In the ‘70s and ‘80s, battery-powered quartz and digital watches suddenly put the future of traditional mechanical watches in jeopardy. However, focusing on the higher and lower ends of the price spectrum as well as lowered production saved many brands from becoming defunct. Today, we’re seeing how the industry is big enough for both digital and analog timepieces, often from the same brand.
Car enthusiast Bradley Price started Autodromo in 2011 and has since released a handful of models inspired by his passion for automobiles. However, what’s allowed his pieces to truly leave a mark is their design-forward aesthetic; completely original yet evoking vintage styles from the heyday of racing chronographs in the ‘50s and ‘60s. And with the American brand’s new Group C Sport Chronograph, it honors a very specific period in auto racing with its first-ever digital watch.
Available in four color schemes, the Group C watch pays homage to its namesake FIA race category that lasted from 1982 to 1993. During that time, race cars evolved from aluminum to composite bodies. The watch world, too, was seeing a big change happen with digital watches taking over. The 36mm stainless steel cases on the new Group C timepieces aim to echo the aerodynamics of the likes of the Porsche 962C and the Sauber C9, with the bright chrono pushers taking after the cars’ bright side view mirrors.
A custom molded FKM rubber strap adorns each watch, but can be swapped out with a different style. The Group C Sport Chronographs are now up for grabs on Autodromo’s website for $475 each.
