Ask any racing driver or motorsports fan what the most challenging race circuit in the world is, and you’ll likely hear the same answer repeated over and over again: the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife. Nicknamed “The Green Hell” for its strenuous, often dangerous reputation, the circuit (along with the smaller, more modern Nürburgring GP Circuit at its side) winds 12.94 miles through the forests near Nürburg in western Germany. With 154 corners, a mix of tight technical bends, fast sweeping sections, and dramatic elevation changes, the Nürburgring has played host to some of the most legendary moments in racing since its opening in 1927. To say that the curves and rises of this circuit are automotive hallowed ground is no exaggeration, so when the circuit was extensively repaved in 2021, the old asphalt became a prized commodity. New independent brand Coblor has seized this unique opportunity, forming this precious historic road surface into a series of unique racing chronographs. With an aggressive integrated design, a bold, captivating dial, and a vibrant racing spirit, the new limited edition Coblor Nürburgring Asphalt 1 is a strong freshman effort for the brand with a unique twist on the motorsports chronograph formula.

At 44mm wide and 15.6mm thick, the Coblor Nürburgring Asphalt 1’s case demands attention on the wrist, but the brand keeps this heft manageable through a handful of important factors. Firstly, there’s the case material. Not only is this aggressive, muscular integrated form rendered in lightweight Grade 5 titanium, it’s also coated in black DLC. Add in the short, undercut, and almost non-existent integrated lugs, and you have a case that stands out on the wrist while reducing its overall perceived dimensions. Moving our attention to the form itself, it’s a sharp, angular riff on the familiar octagonal integrated sports watch motif, with a surprisingly soft case side chamfer separating the faceted planes of the mid-case and integrated lugs. The asymmetrical pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock also immediately grab attention on the wrist. Coblor aims to make the oversized, piston-style 2 o’clock chronograph stop/start pusher more prominent and easier to operate than the comparatively smaller ceramic-topped cylindrical pusher at 4 o’clock, but the end result is more of a visual statement than a substantive difference in functionality. Both pushers are heavy, crisp, and satisfyingly precise in operation. Likewise, the fixed, chevron-edge engraved ceramic tachymeter bezel is an effective, intriguing visual calling card, with the interplay between the raised polished numerals and the matte recessed base layer creating stark highlights in direct light. Around back, Coblor decorates the sapphire display caseback with a striking race red gasket and rates the watch for a respectable 100 meters of water resistance.

So much of the success or failure of the Coblor Nürburgring Asphalt 1 hinges on its dial. Being the first asphalt-dial watch is its entire raison d’être, and the brand largely sticks the landing. Obviously, the main dial surface is the star of the show here — we’ve seen heavy-grained, asphalt-inspired textures before, but the organic variegation and the sheer scale of the peaks and valleys here make this deep matte-black dial strikingly unique. Then, of course, there’s the provenance of the asphalt itself. While Coblor has sourced asphalt from throughout the length of the Nürburgring, this particular dial is made from a portion of the Tiergarten corner — a blindingly fast, sweeping left-hand kink near the end of the main Döttinger Höhe straight. Tiergarten carries a fearsome reputation as one of the fastest corners on the entire Nordschleife circuit, and seeing a piece of this particular section of the track is a joy as a racing fan. Outside of a colorful, sawtooth kerb-inspired red and white section of the minutes track between 1 o’clock and 3 o’clock, the rest of the Nürburgring Asphalt 1’s dial is remarkably subdued and simple. Recessed azurage subdials and broad, brushed, and polished paddle hands keep the overall package commendably legible, but the wedge-like floating applied indices are likely to be a point of contention here. The thin, unfaceted polished material here does affect the overall feeling of perceived value, even if the rest of the dial is solidly well-executed.

Coblor powers the Nürburgring Asphalt 1 with the COB.01 automatic chronograph movement developed by movement specialist Concepto specifically for the brand. In terms of overall performance, the COB.01 is a respectable contender, with a 48 hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate and a fully integrated cam-lever chronograph complication. On the visual side, however, the COB-01 offers some impressive ideas. The upper bridge features black-coated Côtes de Genève, while the lower bridges and balance cock are adorned with a dynamic, asphalt-inspired grained texture and highlighted with polished raised edges. With that said, the simple, flat high-polish look of many of the chronograph components here is distractingly basic, but much of the time these more workmanlike elements are hidden by the most strikingly decorated piece of all – the custom skeleton rotor. While the main rotor weight itself is handsomely executed with sunburst brushing and a full-color engraved Coblor logo, the central hub is topped with a linear-brushed, asphalt texture-filled map of the Nürburgring circuit, complete with a ruby marker and exact coordinates highlighting the Tiergarten curve where the watch’s dial originates. It’s an attractively executed, deeply specific piece of car-nerd art, and as a lifelong racing fan myself it’s deeply appealing.

To complete the design, Coblor mates the Nürburgring Asphalt 1 with a sculpted integrated rubber deployant strap in simple black. Featuring a recessed central section with an asphalt texture motif and a flowing form that seamlessly matches the facets and contours of the integrated lugs, it’s a flexible, comfortable match for the watch itself. However, given the strap’s thickness and sculpted shape, it does have a tendency to “float” near the integrated lugs. In addition, with the strap’s length and the positioning of the non-floating second keeper, tucking the strap into the keepers when securing the clasp can be a fiddly endeavor.

After nearly a century in operation, the Nürburgring remains one of the best-loved — and most feared — racing circuits on earth. Despite a few small first-release teething issues, the limited edition Coblor Nürburgring Asphalt 1 translates the mystique and sporting legacy of this place into a sporty, dynamic, and deeply compelling chronograph design. Only 500 examples of the Coblor Nürburgring Asphalt 1 will be made, and the watch is available now through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for this watch stands at €6,111.30 Euro as of press time, referencing Stefan Bellof’s famous 6’11.3” Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record set in 1984. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.