The Autodromo brand is famous for its motorsport watches, which are usually automatics. But this latest model is a bold step, as they launch an 80s style digital called the Group C.

It’s available in yellow, silver, grey or DLC coated black and retails at £465, so this is no Casio budget everyday timepiece. Does the spec justify that price tag?

Inside is a Japanese movement we guess, as there is no mention of a Swiss Ronda being used on the website. The case looks like very carefully machined and polished motorsport parts, which is cool, plus there’s a chamfered sapphire crystal. Lap timer; check. Backlight; check. It has got a certain vintage Le Mans/Goodwood/Willow Springs feel about it, from the era when playboy racers rubbed shoulders with pro drivers like Stewart, Brabham or Andretti.

There are also various strap choices for the new Group C watch, so you can swap things around.

All good stuff but for us this neat little watch (36mm across) just doesn’t have the exquisite details that you might expect for nearly 500 quid. Rivals include the Hamilton Digital at £725, which is genuinely Swiss made, albeit boring to look at, the Timex Q Reissue models, or any number of G-Shock Casio-Oaks at about £100-200.

More info here if you want to splash out on the Autodromo.