There are moments when a brand stops being just a brand — and becomes a manufactory. For Porsche Design Timepieces, that moment arrived on March 19, 2026. On that day, in Grenchen, at the very heart of Swiss watchmaking, the new Porsche Design Timepieces Manufaktur opened its doors. A date worth remembering.

An Old Building, A New Era

The address is Schützengasse 46, Grenchen. The building knows watchmaking well — built in 1955, it was once home to Eterna, one of Switzerland’s most storied watch manufactures. From 1998 to 2014, Eterna produced Porsche Design watches here under licence. Now Porsche Design has moved in as owner and creator. In just 18 months, the building was restored and completely rebuilt for its new purpose. Across 3,600 square metres, ten watchmaker workstations were installed in an ISO-7 cleanroom, with benches operating at ISO-5 level. This is not a factory. This is a manufactory.

More Than a Move

Porsche Design Timepieces had previously been based in Solothurn. The move to Grenchen is more than a change of address. Development, engineering, assembly, quality control and after-sales service are now united under one roof — and that roof sits in the region that has shaped Swiss watchmaking like few others. The search for this building began in 2020, when it became clear that Solothurn would eventually reach its limits. What was then a plan is now reality. Porsche Design is the only automotive brand in the world with its own watch manufactory. Alongside Zuffenhausen and Leipzig, Grenchen now stands as the third independent production site of the Porsche group.

Transparency by Design

The new manufactory is conceived not only as a place of production, but as a space for experience. On the ground floor, an exhibition area traces the history of Porsche Design Timepieces from 1972 to the present — from F.A. Porsche’s earliest designs to today’s models. Tours are planned. The concept of the “transparent manufactory” — allowing visitors close access to the creation process — is a familiar principle at Porsche. In Zuffenhausen, visitors can watch the 911 being built. Now the same applies to the watch on your wrist. Brand ambassador Orlando Bloom was present at the opening, for what it’s worth.

Grenchen as a Foundation for Growth

The manufactory is deliberately designed for organic growth. Scalable processes, potential additional capacity, a long-term horizon. Forty percent of Porsche Design Timepieces’ revenue comes from the United States, 25 percent from Germany. These are markets that value quality and provenance — and they now receive an unambiguous statement: these watches come from Grenchen, from a genuine manufactory, carrying both history and future in equal measure. For the brand, it is a step long overdue. For Grenchen, it is a confirmation of what this city has always been — a place where watches are made that matter.