A Café Racer is a type of motorcycle that became popular in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the1960s. These bikes represented speed and rebellion, as well as a distinctive style. Over the years, it has evolved into different designs and concepts but maintained uniqueness and individuality, qualities that inspired the concept behind Italian watchmaker CT Scuderia.
This article will take a closer look at the Italian watch brand, which devotes itself to high-quality, Swiss-made luxury sports watches inspired by motorsports and races.
CT Scuderia is headed by founder, CEO, and designer Enrico Margaritelli. Using his passion for the café racer lifestyle, sports racing, and vintage watch designs, he created a brand that makes watches inspired by old events and designs but provides a refreshing take on sports watches.
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CT Scuderia Brand History
Enrico Margaritelli comes from a family of Italian watchmakers. According to the brand’s website, his grandfather invented timepieces and high-precision instruments for the military during the first and second world wars.
Before establishing CT Scuderia in 2013, Margaritelli worked with big brands such as Emporio Armani and Fossil, as well as created independent brands Soviet and Key West. Inspired by his watchmaker grandfather and vintage Italian motorcycle racing, Margaritelli creates watches that pay respect to tradition, while still maintaining creativity and modern design.
In an interview, Margariletteli says that he started making fashion watches with Fossil in the United States (where he worked for more than a decade), and then eventually built his own brand. It is with CT Scuderia that he was able to incorporate his history and passion for motorbikes into the watches he designs. He mentions that he does not pattern his watch designs with others—instead, he creates watches that he likes.
CT Scuderia Watch Collections
CT Scuderia has four watch collections. We’re going to go over each of them below and tell you more about some of the brand’s most popular models.
Before we talk about the watches, however, let’s talk about CT Scuderia’s unique watch construction. Margaritelli’s creativity and experiments with unusual shapes and materials led to a unique design: watch crown and pushers located at the 12 o’clock position instead of the usual 3 o’clock.
Also known as a “bullhead watch” design, this makes the watch look like a stopwatch, and it can actually act as one–the wearer can detach the strap and wear the case around their neck.
Then there’s the robust, sporty dial and legible markers. The hands and dial of CT Scuderia watches are inspired by sports cars and motorbikes. Designed in Italy and made in Switzerland, some of these watches have a see-through case back, where you’ll be able to take a peek at the automatic Swiss-made movement.
Another unique design of CT Scuderia models is the interchangeable screw-down crowns and pushers. The watches have an Italian-style aesthetic—white, red, or green pusher at 12 o’clock. Below are the brand’s current collections.
Bullet Head Collection
Inspired by cafe racer and heritage racing which enjoyed popularity in the 50s-60s, the CT Scuderia line is composed of robust, sporty motor sports-inspired watches.
The Bul Fifty Nine watch is a 44mm model with a black case and black silicone strap. These watches are also made from carbon fiber, a lightweight and durable material that is also used for supercars and motorcycle bodies. Inspired by the motorcycle club founded in 1959, this has a racing-oriented strap made of durable silicone. This model comes in four color and strap options: green dial with a brown leather strap, white dial with a stainless steel strap, and a white dial with a black silicone strap. The water resistance is up to 100m.
There is also a line with a dial inspired by classic English motorcycle speedometers—the “mph” dial. The CT Scuderia Dashboard watches (such as this one on Amazon) have a speedometer-inspired graphic design on the dial, with a double contrasting number scale. These watches, which are available in silicone, leather, and stainless steel straps, has a see-through case back where you can see the Landeron DP 18 automatic movement. The screw-down crown is placed at 3 o’clock.
The collection also includes the checkered flag dial, also inspired by motorsports. The Chequered Flag line has three variants: with a rose gold-tone case and a black silicone strap, a steel ion-plated black case and a black leather strap, and one with a stainless steel case and bracelet. These are 44mm cases with the iconic CT Scuderia crown at 12 o’clock. The watches have interchangeable screw-down release and stop pushers, as well as sapphire crystal glass.
This collection pays tribute to the vintage racing aesthetic from the golden era of automobile racing in the 1950s and ‘60s. The dials take inspiration from the dashboard of classic cars and have the “Miles per Hour” lettering similar to the speedometers and RPM meters on sports cars and motorcycles. One of the watches in the collection is the Chequered Flag model pictured above. The Bullet Head collection currently has a total of 19 models, all of which you can see here.
Corsa Collection
This is the CT Scuderia collection that has the stopwatch feature we talked about above. The Corsa line is composed of four chronograph watches with a 44mm case that can be detached from their straps and transforms into a neck chain that looks like a stopwatch.
