Why is it that Porsche Design get no love?

Just got this in!  MSRP is something like $4,000 and you can pick these up as former window display models - essentially brand new - for like 75% off!  I don’t get it!  Why no love?

  • Fantastic Sellita SW200 movement
  • Titanium case
  • Titanium bracelet
  • Has a bit of that 70s integrated sports watch style
  • Highly legible dial

So, the Porsche Design Datetimer Eternity was my very first mechanical watch.  Got it, absolutely loved it, but ended up giving it away to my BFF because he got me this super cushy job where essentially I could be this guy:

Milton Waddams GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

{Spend my days watching 2 squirrels outside my window, only to have my desk moved to the building basement, nobody knowing that I even exist, and yet inexplicably still collecting a paycheck - must be a glitch in the system!}

Anyway, been missing this watch ever since, and only now is the Porsche Design sized hole in my heart plugged again.

So, I have a hypothesis as to why Porsche Design is not even in the picture for any of us enthusiasts:

  • I was listening to this hilarious podcast called "Second Date Update."  Person A will call into this radio station after they've gone out on a date with Person B.  And if Person B is ghosting them, the radio station will call up Person B to find out what went wrong, with Person A on the line, listening in, and then they'll bring Person A into the conversation to confront the ghoster!
  • This one dude came on, he'd met some gal at a nightclub, they danced, she was hot, and they left the club with the intention of going back to his place.  But as they approached his car, she suddenly said that something had come up, and promptly left
  • When the radio station got ahold of her, she said that she was really interested in the guy, because he was good-looking and had this Ferrari key chain and a Ferrari jacket on.  And his enthusiasm for Ferrari was contagious, as she said he was telling her all about how awesome it was to go to the track and race Ferraris, etc., etc.  But, as they left the bar, and were approaching his car, she said he pressed his remote to unlock his vehicle, and it was a...  Toyota Camry!
  • The dude then jumped into the call and said, "Hey!  I never said I owned a Ferrari!  I just love driving them on the track!"  And the whole radio station crew and the gal started laughing and teasing him for having a Ferrari key chain and a Ferrari jacket, while driving a Camry!

Couldn’t find the episode, but here’s another episode, so that you can laugh your butt off like me:  https://www.podcastone.com/episode/Second-Date-Update-Bathroom-Burrito-Disaster

So, maybe people don't gravitate toward the watches because it's not considered kosher to have car-branded stuff, without owning the car?  And if that's the case, I'm the world's biggest poser!  I love watching GT3 racing, and I have, for example, a Team Aston Martin jacket and a Team McLaren jacket, and people always ask me if I have an Aston or a McLaren.  And my response is always, "No!  I have a Liverpool FC jacket, and I don't own Liverpool FC!”

That’s my hare-brained hypothesis.  I think these watches are awesome!  

So, what's your hypothesis?  Why no love???

Reply
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who says no love?! i love it! i have seen a couple of these watches at the dealer last week and i agree the prices are really affordable. love the sporty look, the integrated bracelet, numerals.... can u post a photo of it in the dark too? im sure the lume would look super cool. 

 there are many car watches with beautiful designs - Cartier Ferrari, BMW Watch, Maserati....i guess we appreciate watches for their beautiful designs...doesn't matter if it s a car brand or washing machine brand, a beautiful watch is a beautiful watch, no? then there are watchsnobs of course because in their world only 3 brands are beautiful: Rolex, PP and AP. the rest are just not watches. LOL

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I've never had any beef with the watches themselves.  Many of them (like yours above) are great designs, but I've never really gotten on board with the brand.  They had a store next to my office for a while; other items in there were resoundingly not to my taste.  And car tie-ins have just never resonated with me.

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😂😂 thats a good story, surprisingly i think the same as the girl. probably because porsche brand is came from a carbrand, although porsche design is different divison (they make sunglass, watch, etc) people will assume porsche design as accesories to people who own a porsche. and from my understanding the other carbrand who make a watch like ferrari and lamborghini didnt do a good job about it which affect the other like porsche design. but that just my opinion 🍺

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NOT driving a Porsche. Still cool.

