Philosophy & Heritage | PORSCHE SHOP

The picture shows Prof Feridnand Alexander Porsche in black and white looking into the camera, with two stylized clock designs in the background.

Our heritage

A story of time and zeitgeist.

The Story of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche.

Episode 1

The Birth of an Idea

Adrian travels to Zell am See to explore F. A. Porsche’s function‑first mindset and how it shaped the Chronograph 1.

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Episode 2

The Icon and the Myth

How the 911 instrument logic became a watch and why the Chronograph 1, shaped by motorsport and pure function, ultimately became an icon.

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Episode 3

A Design Legacy

Adrian returns to Zell am See to explore materials, craft, and modern manufacturing, showing how the Chronograph 1 evolves without losing its purpose.

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Black-and-white photo: Two designers are examining a model car on a turntable in a workshop.

Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche « Good Design should be honest. »

Let’s take a step back in time: Ferdinand Alexander, the eldest son of Dorothea and Ferry Porsche, was born in 1935. As a child, he spent a lot of time in the design offices and development centers of his grandfather, Ferdinand Porsche. In 1958, he joined the family company in Stuttgart and honed his skills in technology, materials and minimalist design. The Porsche which he and his team developed at this time later became the icon known as the Porsche 911.

Black and white photo: white Porsche 911 in front of a building with "Porsche Design" lettering, man standing next to it.

In 1972, he finally set up his own design office – today known as Studio F. A. Porsche. He received his first order from what was then Porsche AG: to design a watch as an original and high-quality gift for deserving employees and selected customers. When developing his 'founding product', he consistently and naturally followed his maxim: the honesty of design. In doing so, he set the standard that continues to determine the spirit, soul and design of Porsche Design products to this day.

Driving gloves on the Porsche steering wheel, focus on a black Porsche Design chronograph watch on the wrist.

Close-up of a black Porsche Design chronograph with orange second hand and date display.

Whether in the past, the present or the future – The Chronograph I is always up to date.

Black Porsche Design chronograph watch with red second hand, in front of a Porsche cockpit with instrument displays.

Professor F. A. Porsche « For me, it was about creating a watch to match the car. »

The Chronograph I was the first matte Black chronograph to revolutionise the watch world and caused much controversy. But where did the idea for the innovative design of this watch, which over time would become an icon and a bestseller, come from? The unmistakable lines of the Porsche 911 continue to shape sports car design to this day. The feeling of performance, speed and elegance takes on a whole new form. Each generation of the 911 turns it into an icon. F. A. Porsche incorporated this sports car DNA directly into the Chronograph I, which he later designed, thereby translating the basic idea of the vehicle into a watch – creating the first sports car for your wrist.

Close-up of a black Porsche Design chronograph with a red second hand and tachymeter scale.

The designer's stylistic idea: to model the watch on the cockpit of the sports car and to equip it with a Black Dial, high-contrast indices and a highly anti-reflective glass for optimal readability. And the Red second hand also corresponded with the rev counter and tachometer of the Porsche dashboard at that time. In doing so, he created a unique timepiece that embodies the perfect symbiosis of form and function, carries the DNA of Porsche and – then as now – exudes timeless performance.