Once a rally driver with the Italian Alfa Romeo squad in the 1970s, Giuliano Mazzuoli has raced in his blood, and in recognition of his days of high-speed competition, his fabulous Contagiri wristwatch faithfully recreates the visual of the dashboard tachometer and throws a few other racing inspired twists in too.

The Giuliano Mazzuoli Contagiri is a watch with a difference. Technical and unusual, it is a must-have accessory for the petrolhead enthusiast, from its unconventional time display to the complex case design and bezel operated winding and time setting mechanism, it’s a piece which draws heavily on the designer’s motorsport-inspired influences, and it tells the time in its own distinctive way.

The Contagiri case is elaborate in design and execution, and immediately it becomes clear that there is no crown. A closer inspection, however, reveals a discreet pop-out lever embedded on its right-hand side, which extends when pressed through two positions and enabling the crown’s functions to be operated via rotating the bezel which has a tactile, serrated edge for grip. Dial side, the Mazzuoli logo in the round window at the 6 o’clock position shifts to the side to display the figure 1 (for winding) or 2 (for setting or adjusting the time).

In true tachometer style, the numerals are laid out in an arc which spans from the traditional 7 o’clock position to the five. In this case, the ‘1’ is where the 7 would usually be found, and the ‘12’ at the 5. To display the time while accommodating this feature, a needle-like pointer indicates the hours, and the only other indicator is for the seconds. So essentially the Contagiri is a single hand watch, and that hand climbs from 1 – 12 until it reaches the end of the scale at the point of 12:30, where it then jumps across the empty space in the lower section of the dial to start over again.

The Contagiri is powered by a Swiss ETA self-winding movement and is presented on a black rubber strap with pin buckle.