Do you want to know who makes Porsche Design watches? Are you wondering if Porsche Design is related to Porsche cars?
If you are into cars and watches then you are one of the rarest breeds of humans out there. However, if you have seen a Porsche Design watch for the first time then it is natural to wonder whether it is made by the same company that makes Porsche cars or not. Well, in this article, I am going to clear your doubts about Porsche Design watches and I will tell you who actually makes them.
Quick Navigation
- Is Porsche Design Related To Porsche Cars?
- Who Owns Porsche Design?
- Who Makes Porsche Design Watches?
- Who Makes The Movement For Porsche Design Watches?
- FAQs
Is Porsche Design Related To Porsche Cars?
The first question that comes to everyone’s mind after seeing Porsche Design watches for the first time is: Is the company that makes Porsche cars selling watches too?
Yes, Porsche Design is related to Porsche cars but they are not the same company. Porsche Design makes watches and other accessories but not cars. The company that makes Porsche cars is a different entity than Porsche Design.
Who Owns Porsche Design?
Let me tell you the brief history of Porsche Design so that you can know who owns it and how it is related to Porsche cars.
Porsche Design was founded in 1972 by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche in Stuttgart, Germany. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who was the founder of the Porsche cars company.
Quite confusing, isn’t it? Did we just talk about two people? Yes, we did, the confusion is because of the similar names, let me simplify it for you.
The grandfather (Ferdinand Porsche) founded the Porsche cars and his grandson (Ferdinand Alexander Porsche) founded Porsche Design. There you go, this is how both the companies are related i.e. by blood.
Do you like the design of the infamous Porsche 911? Well, it was designed by the founder of Porsche Design, i.e. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. He used to work in Porsche cars as a designer. However, when Porsche went public in the 1970s, he was forced to leave his designer job at Porsche cars.
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche then decided to start something of his own and founded a separate company called Porsche Design in 1972. That is how Porsche Design watches came into existence. There was always a connection between the two companies but recently, in 2017, Porsche cars acquired Porsche Design. Now Porsche Design is a part of Porsche cars but this wasn’t the case always.
Who Makes Porsche Design Watches?
Porsche Design watches are manufactured by Porsche Design Timepieces AG. This is the manufacturing division of Porsche Design, it was founded in 2014 and has headquarters in Solothurn, Switzerland. Yes, Porsche Design watches are Swiss-made.
Wait, what? It was set up in 2014, so who was making the watches for Porsche Design before that?
You picked that right, Porsche Desing only started making its own watches recently and this wasn’t the case always. Earlier it used to outsource its watches from other companies. And the companies that made watches for Porsche Design kept changing over time. So let me start from the initial days of the company.
As discussed, Porsche Design was founded in 1972 and it launched its first chronograph watch named Chronograph 1 in 1972 itself. This watch was made by the Orfina Watch Company, which was located in Grenchen, Switzerland. So in the initial days of the company, all its watches were manufactured by Orfina Watch Company.
After a few years, the company collaborated with IWC, which I am pretty sure you have heard of. The collaboration happened in 1978 and ended in 1997. During this time period, all the watches of Porsche Design were made by IWC. This collaboration between the two companies produced many great watches which you can still find available in the market.
1997 was the year when the collaboration between Porsche Design and IWC was ending, but the company already had something in mind. Porsche Design acquired Eterna Watches in 1995. Once the collaboration with IWC ended, Eterna started manufacturing watches for Porsche Design.
As discussed earlier, 2014 was the year when Porsche Design decided to make watches on its own. However, the company decided it a few years back when it sold the Eterna watch company in 2012.
So there you go, you now know who actually manufactures Porsche Design watches.
Who Makes The Movement For Porsche Design Watches?
If you are a little too curious and want to know who makes the movement for Porsche Design watches then this part of the article is for you. On the other hand, if you are not that curious then you can skip this part.
In the initial days of the company, it used the movement named Valjoux/ETA 7750 in its watches. This movement was made by the ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse. Quite a big name, isn’t it? It is more popularly known as only ETA and I am sure you must have heard about it.
After this, the company used Lemania 5100 watch movement. This movement is considered one of the best mass-produced watch movements in the world and was made by Lemania Watch Ltd.
When the company collaborated with IWC, then the movements for its watches were made by IWC itself. After that, it was Eterna that made watch movements for Porsche Design. And nowadays, Porsche Design makes its own watch movements.
FAQs
Who Makes Porsche Design?
Porsche Design watches are made by Porsche Design Timepieces AG, which is the manufacturing unit of the company itself.
When Did Porsche Start Making Watches?
Porsche does not make watches, it is the Porsche Design that makes watches. Porsche Design used to be a separate company but now it is part of the Porsche cars.
Who Designed Porsche 911?
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the founder of Porsche Design, came up with the design of Porsche 911.
Does Porsche Owns Porsche Design Watches?
Yes, Porsche Design is owned by Porsche. However, this wasn’t the case always and it used to be a separate company.
Where Are Porsche Design Watches Made?
Porsche Design watches are made in Solothurn, Switzerland.
