Porsche Design Titanium
German fashion label Porsche Design is celebrating its history with titanium by presenting historical information about the brand’s introduction of the material to watches.
Porsche Design was the first watch brand to create a timepiece entirely from titanium, and the relevant section of the brand’s Web site honors this and other historical moments. By rehashing its history, Porsche Design is calling consumers to connect with the brand’s past.
“Due to the fact that our Porsche Design Studio is not only in charge of the design of all products for our luxury brand Porsche Design, but works for other internationally well-known brands in the area of product design as well,” said Juergen Gessler, CEO of the Porsche Design Group, Ludwigsburg, Germany.
“In the 1970′s they had been in touch with third party companies from the aerospace industry and got in touch with titanium,” he said. “That is why they developed the idea of having a watch made out of titanium, not because Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the founder of Porsche Design, imagined it a cool and sleek idea, but because he recognized its benefits: titanium is harder than steel, but only half the weight, does not rust and is anti-magnetic and does not interact with the human skin.
“Therefore Porsche Design has become the first brand to use it in watchmaking and revolutionized the watch industry again – after introducing the first black watch in 1972.”
Watch design
Professor Porsche began his ventures in watch design in 1972 with the first all black watch. He continued to carry forward with the compass watch that had an aluminum strap and casing.
In 1980, the first totally titanium watch was created. The founder aimed to create the best timepiece with a stopwatch function possible.
Historical background on titanium watch
Using Titanium allowed the timepiece to be light and compact as well as durable. The idea arose from the use of robust material from aerospace technology in motorsports.
The brand continued to create watch history through its watches. In 2000, the first chronograph with titanium and aluminum casing was created. In 2004, the first watch with a mechanical-digital chronograph function was released.
Slideshow of watches
More recently, in 2007, the first timepiece that enables consumers to change time zones with a button was released. Also, in 2010 the first watch for divers was created.
Porsche Design aims to consistently reimagine its watches, by creating new and innovative timepieces for consumers.
The brand’s history is displayed on its Web page through a slideshow. The link to Porsche Design’s historical page was promoted on the brand’s social media pages.
Historical background
By presenting a brand’s history, consumers are able to grasp a broader sense of the brand and potentially grow a greater connection through the gained information.
For example, British sportscar manufacturer McLaren Automotive celebrated Michael Turner, the artist behind the brand’s first logo.
The relationship between Bruce McLaren and Mr. Turner began more than 50 years ago and continued to develop due to the relationship between art and automobiles. McLaren’s article and video interview featuring Mr. Turner were on the brand’s Web site and promoted through its social media to highlight the automaker’s history (see story).
Similarly, Switzerland’s Omega highlighted its connection to the 1969 Apollo 8 lunar landing to educate watch enthusiasts about its latest Speedmaster Omega Co-Axial Chronograph.
The Speedmaster was worn by United States astronauts as they witnessed the dark side of the moon for the first time, earning the watch the nickname Moonwatch. Omega looked to honor its heritage of exploration and the pioneering spirit of the Apollo 8 astronauts by creating an interactive Web page highlighting the brand’s Speedmaster “Dark Side of the Moon” watch (see story).
Returning to past accomplishments educates consumers about the people and events behind the modern day brand. Consumers are able to gain knowledge of products and appreciate the label more deeply.
“Opulent, lavish, pompous and exceeding common dimensions: those times for luxury as it has been for years are over,” Mr. Gessler said.
“Customers and people all over the world tend to demand authenticity [and] sustainability,” he said. “Demonstrative luxury is a dead duck, for Porsche Design it never existed.
“Since the foundation of the brand our products have been pure, functional and classic. We offer a different kind of luxury: we call it ‘engineered luxury.’ Design and luxury engage into a very natural relationship. For Porsche Design luxury represents the perfect combination of design, function, craftsmanship and the use of the finest materials. And as the world of luxury changes our products and our brand will be more and more spotlighted. Therefore it is beneficial to concentrate and tell people about our history.”
Final Take
Nancy Buckley, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York