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Clarification edit: Maverick is still cool. Tom Cruise jumped the couch, but Maverick is still cool. And Maverick wore a Porsche Design.

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Cool watch!

My hypothesis is that , despite some of their cool designs, a watch branded with the mega Porsche name can feel like merch. This is especially true now since Porsche AG acquired 100% of Porsche Design.

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celinesimon

Cool watch!

My hypothesis is that , despite some of their cool designs, a watch branded with the mega Porsche name can feel like merch. This is especially true now since Porsche AG acquired 100% of Porsche Design.

That is exactly it. I once walked into a Porsche Design store at a US Airport, and some items were borderline comical. And I have nothing against the brand, I just like it to have an internal combustion engine instead of a mainspring.

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Also good enough for a princess…

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Here’s my challenge with Porsche Design…. It’s not the car affiliation for me. It’s the rest of their design catalog outside of watches and sunglasses. I like their watches and sunglasses. The rest of their clothing products don’t really speak to me. Why does that matter? It’s because when a watch is strongly associated with one certain style of dress or lifestyle, it becomes more difficult for consumers to picture that watch in their own personal fashion context.

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Plus it doesn’t help that the Porsche (Design) name was once aligned with IWC then produced by Eterna. And now Tag Heuer just came out with a Porsche (car) chronograph. 

Can get confusing for some (most)

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thewatchpanther

who says no love?! i love it! i have seen a couple of these watches at the dealer last week and i agree the prices are really affordable. love the sporty look, the integrated bracelet, numerals.... can u post a photo of it in the dark too? im sure the lume would look super cool. 

 there are many car watches with beautiful designs - Cartier Ferrari, BMW Watch, Maserati....i guess we appreciate watches for their beautiful designs...doesn't matter if it s a car brand or washing machine brand, a beautiful watch is a beautiful watch, no? then there are watchsnobs of course because in their world only 3 brands are beautiful: Rolex, PP and AP. the rest are just not watches. LOL

doesn't matter if it s a car brand or washing machine brand, a beautiful watch is a beautiful watch, no?

Love it!

Tried to hold my hand steady, but old age causes tremors.  The photos came out a bit shaky, but hopefully it gives you a sense of the lume.

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ds760476

I've never had any beef with the watches themselves.  Many of them (like yours above) are great designs, but I've never really gotten on board with the brand.  They had a store next to my office for a while; other items in there were resoundingly not to my taste.  And car tie-ins have just never resonated with me.

Oh, yeah, totally.  Some of the other gear is a bit...  in your face, shall we say?

I think PD totally decided to fully lean into the whole car tie-in, right?  Porsche car company re-integrated PD into their portfolio, and they're doing the whole, "Race car for your wrist" thing now, where you can configure your watch in a configurator that looks exactly like the online car configurator.

I suspect that move will totally put off the typical watch enthusiast, but may help them goose sales with the car buyers?

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I ran across these somewhere when I was younger. Right away that shows that they were somehow too accessible as I don't go to high end shops. Anyway, I have no problem admitting that they never appealed to me. Maybe it's because this was late 80's or so, but the promotion seemed really Sharper Image yuppie bragging about somewhat gimmicky stuff. The modern edgy  (cold and sterile) styling and bragging about techy materials and the like were niche enough and then there was the name.

The Porsche Design name evokes several things, most of them evoking skepticism. The car brand name makes one think either licensed merchandise or brand appeal appropriation. Design makes it sound like a fashion brand, style over substance. And then there is the problem that the design language seems to have no relation to that of the car brand. Admittedly this is all more general audience problems than enthusiast appeal issues, but I suspect there may be overlap.

.

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Mr.Dee.Bater

doesn't matter if it s a car brand or washing machine brand, a beautiful watch is a beautiful watch, no?

Love it!

Tried to hold my hand steady, but old age causes tremors.  The photos came out a bit shaky, but hopefully it gives you a sense of the lume.

