Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 ‘Top Gun’ Lemania 5100 Ref 7176, 1970s — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Bulang & Sons · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 6 · Image: Bulang & Sons · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 ‘Top Gun’ Lemania 5100 Ref 7176, 1970s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Orfina (maker)
Date: 1970s
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Dimensions: Case 42 mm
Dealer: Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen
Stock no.: W-2518
Credit line: Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2518)
Catalogue title (original): Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 ‘Top Gun’ Lemania 5100 Ref 7176 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2518), this is a wristwatch by Orfina, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 42 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Bulang & Sons

This is a very cool watch and of course it is , as Ferdinand Porsche was personally involved in the design of it! The black dial with white accents and hands, with the pop of the orange hand, is understated and very stealthy. With the combination of black PVD-coated case this watch is a real winner. The 42mm case is incite condition, with the PVD coating slightly faded to a dark grey, very cool ! The black dial features three sub dials and we love how the orange chronograph hand has faded over the decades. The dial has day and date windows, this one has the French Day- version. The watch will come on the original PVD-coated steel three-link bracelet. The Lamania 5100 movement has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Simulair watches were featured in the original Top Gun movie and have become very popular with collectors. We know you’ll love this time capsule, so please get in touch to discuss it some more with us. Specifications: - Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina Reference 7176 - 42mm steel case with PVD coating - Serial 447xx dates to the 1970s - Black dial with day and date windows - Nicely faded orange chrono hand - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Lemania 5100 movement - Steel three-link bracelet with PVD coating - One-year mechanical warrantee - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Bulang & Sons — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 ‘Top Gun’ Lemania 5100 Ref 7176, 1970s." Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen, W-2518. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/orfina-porsche-design-chronograph-1-top-gun-lemania-5100-ref-7176-dbeee3.