The all-black vintage chronograph with Ferdinand Alexander Porsche design chops makes for an interesting vintage option. Today we are looking at the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 with a Valjoux 7750 by Orfina.
I love blackened watches. There are some particularly cool things about them. The IWC RAAF, with its black ceramic case, has been a personal favorite recently. However, today we will highlight one of the first blacked clocks. This Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Watch is not only an attractive and robust chronograph of the 1970s, but it is also an important part of the history of industrial design. Recently I had the opportunity to spend time with vintage examples and wanted to share my impressions. Please continue reading.
Porsche design
The history of Porsche design began in 1972. That year, Ferdinandalexander Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio in Stuttgart, Germany. FA Porsche was responsible for designing the family’s car company for 10 years. His most famous design was the Porsche 911, which debuted in 1964. The Porsche 911 is one of the most iconic car designs ever. That’s not bad for relatively young designers (at the time). When Porsche owners decided to remove their family from the company’s management position, the FA needed a new role. This was when he founded his own design company that would become known as Porsche Design.
Now, I’ve written about Porsche design watches previously. Specifically, I write about the IWC Porsche Design 2000 watch issued to the German army. The watch was actively used in difficult training conditions with elite German frogman. Certainly, I was not very familiar with the subject matter of today’s article, Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1.
Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1
One of the first projects at Porsche Design Studio was a watch. The Chronograph 1 was released in 1972 and entered the market in 1973. This was the first watch with a black PVD coated case and bracelet. According to this feature from Fratello, Porsche aimed to achieve this all-black design, reducing the reflection of the watch. The dial layout focuses on readability, with the black subdial being offset by the red chronograph hand that aided this. The first edition of this watch was powered by a Valjoux 7750 Chronograph Calibre. This will later become the ETA 7750.
In 1975, Porsche Design chose the Lemania 5100 caliber when the Valjoux stopped production of the 7750. Among the changes introduced with this caliber, there was the fact that the Lemania 5100 had a central counter. But today we are looking at a version with the Valjoux 7750. Porsche Design chose Orfina, a watch maker in Glentin, a Swiss town, to make the brand’s first watch. Orfina was founded in Grenchen in 1922.
Groundbreaking design
As mentioned earlier, Porsche wanted the appearance of his new watch design to be all black. This was groundbreaking at the time. The chronograph’s matte black dial features white markings on the black registers, creating the impression of the speedometer and tachometer on the Porsche 911 dashboard. The flat crystal and oversized tachymeter scale also helped with overall readability. The dial has a 30-minute counter and a 6-hour total counter. This latter feature was particularly useful for endurance racing in that era. The sub-second register is at 9 o’clock, and the display for 3 o’clock day and date matches the dial and printed white numbers and black disc letters.
Production of the Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 continued from 1972 to 1978. By 1978, Porsche Design had shifted its watch production to IWC Schaffhausen.
Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Handling 1
When the opportunity appeared to put into practice the vintage example of the Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 with Valjoux, I jumped at the opportunity. A fellow watch enthusiast, my friend bought it from overseas contact information. PVD coatings are not particularly resistant to marks and bumps, so it’s very common for Orfina Watches to get quite damaged in this era. I have different opinions on this, but I love this look as it creates an impression of a watch that has experienced an adventure. I like this concept as a watch lover who likes to wear his watches.
What also makes the watch particularly cool is its connection to Top Gun, a 1986 film starring Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise. There are some particularly cool watches designed for maximum readability to appear in movies about Fighter Pilots. This watch can be clearly seen in multiple scenes in the film.
Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 for F1 Race Track
But what’s even cooler is the connection the watch has to the racetrack rather than the silver screen. Actual use is the ultimate litmus test of tool watch design. One of the greats of racing, Mario Andretti owned and wore the Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 throughout the 1978 racing season. According to features written about this particular watch in publications such as Revolution, the watch was stolen while Andretti was sleeping in Ipanema Beach, Brazil.
Andretti was in Brazil for the Brazilian Grand Prix. As the story progressed, when FA Porsche heard the news, he sent a watch that Andretti exchanged for wearing for five first place finishes. When he became Monza’s Formula One champion, the watch was on Andretti’s wrist. This not only showed that the design was highly praised by FA Porsche’s marketing genius, but also at the top tiers of the racing community.
The idea of ​​conclusion
Spending time at Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 was a breath of fresh air for me. As you know, the design still looks very modern today. The atmosphere of the watch is encouraging. It has weight and weight to it. This watch is certainly on my radar. The combination of design chops, history and features makes for a very attractive vintage piece. For those who prefer modern watches, Porsche Design still offers this chronograph with the latest specifications. However, the prices of these latest watches exceed the cost of finding one of these vintage options.
Second, some brands offer certain flavors of these original Porsche design watches, like the Auto Doromo. German watchmaker Singh also creates several options that offer similar flavours. But what do you think, Fratelli? Which Porsche Design Watch do you go to? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments.
