A MEN'S MILITARY DESIGN BRACELET WATCH, AUTOMATIC, CHRONOGRAPH, STAINLESS STEEL BLACK PVD COATED.

Model: Military
Date: Late 1970s
Case reference: 7750
Movement: Signed, automatic, 17 jewels, Cal. TKZ 5100 BW
Dial: Signed, black, tritium applied hour markers and white Arabic numerals, white outer seconds division, black sword hands with tritium insert, orange centre hand for the chronograph seconds, the subsidiary with silvered hand for the seconds at the nine o'clock position, subsidiary dial with an orange hand for the chronograph minutes at the six o'clock position, day and date aperture at the three o'clock position with black calendar disk and white fonts, base 1000 division on the inner bezel
Case: Signed Orfina and Porsche, stainless steel with the original black PVD coating; screw-down crown, screw-down back
Size: 41mm

In 1972 a partnership was established between Orfina Watches of Switzerland and Porsche Design, part of the motor car group. The reputation of the watches produced by this partnership grew during the 1970's and 1980's so these watches have developed a cult-like following, due to the watches' outstanding durability and robust design, as well as their association with Porsche cars and some memorable Hollywood film appearances.

The Orfina-Porsche partnership produced a number of different watches over the years, drawing on the two companies' different but complementary approaches to design and watch engineering. The watches that will probably endure the longest are those that feature the developments made in technology in the 1970s and '80s, for example, their black PVD coating, often finished in matte black to minimize glare and unwanted reflectance when in combat situations, combined with an overall with an all-black finish giving an overall aesthetic that echoes the dramatic dashboard of the Porsche 911 motor car.

The same model was used by Tom Cruise during the film 'Top Gun' .

Dimensions: 41mm.

The watch belongs to a British Royal Marine Commando.
As a special forces operator, he was issued with many watches, always happy to trade them with allied forces when the opportunity arose over the years. Consequently, his collection is varied and very interesting.
This particular Orfina/Porsche Design watch was traded with a German fighter pilot in 1990 in exchange for his Royal Navy-issued Hamilton.