REVIEW: AUTODROMO TAPS ’50S/’60S ERA RACING WITH THE NEW INTEREUROPA COLLECTION

roadwarrior

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Started by Bradley Price in 2011 in NYC

DECEMBER 20, 2019
WORDS BY ILYA RYVIN
PHOTOS BY ILYA RYVIN
SHARE THIS STORY: https://wornandwound.com/review/rev...a-racing-with-the-new-intereuropa-collection/

When I think about automotive inspired watches, the brand that immediately comes to mind is Autodromo. Yes, there have been great individual watches and brands tied to the automative world throughout the years, but today, I really cannot think of any brand that distills the essence of cars and car culture quite the way that Autodromo does it. Whether it’s the elegant, Italian-inspired Monoposto and Stradale, or the unabashedly ’80s-inspired Group B, Autodromo’s Bradley Price pulls his inspiration, filters it through his eye, and creates a damn fine watch as the end product.

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[h=2]Making Watches in America https://blog.crownandcaliber.com/autodromo-watches/ https://www.autodromo.com/[/h] The US still has no watchmaking infrastructure—that makes manufacturing a truly “Made In America” watch difficult.

That fact doesn’t bother Bradley Price too much, though. Autodromo sources its movements from Japan and its parts from quality, specialized manufacturers in Hong Kong. That allows the brand to occupy a more affordable end of the watch market, while still keeping an eye on high-minded design and materials. It helps that Price’s approach is an emotional one that’s not focused as much on technical specs.

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[h=3]Review: Autodromo Taps ’50s/’60s Era Racing With the New Intereuropa Collection[/h] Review: Autodromo Taps ’50s/’60s Era Racing With the New Intereuropa Collection
CASE Stainless Steel
MOVEMENT ETA/Peseux 7001 hand-winding
DIAL Cream, Gray, Blue (multi-layered)
LUME N/a
LENS Domed sapphire
STRAP Saffiano rally two-piece
WATER RESISTANCE 5 ATM
DIMENSIONS 39mm x 42.9mmmm
THICKNESS 10.3mm
LUG WIDTH 20mm
CROWN Push/pull
WARRANTY Yes
PRICE $1250

Worth noting is that this is Autodromo’s first mainline watch with a Swiss movement. In this case, we have an ETA 7001, a high-end hand cranker that’s long been a staple in the industry. While there is nothing wrong with Miyota or Seiko movements, the inclusion of a Swiss caliber here, and a fine one at that, certainly ups the perceived value of the watch. I’m personally a big fan of the 7001, so it’s a welcome addition for me.

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[h=2]Movement[/h] In the past, Autodromo has relied primarily on Japanese quartz and mechanical movements, but, as I wrote above, for the Intereuropa they’ve gone Swiss. The 7001 is a banger of a caliber, and it has found home in a number of quality watches — from likes of Blancpain and Nomos to Stowa and Meistersinger — over the many years of its existence. It’s a slim 10.5 ligne movement, with 17 jewels, an Incabloc shock system, and 42 hours of power reserve. It’s also a great platform for higher-end finishing. Now, we can’t see the movement here, which is a bit of a double-edged sword since the caseback is nicely finished. I could have gone either way, so I’m personally more than okay with the closed back.

In its base form, the 7001 is not exactly pretty—sharp edges to those bridges, no anglage or plating, no stripes. It’s a Ford Pinto of a movement—ugly but effective. In fact, any simpler and you’d be looking to see where to put the coal. That said, the movement takes to decoration quite well, as the many brands that use it can readily prove.

https://wornandwound.com/caliber-spec-peseuxeta-7001/


AN EARLIER, LIGHTLY-DECORATED PESEUX 7001 FROM NOMOS

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In the beginning, when the world was young and before a chap named Perrelet started work on self-winding movements in 1777, people had to wind their own watches. Imagine! No bumpers or oscillating weights. Batteries, solar power or kinetic would probably have gotten you burned at the stake for watchmaking witchery. Instead, there was just good old-fashioned finger-power. No wonder people were fitter in the old days.

It sometimes feels as though hand-winders have rather dropped out of fashion. But there are plenty of reasons to love a watch that you wind yourself. Thinner movements, fewer parts to go wrong, and no spinning weight to obscure the interesting bits. There’s also the thoughtful interaction of winding your watch each morning, reminding you of the time to come and the time you’ve spent.

The ETA/Peseux 7001 is just such a movement. Simple without being crude, it pops up under case backs from Baume & Mercier to Tissot. Junghans has their own version, the J815, a modified ETA/Peseux 7001. Montblanc calls their 7001 the “MB 23.01.” It even sneaks in with an Omega logo as the cal. 651 in a series of De Villes. [h=2]
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[/h] One criticism that I’ve heard of this watch has to do with the cutout between 25 and 35 minutes. This is, of course, another nod to the gauges that inspire the design. The criticism is that this cutout, which does away with a portion of the minutes track, impacts legibility, but for me this has been entirely unfounded. At no point in my experience with this watch on my wrist have I struggled to tell the time. We all have a general idea of where markers should be, and what the time is based on the relative position of the hands (I’d argue that it’s an almost instinctive ability, and I imagine brands like Movado would make a similar argument). Now, it’s certainly fair to point out a dislike for such a detail — we all have our preferences — but to say it effects one’s ability to read the time is, in my estimation, a stretch.

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[h=2]Straps and Wearability[/h] The Intereuropa comes on a Saffiano leather rally strap. Saffiano leather was patented by Prada in 1913, and it was made to be used as scratch-resistant leather for luggage. Today, it’s still a relatively lux material, and you often see it used on Italian handbags. In recent years, it’s also become a popular type of leather for use in watch straps, and we’ve seen all sorts of Saffiano bands at a variety of price points.

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On the wrist, the watch is an absolute joy. I find that it wears a touch smaller than its diameter, and thinner than its thickness. The latter is true because of the bowl-shaped case, which has a tendency to dip into the wrist. It’s also very light, which is something I noticed in my time with the watch, and that lightness is a nice change of pace from my usual rotation, which right now is dominated by the Black Bay Fifty-Eight. Due to that lightness, the watch sort of disappears, which never happens with a heavier watch.

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https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/autodromo-intereuropa-hands-on [h=2]Conclusion[/h] If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this review, then it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of the Intereuropa. First and foremost, I’m drawn to the design, and in-hand the watch feels like a high-quality piece. I also really appreciate the intricacy of said design. Often, too many watches play it safe, and too few brands push the envelope. Autodromo isn’t one of those brands, and Bradley’s willingness to do something outside of the norm in terms of design and manufacturing is something I really appreciate. The watch retails for $1,250, which is inline with past releases and feels appropriate given the complexity of the design and the Swiss movement.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/hodinkee-radio-episode-46-bradley-price

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/understanding-the-rise-of-the-microbrands

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/first-grail-watch-bradley-price-autodromo/
 
A very sharp, standard size, manual wind, three hand, in some outstanding executions, from Autodromo.:wink: Thanks for posting this up, Mike.:hat:
 
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