Image
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SICK!!! NOW THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY BEAUTY IN BOTH DAY AND NIGHT! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT

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Unholy

😂😂 thats a good story, surprisingly i think the same as the girl. probably because porsche brand is came from a carbrand, although porsche design is different divison (they make sunglass, watch, etc) people will assume porsche design as accesories to people who own a porsche. and from my understanding the other carbrand who make a watch like ferrari and lamborghini didnt do a good job about it which affect the other like porsche design. but that just my opinion 🍺

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think maybe I shouldn't be wearing my GT3 factory team racing stuff.  I mean, one time I had a BMW Motorsport jacket on - you know, they won Spa 24 Hours in 2016 - and my buddy's wife took one look at me, laughed out loud, and said, "Your wife lets you leave the house like that???"  😂😂😂

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Bobofet

NOT driving a Porsche. Still cool.

Image

Clarification edit: Maverick is still cool. Tom Cruise jumped the couch, but Maverick is still cool. And Maverick wore a Porsche Design.

I think this falls under the "Fighter Jet Pilot Rule."  

The rule states:  If you are a fighter jet pilot, you can wear whatever the F&^% you want.

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Bobofet

Also good enough for a princess…

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Here’s my challenge with Porsche Design…. It’s not the car affiliation for me. It’s the rest of their design catalog outside of watches and sunglasses. I like their watches and sunglasses. The rest of their clothing products don’t really speak to me. Why does that matter? It’s because when a watch is strongly associated with one certain style of dress or lifestyle, it becomes more difficult for consumers to picture that watch in their own personal fashion context.

Wow!  Never thought of it that way before.  Yes!  They're selling a lifestyle.  And if the overall lifestyle doesn't comport with your view of yourself, then it's tough to buy any given product out of the menu of offerings.  Brilliant!

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I'm just going to leave these little Hubot x Ferrari gems right here for your viewing pleasure. 

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celinesimon

I'm just going to leave these little Hubot x Ferrari gems right here for your viewing pleasure. 

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That's not a watch, it's a trilobite.

Trilobites, the Dinosaurs of the Arthropod Family
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My only problem with wearing a Porsche Design watch is that it feels like you are a poseur if you aren't driving a Porsche. I almost pulled the trigger on the 1972 reissue when it first came out, but I just couldn't do it.

However, that style is classic and I already have my 1970s Girard Perregaux on its original bracelet, so the 1972 PD seemed a bit superfluous for the price.

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celinesimon

I'm just going to leave these little Hubot x Ferrari gems right here for your viewing pleasure. 

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OMG!!!  This is the worst!!!

Hublot and Ferrari are both absolute travesties.  Both brands are blights upon humanity.  And now they're together, creating a hideous mutant love child.

This would be like the biggest uncouth, mouth-breathing, horrifyingly dumb (but rich) goon I went to high school with, Don Montera, mating with Allison Konacs, who was the gal with the biggest 80's hair on top of her biggest airhead (but also rich), and out pops the gooniest of the goon babies.

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ChronoGuy

My only problem with wearing a Porsche Design watch is that it feels like you are a poseur if you aren't driving a Porsche. I almost pulled the trigger on the 1972 reissue when it first came out, but I just couldn't do it.

However, that style is classic and I already have my 1970s Girard Perregaux on its original bracelet, so the 1972 PD seemed a bit superfluous for the price.

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The GP is definitely the way to go.

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Bobofet

NOT driving a Porsche. Still cool.

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Clarification edit: Maverick is still cool. Tom Cruise jumped the couch, but Maverick is still cool. And Maverick wore a Porsche Design.

hehe not so cool when you realize he's "riding" that bike on a trailer.....

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I have nothing against Porsche Design themselves. They look well made watches. But none of their designs resonate with me. I suppose if I owned a Porsche car, I might feel different, but cars aren't really my passion. 

The one you quote here would be a no-go for me because of the proprietary bracelet. I like to be able to swap straps/bracelets/bands depending on the weather and what I'm doing. 

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It's a beautiful watch but nothing about it remind me of their cars though. I agree it felt like a merchandise even though it's well made.

