Orlando Bloom Debuts New Porsche Chronograph Watch

Orlando Blum takes collecting seriously. Bronze and sunkissed from a recent European summer holiday, the actor touched down in New York Wednesday night, marking his first public appearance as brand ambassador for Porsche Design’s timepiece and eyewear collections. The ink on the partnership may be fresh but the actor’s admiration for the German brand runs deep since he’s an avid collector of Porsche’s automobiles and timepieces.

“My love for Porsche Design started at a very young age,” Bloom told WWD, relaying a story of coming across a Porsche 911 at age 14, joyfully taking pictures next to the iconic car. “It was the typical kid thing, but I was like, ‘I’m going to own one of these cars one day.’”

Today he owns several. His first was a black and tan 911 model from 1973 bought after his first big acting role. “I had spent many years living in Malibu, so I used to go on dates and terrify my dates as I spun through the canyons,” he recalled. “It’s still probably one of my favorite cars to drive today.”

Porsche pulled out all the stops for Wednesday’s event, which was held at Watches of Switzerland’s SoHo flagship. There was a line of vintage Porsches parked down Greene Street, which had tourists and New Yorkers alike gobsmacked and taking pictures. Inside was at capacity with watch and car enthusiasts invited for a one-of-kind panel with Bloom and Ferdi Porsche, great-grandson of the legendary Ferdinand Porsche, in conversation with Hodinkee’s Ben Clymer.

The global retailer is the exclusive merchant for Porsche timepieces, and the panel debuted the brand’s latest timepiece, the Chronograph 1 – 1975 Limited Edition, made of uncoated titanium.

Bloom’s esteem for timepieces also helps mark big career moments — ostensibly from his roles in massive blockbuster film franchises “The Lord of the Rings” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” His collection came into the spotlight unpleasantly in 2009 when several timepieces were stolen by the infamous Hollywood Bling Ring. “Now my watches live somewhere very safe,” he told a crowd, flashing a Hollywood smile.

“I started with a vintage Rolex, because, well, that’s sort of a very good place to start. And then moved on to Patek [Philippe] and a little bit of AP [Audemars Piguet].” But today Bloom’s go-to style is a Porsche chronograph. “It’s funny, I just don’t take it off. I don’t miss anything, which is sort of weird, because I have a great collection of watches.”

The style is the exact blueprint for the new limited-edition timepiece debuted at the event. “It’s just an authentic story,” Bloom said of the German brand and its appeal. “It’s when it comes from passion and pure love, it just feels so right.

“Tonight’s a good time to buy a watch,” he told the crowd after the watch debut.

The conversation turned to collecting, with Bloom offering a bit of advice: “When you become passionate about collecting, I think it’s important for young people to understand what they’re collecting and why.”

His stable of cars continues to expand, but for now he has turned to a Porsche restoration project. “I think because the brand is so iconic, and the world that we’re living in with the environment, there’s an aspect of taking these remarkable vehicles and then reclaiming them and bringing them on the roads.”

Bloom’s career continues to evolve, with his most recent film “Deep Cover” debuting on Amazon Prime in June. It has fans seeing him in a new comedic light as Marlon an out-of-work improv actor who takes his craft incredibly seriously. “To be honest, it was a script,” he said of his immediate draw to the role. “When I read it, I immediately responded. The premise is so silly, funny. I’m really proud of it.”

Next up this September is “The Cut,” a psychological thriller film directed by Sean Ellis. Bloom stars as a boxer ending his retirement to seek a championship title, undergoing a drastic weight-cutting regimen at the urging of his coach. “What I liked about it was it’s a fresh approach to a genre that we’ve seen many times. It looks at some of the themes that run concurrent in society, around body dysmorphia, around weight. It’s not something that’s often discussed for men.”

The actor explained that while he sits around 180 pounds, he dropped to 152 pounds for the role, using the same nutritionist Christian Bale has used for roles that incorporate drastic physical transformations.

“It was almost like a science. We shot the movie in reverse chronological order so that we could start with my lightest weight, because I was completely out of my mind,” he shared candidly. “It’s an interesting look at the male psyche as it pertains to the aspect of body training, making weight, and then his deep desire as an athlete to have his last shot. I think we piece together a very interesting and challenging character study.”

But summer’s not over for the actor just yet. After his time in New York City, he plans to focus on family. “I’m focusing on my daughter [whom he coparents with Katy Perry] and being present for our summer plans together,” he said.