Emphasizing streamlined aesthetics, Porsche Design has been restyling its most popular collections and recently introduced a new timepiece with a revolutionary engine.
At the start of this decade, Porsche Design was at a crossroads regarding its flagship watch range. It was time to renovate the highly successful Dashboard line and there were two ways to go: the most obvious and commercial path would be to simply update the general features; the other was to make a break with the past and introduce a whole new style.
The decision was taken at the Porsche Design headquarters in Zell am See, Austria, and passed on to the Porsche Design watch department in Grenchen, Switzerland: the Dashboard would go through a complete overhaul in order to further emphasize the word ‘design’ in Porsche Design. Fast-forward to the 2011 birth of the new Dashboard generation featuring a completely different case from its predecessor, highlighted by an integrated bracelet system.
A year later, Porsche Design showed a lot more than a mere facelift on the Flat Six series: the whole architecture was reinvented and a few essential codes were kept (ribbed details from the iconic six-cylinder Boxer engine layout that inspired the range) on a distinctly sleeker design translated into three different models: the 44mm P’6350 Automatic, the 40mm P’6351 Automatic and the 44mm P’6360 Automatic Chronograph.
This year, the main new model issued by Porsche Design at Baselworld also places a lot of emphasis on design… even though it does not actually use a new design: the P’6752 WorldTraveler’s architecture is in fact based on the proven one that has earned the P’6750 Worldtimer worldwide recognition and several prestigious accolades.
Another highly important feature lies in the fact that the WorldTraveler is powered by a revolutionary engine: the 3945A, the first of 88 possible variants of the new in-house Calibre 39 movement manufactured by Eterna that has become crucial in the strategy of the small ‘group’: Eterna was owned by the Porsche family from 1995 until 2012 but remains the license partner of Porsche Design for the timepieces. The Calibre 39 was conceived with modularity in mind and is prepared to receive modules of complications that can be easily mounted or removed via three screws; the self-winding 3945A calibre with a second hour hand module runs at 28,800 vph, boasts an extended 68-hour power reserve and includes the remarkable Eterna Spherodrive dual ball bearing system that improves the quality of the gear train mechanism.
The revamped P'6300 Flat Six line has just received the ‘2013 Red Dot Award Product Design’ 2013; the outstanding P'6780 Diver with its cabriolet-like chassis won the ‘iF Product Design Award’ in 2011; the P'6920 Rattrapante, inspired by the exclusive P’6910 Indicator, collected the ‘Red Dot Award Product Design’ in 2010; and the P’6750 Worldtimer (also known as Performance GMT Worldtimer) won both the ‘iF Product Design Award’ and the ‘Red Dot Product Design Award’ in 2008.
Boasting the dark sophistication so dear to Porsche Design since the launch of the first ever all-black chronograph back in 1972, the shot-blasted titanium case of the P’6752 WorldTraveler with screw-down knurled crown features the unique skeletonised lug architecture that secures the rubber strap in spectacularly seamless fashion and has helped the P’6750 Worldtimer gain cult status. While the Porsche 911 is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, the Worldtimer and WorldTraveler’s innovative design bears all the hallmarks of a future modern classic.
The decision was taken at the Porsche Design headquarters in Zell am See, Austria, and passed on to the Porsche Design watch department in Grenchen, Switzerland: the Dashboard would go through a complete overhaul in order to further emphasize the word ‘design’ in Porsche Design. Fast-forward to the 2011 birth of the new Dashboard generation featuring a completely different case from its predecessor, highlighted by an integrated bracelet system.A year later, Porsche Design showed a lot more than a mere facelift on the Flat Six series: the whole architecture was reinvented and a few essential codes were kept (ribbed details from the iconic six-cylinder Boxer engine layout that inspired the range) on a distinctly sleeker design translated into three different models: the 44mm P’6350 Automatic, the 40mm P’6351 Automatic and the 44mm P’6360 Automatic Chronograph.
Form and substance
Porsche Design still had some fine-tuning to do on the Flat Six pieces unveiled at Baselworld 2012 before finally delivering the collection. It was however well worth the wait, since the changes were clinical and a comprehensive range comprising 27 different references is now available on the market.
This year, the main new model issued by Porsche Design at Baselworld also places a lot of emphasis on design… even though it does not actually use a new design: the P’6752 WorldTraveler’s architecture is in fact based on the proven one that has earned the P’6750 Worldtimer worldwide recognition and several prestigious accolades.Another highly important feature lies in the fact that the WorldTraveler is powered by a revolutionary engine: the 3945A, the first of 88 possible variants of the new in-house Calibre 39 movement manufactured by Eterna that has become crucial in the strategy of the small ‘group’: Eterna was owned by the Porsche family from 1995 until 2012 but remains the license partner of Porsche Design for the timepieces. The Calibre 39 was conceived with modularity in mind and is prepared to receive modules of complications that can be easily mounted or removed via three screws; the self-winding 3945A calibre with a second hour hand module runs at 28,800 vph, boasts an extended 68-hour power reserve and includes the remarkable Eterna Spherodrive dual ball bearing system that improves the quality of the gear train mechanism.
Award-winning codes
The investment in challenging and original design codes for its timepieces has proven to be highly successful for Porsche Design – a brand that, by definition and pedigree, stands for a clear style that is not only lucid but also enduring and inherent in all Porsche Design Group products. Since its inception in 1972, the Porsche Design Studio has come up with designs that have won internationally renowned competitions on a yearly basis, and its watches have garnered a particularly impressive number of awards over the past five years alone.
The revamped P'6300 Flat Six line has just received the ‘2013 Red Dot Award Product Design’ 2013; the outstanding P'6780 Diver with its cabriolet-like chassis won the ‘iF Product Design Award’ in 2011; the P'6920 Rattrapante, inspired by the exclusive P’6910 Indicator, collected the ‘Red Dot Award Product Design’ in 2010; and the P’6750 Worldtimer (also known as Performance GMT Worldtimer) won both the ‘iF Product Design Award’ and the ‘Red Dot Product Design Award’ in 2008.
Modern sophistication
The brand new P’6752 WorldTraveler borrowed the stealth look precisely from the acclaimed P’6750 Worldtimer, albeit on a smaller yet still sufficiently large 42mm case – a size that has proven more versatile than the imposing 45mm original design. Whereas the world timer calibre of the P’6750 features a quick-adjust selection pusher and window displaying the city names for 24 major time zones and available at a retail price over 11,000 euro, the calibre on the P’6752 has an extra hour hand for a second time zone displayed on an inner scale on the dial. The latter is therefore simpler and this new timepiece will be more affordable when launched in early 2014 with a 5,950 euro tag.
Boasting the dark sophistication so dear to Porsche Design since the launch of the first ever all-black chronograph back in 1972, the shot-blasted titanium case of the P’6752 WorldTraveler with screw-down knurled crown features the unique skeletonised lug architecture that secures the rubber strap in spectacularly seamless fashion and has helped the P’6750 Worldtimer gain cult status. While the Porsche 911 is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, the Worldtimer and WorldTraveler’s innovative design bears all the hallmarks of a future modern classic.
