British racing legend Brian Redman was one of the most successful drivers of his time.
He was the Formula 5000 champion three times in a row (1974, 75, 76) and won two 24 Hours of Le Mans races (1978 and 1980). He found winning positions in a number of other events too.
Automotive-inspired watchmaker Autodromo is celebrating his legacy with a special edition of their Prototipo Chronograph.
The red & white case dial mimics colors and an aesthetic directly from the style of his Porsche Salzburg 908. After a practice round crash in his original Porsche 908 Flunder, he drove the Salzburg to an unlikely victory against Ferrari in a 1969 race at Nurburgring.
The German racetrack is one of the most storied in auto sports, even earning the nickname “The Green Hell” following a very rainy and foggy 1968 German Grand Prix. During Redman’s era in racing, it was a notoriously difficult and exhausting track to endure. The back of the watch’s case underscores the significance of the track with an etching of the Nordschleife circuit – signifying the legacy and treachery of the course’s 170 turns through the Eifel Mountains.
This Prototipo is powered by a Seiko hybrid meca-quartz movement and features an instant chronograph reset thanks to internal mechanical linkages shared with Seiko’s in-house automatic movements. The whole mechanism is enclosed in a 48mm stainless steel case attached to a 20mm leather strap.
The watch is limited to 50 examples as part of the Prototipo’s 500 total in the collection. It includes a booklet signed by Redman himself along with a special collectors box.
You can purchase your own here.
