There’s no question that cars and watches go together. 

But in the realm of automotive-inspired watches, brands often over-do the automotive theme to the point where the entire thing looks, well, gimmicky. There are only a handful of executions that tastefully blend both worlds. Less is more, after all. 

This Tanis Racing Team chronograph however, makes a strong case to rethink our stance entirely. Housed in a 40mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal, this 1970’s gem features a a set of ‘pump’ pushers nestled into the case wall, a signed winding crown, and a bidirectional friction bezel with a ‘cogwheel’ grip and a tachymeter display. 

The dial is unabashedly motorsport. An image of a formula 1 car appears right below the 12 o’clock marker and three perforated lines intersect at the center to create a depiction of a steering wheel. The dial also features two sub-registers, applied indices, a matching ‘stick’ handset and silver accents that attractively offset the matte black dial.

The engine in question is a Valjoux Calibre 7734 automatic-winding chronograph movement and comes appropriately fitted to an Analog:Shift Washed Blue Ralstra Driver Srap.

This watch screams vintage 1970’s. Sure we love the subtle automotive nod on a watch, but if a brand decides to incorporate those themes front-and-center, then they might as well fully lean in –– just like this Tanis Racing chronograph.