CT Scuderia’s City Racer Chronographs
A vibrant line of automatic watches inspired by café racers
Third generation watchmaker Enrico Margaritelli, founder and CEO of Contatempo Scuderia—better known as CT Scuderia—embodies the fundamental element that make his watches distinct: modern, yet rooted in history. Margaritelli launched the brand in 2012, after spending years as a motorcycle racer and a lifelong innovator in the watch industry. With CT Scuderia he has finally realized his true vision: the amalgamation of passion and profession.
The recently released City Racer line draws direct inspiration from a traditional stopwatch, and it offers the same functionality while feeling as comfortable in the hand as it does on the wrist. The face of the City Racer also alludes to motorcycle speedometers—with a colorful punch of the present day. There are expressive flourishes and the hand-finishing lends a luxury edge. As far as performance goes, the watch is incredibly readable, the chrono pushers are well placed, and the perforated leather allows for active breathability.
Margaritelli found a direct correlation between café racer motorcycles and automatic mechanical watches. “There’s an engine, a carburetor, wheels, shock absorbers. You put a tank and a seat and you’ve got a working machine,” he explains. “People like to know what they are dealing with and our watches are created with that kind of passion.” And while that fuels the watches’ insides, all of which are assembled in Switzerland, it’s also incredibly evident in the watch structure.
“Every time [I’ve released a watch line] there’s a strategy, a dream, a process. This time, this was the first time there was nothing. I made a watch. I was just making watches that I liked,” Margaritelli shares. “The reality is that the story is my story. It’s my history: the motorcycles, my family watch business. It’s the first watch line that was made for me.”
The City Racer Automatic chronographs are available in various colorways from the CT Scuderia website and retail for $2,995. Be sure to check out the brand’s other designs, which start at $1,095.
Photos by David Graver
