I noticed there in no thread dedicated to this brand, and very few comments with any substantial information. One comment that stuck out was “Chinese made micro brand” and something along the lines of them being uninteresting.

From some brief reading online I learned that the owner (Bradley Price) is a one man show, and his stand is that he can’t realistically afford to make the movement in house or “interesting” at least for now. What makes Autodromo appealing to me is the vintage racecar inspired aesthetic, and attention to detail. The custom box/wrapping paper and accessories also add a nice touch of authenticity and uniqueness.

The group B has a Miyota 9015 automatic 24 jewel hacking mechanical movement, and is limited to 200 pieces for a retail price of $1100.
And the Prototipo (Pictured Below) has a Japan Made Seiko VK63 Chronograph Hybrid Meca-Quartz Movement. Is it essentially a dressed up Seiko, and it being worth the money a personal opinion ($775)?


Does anyone have any personal experience with owning one? Could someone educate me as to why the brand doesn’t appeal to the experienced watch aficionados? For the price are you getting more of an experience and title of being in a niche club or is the watch appropriately priced for what it is? Are the “limited” runs a marketing/cost saving strategy or a legitimate passionate direction the owner took?


Thank you for any input.

 

That's one expensive quartz watch, and 1 k for a myota movement is a tad steep. Keep in mind these movements are both available for under 50 dollars.

I think the design of these is ok but you have to understand what they are. They are attempting to get into and are somewhat existing in the space between a fashion watch and a luxury watch. The limited run is marketing and creating a false sense of scarceness. The are near the price of luxury but have the resale of a fashion watch i.e. Zero.

The packaging is fluff, who really cares about that. You don't wear it and it just ends up in the back of a closet after you open it.

If you like the look of these you can source a vintage Seiko at 1/2 the price that has the same look. Or find a nice vintage piece from the late 60's to mid 70's with the same look from a secondary brand for the same price and actually have resale.

If they dropped about 200 from their prices I would be more interested in them.

 

Honestly, $1,100 doesn't exactly put you into a niche club here on OF. There are a handful or small makers who design/ produce watches in this manner; I believe there is even a subforum or two devoted to them on WUS. As far as a limited production of 200 goes, I seriously doubt that will add value. This is a pretty cool looking watch, and at $350 I might think about it, but at $1,100 I suspect it will be difficult to sell 200 of them.

 

I greatly appreciate the response, thank you.
I was curious if they have room to grow and potentially develop into a major player in the industry. As far as the packaging goes, I see your point, but as that price point I suppose it makes sense to stand out in some aspect. Just out of my own curiosity would you say the same thing about the Omega Speedmaster Professional box? The giant black one with all the accessories?

 

Thank you for the response. As for the niche club comment, I was thinking something along the lines of being a part of a "start up" or a company that caters directly to vintage car nuts, not price point wise.

 

I think the Group B is interesting but I find that it pulls too much from IWC. The case reminds me of the Ingenieur and the dial/hands looks like the Ocean 2000. I own both IWC's and see the resemblance whenever the group B is posted on Instagram.

However, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a used group B on eBay. Would be a nice travel watch when staying low profile.