A Classic Car Watch Returns With an Assist From a Legendary Racing Brand

As if this watch needed any more automotive bona fides.

Published January 30, 2025

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Updated January 30, 2025

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Autodromo has been a little quiet in recent years, but the automotive-themed brand still turns heads whenever it releases a new watch, and its latest is both new and old at the same time.

In 2012, Autodromo launched the Monoposto, its second-ever watch and its first with a mechanical movement. Inspired by the oversized tachymeters on 1950s Italian Grand Prix cars, the Monoposto had a look that was bold and elegant, and it remains one of Autodromo’s most beloved designs among the Autodromisti.

Now, Autodromo has resurrected the Monoposto for a limited run to celebrate one of the most iconic names in racing. Say hello to the Monoposto Pegasus Edition.

an autodromo watch next to some driving gloves and leather — The Monoposto is back and as beautiful as ever.

The Winged Horse

The new watch was made in collaboration with Mobil 1 to celebrate 50 years of the iconic premium synthetic motor oil and its deep history in motorsports.

The watch maintains the general design of the original Monoposto, which includes an expansive dial that takes up most of the real estate on the thin-bezeled 43mm stainless steel case. The idea is for the dial to pop like a prominent tachymeter, and it absolutely does.

a man wears an autodromo watch while driving an old race car — The dial is huge, but the watch is still wearable (the wrist in this photo is 6.25 inches in circumference).

Despite its huge dial, the watch isn’t what I would call a beast. Its short wire lugs add up to a lug-to-lug distance of just 46mm, which means the watch is still wearable for most wrists.

The bowl-like shape of the case also enhances wearability, as the base of the watch — where it makes contact with your wrist — is considerably smaller than 43mm. The svelte 11mm thickness also helps the overall size feel more manageable.

The bowl-shaped case and short wire lugs aid in the Monoposto’s wearability.

Autodromo

Autodromo typically does a great job with color — brand founder Bradley Price is an industrial designer by trade — and the Pegasus Edition certainly extends that reputation.

The glossy white tachy-inspired dial has Arabic numeral indices printed in a pretty blue color, with blue hour and minute hands and a bright red seconds hand. Mobil’s iconic pegasus logo in a matching red stands out boldly at 6 o’clock. Everything on the dial is balanced and beautiful.

The domed sapphire crystals on both sides of the watch are unique among Monopostos. On the dial side, this marks the first time the model’s signature red line-inspired stripe doesn’t appear on the crystal, which Autodromo is cheekily calling a “stripe delete.” On the caseback, the exhibition window bears a printing of the Mobil 1 logo, which is a touch on the nose for me.

the display caseback of an autodromo watch — I could do without the Mobil 1 logo on the caseback, but it’s a necessary evil of licensed, co-branded watches such as this.

The movement visible behind that display caseback is also new for the line. The original Monoposto housed a Miyota 821A, which had a date and a beat rate of 21,600 bph. The new engine is still a Miyota but is more premium. The no-date Cal. 9039 beats at a higher 28,800 bph for a smoother sweep and better accuracy, and it’s more than 1.5mm thinner than the 821A.

Finally, we have the strap, another area in which Autodromo excels. This watch is fitted with a handmade Italian buffalo leather strap secured with a pin buckle. The leather, as usual, looks very nice. It comes in blue if you opt for the plain stainless steel version of the watch, or black if you choose the gold-tone iteration.

two autodromo watches — The new Monoposoto is available in either plain stainless steel or with a gold-tone finish.

Pricing and Availability

The Monoposto’s decade-plus-old design remains gorgeous and timeless, and I have no doubt that gearheads will gobble up the new Pegasus Edition — especially considering the low price point.

At just $875 in stainless steel or $950 for the gold-tone variant, this looks like a solid value to me. I’ve seen some chatter online that it’s “too expensive for a Miyota,” but the Miyota 9-series of movements are quite nice and I don’t think we’d be hearing those complaints if the same movement were made in Switzerland.

Also adding to the value of the watch is its rarity. Autodromo is making just 100 examples of the watch in steel and 50 in gold tone, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. So if you want to get a Pegasus on your wrist, I suggest visiting the Autodromo website sooner rather than later.