A world innovation: titanium carbide

A technological feat ushered in a new era of Porsche Design chronographs, whose dark cases are now entirely made of this special material. An even lighter, hypoallergenic, and highly scratch-resistant material that has never been used in watchmaking in this way.

Fine, dark granules trickle slowly into a container. The glittering particles come to rest against the light – only to be compressed with the force of several tons in the very next moment. The air begins to shimmer as this newly formed “green body” is heated to a temperature above 2,000°C. During sintering, the granules compress and form an irreversible, homogeneous bond. Still glowing, a watch case emerges. The result of years of research – and also a world first: titanium carbide.

Once again, we witness Porsche Design breaking new ground and setting new standards in both form and function – always in the spirit of its founder, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. Thus, the design and the patented material of these chronographs is one thing above all: truly state of the art.

F. A. Porsche once described his drive for innovation with the following words: “It gives me pleasure to make things better.” Following the Porsche Design founder’s credo, we constantly put our chronographs to the test. We never stop asking ourselves what our founder would change with the means available today and our in-house manufacturing company. In doing so, we came across the titanium case and its coating, because “what isn’t there can’t break” – a simple, and therefore even more apt, approach taken from motorsports.

So why develop a better coating if we can directly fix the cause? The idea of a completely new material in watchmaking was born as a response to this question. A scratch-resistant, nonoxide ceramic – which does not coat the case but instead is made entirely of it – enables a completely new dimension in terms of quality and durability.

After 50 years of company history and further innovative developments, a world novelty worthy of such an anniversary follows with titanium carbide. This dark, extremely light, hypoallergenic, and highly scratch-resistant material is the result of years of elaborate research. A revolutionary material for the timepieces of the future and a tribute to F. A. Porsche’s legacy to the world of watchmaking.

Black is not just a color, but a design philosophy that F. A. Porsche consistently translated into his first timepiece, the Chronograph I, in 1972: an all-black watch that stylishly combined the usual high quality and reliability of Porsche racing cars. This was not only “the first sports car for the wrist,” an intelligent technology transfer from motorsport, but also the birth of Porsche Design.

Eight years later, in 1980, F. A. Porsche’s team created something that everyone before them had failed at: the Titanium Chronograph. A unique timepiece that was a premiere, as it was made entirely of this high-quality metal and was extremely light, robust, and hypoallergenic. This development again indisputably confirmed Porsche Design as a premium manufacturer.

In subsequent years and editions, the titanium case was supplemented with antireflective, hard-coated sapphire glass that provides maximum protection for the inside of the COSC-certified timepiece, which continues to work flawlessly even deep underwater. The matte-black dial, with indices and hands coated with Super-LumiNova, ensures optimal readability. These features altogether make the Porsche Design chronographs an indispensable companion for every wrist.