Autodromo celebrates the dawn of the Digital Age with the Group C Sport Chronograph. The clean, slab-sided shape of the case echoes the rational aerodynamic forms of cars such as the Porsche 962C and the Sauber C9. The brightly colored pushers reference the fluorescent hued mirrors of Group C cars that allowed them to be differentiated at a distance at races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours. A chamfered sapphire crystal reveals a simple black and white LCD module with blue EL backlight that will take you back to the simplicity of a time when this basic tool was the proto-“smart watch.”
The Group C watch can time laps (including split times), display the time and date with micro precision, and also has an alarm function. A reversible custom molded FKM rubber strap holds it to your wrist, and 20mm lugs mean you can swap in any of our leather straps for fun.
The Group C Era of endurance racing from 1982-1993 saw the evolution of the sports racing car from an analog, primarily aluminum racing car into the digital, primarily composite racing car we know today. The cutting edge materials and computer systems propelling astronauts into space were finding their applications in motorsport for the first time. Aerodynamic principles of ground effects which had made their first faltering steps in the late 1970s were now being refined and developed in wind tunnels of major manufacturers creating a balance of downforce and driveability that was unheard of just a few years earlier. Turbocharging revolutionized engine development, and CAD design took over from the drafting table resulting in dynamic new forms that became some of the most iconic racing cars in history.
