[VIDEO] Watch Stories: Bradley Price, Founder of Autodromo

Product designer turned watchmaker Bradley Price has turned his passion for cars into a thriving business. His company Autodromo blends the spirit of motoring and vintage character with minimal, contemporary watch design. It’s a small operation with a devoted fanbase, one that appreciates the mix of design and manufacturing Bradley brings to each of his products.

Before he turned to watches, Bradley designed consumer electronics, furniture, and other commercial products. But he was looking for a way to be creative on his own terms. Hence, Autodromo. As someone fascinated by cars and drawn to the vintage aesthetic, his new line of work makes absolute sense. But despite the fact that he’s been in the watch business since 2011, he didn’t grow up as an admirer of watches.

“I never really was exposed to watches growing up, per se…but I was fascinated by…detail and workmanship… That’s the kernel of where my interest in watches came from.”

That newfound interest, in addition to a long-held fascination with cars and racing, turned into the niche watchmaking business that still flies under-the-radar in the watch community at large but commands a lot of respect from those in the industry. So beyond the watches he designed himself, what can you find in Bradley’s collection?

A neon-colored Swatch straight from the 80s, to start. This was the first watch he owned as a kid, bought on a family trip to Switzerland. Impressively, he still has the original box.

Nobody does racing watches as well as Heuer. And when Bradley was starting out with Autodromo, he wanted a watch to inspire and excite him during the initial design process. The Heuer Monza fit the bill—a rich motor racing heritage and real character all in one watch.

You don’t often see dashboard clocks that aren’t Heuer branded, but Bradley saw these two Minerva rally timers in a Manhattan dealer and had to have them. He uses them as timers when he’s at events, which makes them functional pieces, beyond their classic design.

So why start a watch company now? In the age of smartwatches and smartphones, mechanical watches are less necessary than ever.

“Watches are about meaning. They’re about the way the owner of the watch wants to project their personality and their passions. Now, it’s about the emotional significance of the watch to you, not just about …utilitarian purpose.”

We couldn’t agree more. And it’s clear that Bradley’s lean, purposeful process of watchmaking has paid off big time.

 

Interested in the full story on Bradley Price and Autodromo? Watch the video on Youtube here, or check it out above.