If you like both wristwatches and cars, I’m willing to bet one of my cheap Seiko 5 timepieces that you’ve heard of the brand Autodromo—an American watch company founded in 2011 by some New York-based car guy named Bradley Price. In just a few years’ time, they’ve churned out a handful of affordable driver’s watches that never fail to catch the attention of horology-obsessed petrolheads, including the Prototipo Chronograph, the Stradale, the Group B and the Monoposto Chronograph.
And now, the boutique watch company has released an officially licensed line of Ford GT timepieces. The line basically consists of just one 40mm meca-quartz chronograph model that is available in five exciting colorways.
The flagship livery is, of course, the Ford Racing Stripes, famously seen on Mustangs, Cobras, GT40s and a host of other Blue Oval race cars. The watch—which comes in a gorgeous presentation box that’s collectible in itself—is powered by Seiko’s VK64 meca-quartz movement, which is essentially a hybrid of a battery-operated quartz timekeeping motor and a mechanical chronograph module. Water-resistant to 50m, this sporty Autodromo model features a stainless-steel case, a domed sapphire crystal, 20mm-wide lugs and a genuine leather strap with a signed buckle.
Besides the Ford Racing Stripes, four other liveries are available: Le Mans 2016, Le Mans Blue, Heritage ’66 and Heritage ’67. My personal pick is the Le Mans Blue. I hope it’s as handsome up close as it is in photographs.
The Autodromo Ford GT endurance chronograph is priced at $695 (P36,000) apiece. If you want to purchase one, best to have it delivered to a relative or a friend in the US, where the company ships to customers free of charge. Also, the Philippines is still currently not included in the list of Asian countries Autodromo ships to.
I hope to see one soon. I’ve been very curious about meca-quartz hybrids, and a motoring-inspired watch would be a convenient excuse to study the mechanism.
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