one-of-a-kind 1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa, which has been fully restored by Porsche Classic and features exclusive “50 Jahre Porsche Design Edition” branding. The vehicle bears the design language of F. A. Porsche and is equipped with details linking it to the 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 F. A. Porsche’s design style and features a black exterior – the same color as the first Porsche Design product ever created – black Sport-Tex seat upholstery with slate grey stitching and classic checkered pattern, a special anniversary badge on the engine grille, embossed “50 Years of Porsche Design” logo on the headrests and a “911” badge with the limitation number on the dash panel. The limited edition vehicle is also equipped with the Sport Chrono Package with Porsche Design Subsecond Clock, which adds the Porsche Design Subsecond Clock on the dashboard featuring the small red seconds hand from the Chronograph 1.
The perfect counterpart to the vehicle comes in the form of the Chronograph 1 – 911 Edition 50Y Porsche Design. This watch is available exclusively to owners of the limited edition sports car and also limited to 750 pieces globally. The timepiece combines the best of past and present by bringing the historical design of the Chronograph 1 and linking it to 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 wheel and matches the wheels of the special edition sports car, specially painted in Satin Platinum. The rotor cap features the Porsche crest as it does on the exclusive center wheel lock. Inside the timepiece beats the COSC-certified Porsche Design caliber WERK 01.240, with an innovative flyback mechanism that permits the stopping, resetting, and starting of successive time intervals in one operation. Each Chronograph 1 – 911 Edition 50Y Porsche Design includes the laser-engraved production number of the vehicle on the case back.
50 Year Capsule Collection – New Design Icons
In addition to the anniversary timepieces and vehicles, Porsche Design is bringing 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 glasses from 1978, originally designed by F. A. Porsche and featuring the world’s first interchangeable lens mechanism. For a more masculine look, Porsche Design is offering the 50Y P’8928 Sunglasses that also feature interchangeable lenses. Both sunglass models will be available as limited product bundles in February 2022. Another all-new eyewear icon, making its 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 eyewear.
Other product launches including 50Y fashion, sportswear, accessories, bags and luggage will carry style-defining characteristics from the brand’s motorsport heritage such as the checkered flag from racing and Satin Platinum accents. All pieces continue the theme of drawing inspiration from the past and blending it with contemporary technologies and innovations. Following F. A. Porsche’s vision to combine functionality, material and technology to create unique everyday objects that become lifetime companions
50 years of Porsche Design will be celebrated throughout the year via product launches, special anniversary events and much more. A six-month special exhibition titled “50 Years of Porsche Design” at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, begins the celebration and opens on January 18th, 2022. Visitors can experience a unique journey through time and explore 50 years of Porsche Design’s rich brand heritage. More information on the 50th anniversary of Porsche Design campaign can be accessed at: https://www.porsche-design.com/50Y
About Porsche Design:
In 1963, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created the 911, one of the most significant design objects in contemporary history. With his vision to take the principles and the spirit of Porsche beyond the automobile itself, he founded the exclusive lifestyle brand Porsche Design in 1972. His philosophy and designs live on in all Porsche Design products. Every Porsche Design product is synonymous with extraordinary precision, perfection, an impressive level of technological innovation and a unique symbiosis of intelligent function and purist design. Designed by the legendary Studio F. A. Porsche in Zell am See, Austria, Porsche Design products can be found worldwide at Porsche Design Stores, exclusive department stores and retailers as well as online at www.porsche-design.com and www.shop.porsche.com.
For more information please visit www.porsche-design.com, and to access 50th Anniversary of Porsche Design press assets and visuals please visit www.media.porsche.com/mediakit/50-y-porsche-design.
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