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JustJohn

It's a beautiful watch but nothing about it remind me of their cars though. I agree it felt like a merchandise even though it's well made.

ignoring the cost for a moment, would you buy the AP Code 11.59? The reason I ask is because the design of the 2 watches looks almost identical to my eyes. But we all know that AP has real heritage and watchmaking cred. 

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Mr.Dee.Bater

ignoring the cost for a moment, would you buy the AP Code 11.59? The reason I ask is because the design of the 2 watches looks almost identical to my eyes. But we all know that AP has real heritage and watchmaking cred. 

I rarely look at that direction but it is a beautiful watch (I just checked online). Not something I could wear comfortably although I definitely would if I inheririt it, with the caveat that I would keep another beater watch as my everyday. 

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Mr.Dee.Bater

What if Porsche divested itself from VW Group?  

VW Group has a market cap of ~$100B.  I've seen some analyses that say if VW Group IPO'ed Porsche on its own, Porsche itself would have a market cap of $100B as a stand-alone entity!  Talk about value destruction in that group brand model!

Nah, still probably not. Better be careful what I say here...

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There were and are a few watch brand-car manufacturer collabs that really weren't bad. IWC x AMG, Certina x BMW Sauber F1... Oh, and Bremont with their Jaguar E-Type inspired watches.

It really boils down to how's it done in terms of branding. If the car brand feature is dominant to the point of being in-your-face, this will trigger the "it's a fashion gadget" reaction. If it is subtle, preferably kept to the case back - it won't have the car brand gadget stigma.

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MrBloke

There were and are a few watch brand-car manufacturer collabs that really weren't bad. IWC x AMG, Certina x BMW Sauber F1... Oh, and Bremont with their Jaguar E-Type inspired watches.

It really boils down to how's it done in terms of branding. If the car brand feature is dominant to the point of being in-your-face, this will trigger the "it's a fashion gadget" reaction. If it is subtle, preferably kept to the case back - it won't have the car brand gadget stigma.

Hey, what did you think of the Breitling Bentley Premier B01?

Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green Stainless Steel -  Green AB0118A11L1X1 | Breitling US
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Mr.Dee.Bater

Hey, what did you think of the Breitling Bentley Premier B01?

Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green Stainless Steel -  Green AB0118A11L1X1 | Breitling US

I think it's the only Breitling for Bentley that doesn't look like a toy for a spray-tanned playboy

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PoorMansRolex

I ran across these somewhere when I was younger. Right away that shows that they were somehow too accessible as I don't go to high end shops. Anyway, I have no problem admitting that they never appealed to me. Maybe it's because this was late 80's or so, but the promotion seemed really Sharper Image yuppie bragging about somewhat gimmicky stuff. The modern edgy  (cold and sterile) styling and bragging about techy materials and the like were niche enough and then there was the name.

The Porsche Design name evokes several things, most of them evoking skepticism. The car brand name makes one think either licensed merchandise or brand appeal appropriation. Design makes it sound like a fashion brand, style over substance. And then there is the problem that the design language seems to have no relation to that of the car brand. Admittedly this is all more general audience problems than enthusiast appeal issues, but I suspect there may be overlap.

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I think this excerpt from an article on Monochrome watches is particularly relevant to your comment about the design language having nothing to do with the car brand. “Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was one of the greatest industrial designers of the 20th Century. He conceived one of the legends; the Porsche 911. F.A. Porsche or Butzi as he was most notably known cast, in parallel, a deep mark upon the watch industry as well. His principles, derived from the Bauhaus movement in art made him create wristwatches that looked more like instruments ripped out from the cockpit of a Porsche 956 or a Mooney M20L piston-engined light aircraft. Optimal readability, technical perfection, the highest quality materials and a puristic design with an absolute focus on functionality were his and Porsche’s Design driving values when they designed watches.“- https://monochrome-watches.com/porsche-design-chronotimer-series-1-timeless-timepieces-in-titanium/

I can understand that a majority of people just think of Porsche Design as a merch brand for the car company but with 50 years of history making wristwatches, they are a more legitimate Horology Maison than any BMW or MB branded watches.