The CT Scuderia watch brand continues to leverage its love of both cars and watches with the new Dashboard collection for 2014. It all begins with the brand’s distinctive 46mm wide steel case offered in both finished steel or coated in black. Inspired by the dashboard instrument of classic cars, this is yet another flavor of automotive-related watch for the many car/watch guys out there.

Are there too many automotive-themed watches out there? That is a good question. Some might suggest there aren’t enough. As I write this article, I am in the midst of considering the strong correlations between why people love cars and why they love watches. What you might consider an easy “given” is that watch lovers often also like cars–what is more difficult is how to wrap that shared interest up into a satisfying timepiece.

CT Scuderia’s philosophy on this matter is really about melding the concept of a sport watch with a sport car’s instruments. It is a valid proposition and, for me, makes a bit more sense than some of the other racing themed watches out there that have cases with parts that look like elements from a car, etc…

Of course, the foundation of the CT Scuderia case look is that of a stopwatch. The design is meant to look like a traditional mechanical stopwatch in some type of wrist-worn module. For that reason, CT Scuderia watches have the crowns on the top or bottom of the case, versus on the side. This has caused some design controversy in the past, but overall it makes for an interesting appearance. For the Dashboard Collection, the crown is rather diminutive (comparatively speaking) and rests at the bottom of the case for a clean, symmetrical look.

The technical name of the ref. CT-020 collection is the Dashboard Replica collection, and it comes in a few styles. The initial five models each have a different dial design which is meant to hearken back to a different dashboard instrument style. According to CT Scuderia the designer was influenced by the speedometers of “legendary racing cars and motorbikes.” What I appreciate is that each one has a distinct personality.

With properly sized hands and admittedly fun dials, the watch is both legible and attractive, but of course will mostly appeal to those people who are interested in automotive and racing culture. Inside the Dashboard collection watches is a Swiss Val Suisse 3H automatic movement. It isn’t quite an ETA, but with ETA no longer really being available, companies like Val Suisse have come in to help fill the movement gap.

The rear of the case has an exhibition window with a view of the movement along with the colors of the Italian flag. This is, of course, partially due to the fact that the brand founder and lead designer, Enrico Margaritelli, is Italian, though he resides in Miami, Florida. It is a neat collection and it isn’t priced too high, either. While CT Scuderia watches aren’t daily wears in my book, they offer a well-designed and genuinely fun automotive experience for the wrist, and the new Dashboard collection are among the best available, given the dial designs and automatic mechanical movements.

Let’s discuss pricing, as well as the specific cars that inspired each of the new watches. The CT Scuderia models CS10210 (inspired by a 1953 Alfa Romeo), CS10211 (inspired by a 1960 Aston Martin DB7/DB4 Zagato), and CS10212 (inspired by a 1959 Triumph Smiths) watches are priced at $1,495, and in a black case the ref. CS10213 (inspired by a 1954 Jaguar D-Type) and  CS10214 (inspired by a 1956 Austin-Healy) are priced at $1,595. ctscuderia.com