OUR TAKE
Every microbrand with a barrel case owes Autodromo a royalty cheque. Bradley Price drew this one first, a decade of imitators still haven't bettered it. White panda dial. Blue hands sharp enough to cut yourself on. Inside, a Seiko VK64 meca-quartz: quartz running costs, mechanical theatre. The chrono snaps dead to zero and sweeps at a fifth of a second. Sapphire, 50 metres, 20mm lugs. It's 42mm but lugless and wears 48mm tall, so under a 6.5-inch wrist it'll sit like a dinner plate — fair warning. Full set: box, papers, booklet, a rally strap, plus a blue-stitched DASSARI fitted now. The box leather's cracking at the seams and I'm not dressing that up — but the watch is clean. The panda's the one people actually chase, and I'd wear it before half the stuff at three times the money.
THE SPECS
- Brand: Autodromo
- Model: Prototipo Chronograph
- Reference: BP-003
- Case diameter: 42mm (48mm tall, lugless barrel case)
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Dial colour: White panda — black sub-dials, blue accents
- Movement: Seiko VK64 meca-quartz
- Water resistance: 50m (5 ATM)
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Lug width: 20mm
- Lug-to-lug: ~48mm
- Case thickness: 11.5mm
CONDITION
Pre-owned — Excellent (watch); box worn
- Case: brushed stainless, clean and sharp — light hairlines on the caseback from handling, nothing on the sides or bezel worth flagging
- Crystal: sapphire, clean — no notable marks
- Bezel: fixed steel surround, clean
- Caseback: solid, six hex screws, faint surface swirls only
- Straps: two included — a black perforated rally strap and an aftermarket DASSARI black leather strap with blue stitching, fitted now and showing light use
- Box: original Autodromo leather case — leather cracking and splitting at the seams and top rim, cosmetically worn but structurally sound and closes fine
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
- The watch (on the aftermarket DASSARI strap)
- Original Autodromo leather box (worn — see condition)
- Warranty card (chassis BP-003)
- Instruction booklet (chassis BP-003)
- Spare perforated rally strap
Price on this one is our best.
