Marco Brisotto, founder and designer of Portus Naonis Watches, was born in Pordenone, in the most Northeastern region of Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia, which borders with Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east. Since the beginning and thanks to his elderly grandfather Paolo, he matures and develops the sense of craftsmanship and the attention and continuous search for uniqueness and originality. From childhood he learns that creating is often better than buying and he enjoys his grandfather’s artisan workshop. His time has always been disputed continuously by both sports and studies: he practices swimming and skiing at competitive levels.

The increase of school obligations forces him to abandon one of his favourite sports and this gives him the opportunity to devote himself entirely to skiing, discipline in which he soon becomes an International ski instructor and coach. After graduating from high school he applies for University in “ Economics and Business Administration” but his real interest remains design.

At the age of 103, Marco’s grandfather Paolo, passes away leaving behind a sense of emptiness and many lessons. Fulfilling his grandfather’s wish, Marco’s first goal was to maintain the artistic flair and entrepreneurship associated to the family’s name; in fact only a few years earlier nonno Paolo had given him his own Zenith Stellina.

“I’m lucky to be able to admire his star and feel his heart beating at my wrist”

Marco’s oldest passion is for cars. He draws and studies them. He constantly flips the pages of the article “Quattroruote” and he always gets excited while he admires them running through the streets.
Wristwatches, just like cars, represent for him “dreams that blend mechanics and aesthetics”..

Portus Naonis (river port on the Noncello) originated at the terminal of the internal navigation system that connected the western countryside of Friuli to Venetian lagoons. During the Roman age it was built and developed in the now known district of Torre, while later the town moved southward in proximity of the watercourse of the Noncello river. Pordenone, still today emphasises the importance of its historical centre and is the founder of Portus Naonis watches hometown.
The first official reference to Portus Naonis refers to a document dated 1204, but there is reason to believe that at the beginning of the 11th century the first housing nucleus was established, as demonstrated by excavations revealing the burial of the Köttlach culture near the cathedral.
At first the town belonged to various German families including the dukes of Babenberg, until 1278 year in which it permanently fell under the power of Hapsburg.
Pordenone remained for over two centuries under the influential House of Austria, quite a unique status (corpus separatum) compared to the rest of the Fiulian territory, first subjected to the Patriarchy of Aquileia and then acquired from 1420 by the Republic of Venice.

Way before the birth of PNW, Marco meets Simone Cigaina also known as “MacGyver”, due to his multiple skills, ingenuity and brainstorming abilities. Simone has been working for over five years in the research and development field of experimental medical equipment, always keen on vintage and racing cars and general construction techniques. Over the years he has had the opportunity to apply himself in various fields, from renovating vintage vehicles, to the preparation of racing vehicles, to actually processing composite materials and applications in the nautical sector. In the early years of his career he also gained experience in the goldsmith’s field, opening a company that dealt with refining and microfusions of precious metals.
From the begging he approached immediately the watchmaking world with a spirit of innovation and by bringing his knowledge and originality from all the other fields of work, he quickly gained Marco’s trust.
The progress and expectations created by their team work naturally led to the creation of a company: Portus Naonis Watches.

During the formation phase, in addition to Marco and Simone, the team is enriched by two other components: Alberto Sandrin, accounting and finance manager and broker agent and Alessandro Prosdocimo, for strategic and entreprenerial expertise also linked to Motorsport, in particular to rally.