Celebrating Motorsport Heritage With The Autodromo Monoposto Chronograph

Photography by Autodromo and Ted Gushue

For quite some time now, Autodromo has arguably been the foremost name in automotive lifestyle products. We’ve come to love their driving gloves, sunglasses, and other various accessories, but the main event has always been their watches, which are especially well made, and well-suited for watch collectors and petrolheads alike. Their latest release — the Monoposto Chronograph — might look familiar, and that’s probably because you’ve seen it before. Sort of. Allow me to explain.

Back in 2012, Autodromo launched with a seductively simple timepiece, the Monoposto – a time-only wristwatch inspired by a simpler era of single-seat Grand Prix racing. While driver’s cockpits are now riddled with unimaginable amounts of tech, getting behind the wheel was once a far more raw, and visceral experience, which Autodromo successfully channeled through the incorporation of a “redline” crystal. This detail was inspired by the lines that mechanics would add to driver’s rev counters, and surely played a part in making the original Monoposto somewhat of a cult classic.

Fast forward five years, and we now have the Monoposto Chronograph, which carries on the legacy of the Monoposto in the form of the brand’s very first automatic chronograph. This milestone in the brand’s story has been made possible through the use of Seiko’s NE88 automatic column wheel chronograph movement, which can be seen clearly through the engraved display caseback.

Like any of the brand’s other releases, the Monoposto Chronograph has been designed with obsessive attention to detail. Some of our favourite finishing touches include the concentric lines that trace the bezel, the contrasting hands, and the stainless steel roller buckle, which when paired with the handmade leather strap, is reminiscent of the hardware seen on vintage leather bonnet straps.

The $1,800 Monoposto Chronograph will be produced in a limited run of just 500 pieces total, with 200 in black, 200 in silver, and 100 in striking Azzurro. To get yours now, visit the Petrolicious Shop.