One model from this collection is the Classic 012 (CWEJ00419), a chronograph quartz watch with a rose gold-tone ion-plated case, and a brown leather strap. On the blue dial are large Arabic numeral markers and two subdials, which makes it easy for the wearer to capture lap times. The crown at 12 o’clock has a stopwatch-like ring, as well as red and blue pushers. Other strap options include stainless steel and a light silicone band.
Explore all of the Corsa models here.
Scrambler Collection
The CT Scuderia Scramble collection is composed of square-shaped watches. Inspired by the 60s American on and off-road motorcycle, these chronograph watches also have large Arabic numeral numbers with crown and pushers at 12 o’clock.
There are four watches in the collection, including the Saturno CWEF00119, a chronograph quartz model with a stainless steel case, black dial, and a black leather strap. This 44 x 42mm watch runs on the Swiss Ronda 3520 D quartz movement.
This is a collection inspired by Margaritelli’s passion for vintage mechanical engineering. Another model is the Saturno CWEF00219, chronograph quartz with a rose gold-tone, ion-plated case, black leather strap. The three-piece case is held by a total of 12 screws and has an unmistakably Italian look: the pushers at 12 o’clock are red, green, and white; and the strap is made of high-quality Italian leather.
Touring Collection
Inspired by the 1960s Grand Turismo, the CT Scuderia Touring collection is a line of timepieces that are both elegant and sporty. This category is composed of two types of watches: the Coda Corta and the Testa Piatta, watches that will look good with sports or casual jacket, as well as in more formal attire.
The Coda Corta is a three-hand automatic watch with a stainless steel case. This watch runs on the Landeron DP 19 automatic movement, which can be seen through the case back. This watch has a double concentric scale and legible hands and markers, powered by BarLumi Bright Night Vision.
The Testa Piatta, on the other hand, is a three-hand quartz watch that has a design inspired by vintage speedometers, with a date window at 12 o’clock. The case is stainless steel, and the strap options are leather, steel, and silicone.
See all of the Touring watches here.
CT Scuderia Brand Reputation
CT Scuderia is known for its unique design – robust timepieces inspired by motorsports and Italian aesthetic. The brand is also popular for its part-wristwatch and part-stopwatch features, which are loved by those looking for a sporty timepiece that can be worn on both casual and more formal occasions.
CT Scuderia is not the only company that produces bullhead watches—this design has been around for a long time before the Italian company produced its version. The brand, however, incorporates unique design elements in its models, giving a refreshing take to an old look. This is one of the reasons why it continues to enjoy popularity and good reviews.
It’s safe to say that this type of watch design is not for everyone—the case is large, and some think that the look is too intense (as mentioned in this Watchuseek discussion that called a CT Scuderia watch “a bit too steampunk“). However, if you are into sporty and avant-garde styles, this is a good brand to consider. Others consider the dial designs overly complicated and busy. Another frequent comment is that the brand overprices it’s suggested retail price and subsequently offers deep discounts on some online retailer websites, although this complaint is not unique to this brand and we’ve discussed it before in articles like this one about Invicta watches being heavily discounted.
Is CT Scuderia A Good Watch Brand?
CT Scuderia has been featured in respected watch websites such as A Blog to Watch and Worn and Wound, getting positive reviews from experts.
This article, for instance, reviews the Corsa model and praises its interesting design, pointing out the good motorsport aesthetic, detachable stopwatch, and overall high quality.
Another article talked about the “aggressive and straight-up cool” design of the CT Scuderia City Racer, and its unique case.
Swiss made with reliable Ronda movements, these watches would be in the same league as many of the affordable Swiss brands in this price range.
Where To Buy CT Scuderia Watches?
CT Scuderia watches are not available for purchase on the brand’s official website, but they have a list of sites that sell their watches. Current countries available include the USA, UK, Poland, France, and Spain.
CT Scuderia watches are also available on Amazon.
If you would like to purchases a CT Scuderia watch, you can also visit the brand’s website, find the page of the watch you’d like to buy, and click the Find Your Store option, which will lead you to a map of retailers near you.
Where Are CT Scuderia Made?
As mentioned in the introduction, CT Scuderia is Italian-owned, but the watches are Swiss-made. This combines the unique Italian design aesthetic with the trusted Swiss craftsmanship.
This article mentions that the watch movement manufacturer is sourced from Ronda, which is known for its reliable and accurate movements.
CT Scuderia Watch Warranty
All CT Scuderia watches purchased on the brand’s website and other authorized sellers are eligible for a two-year or 24 months of warranty from the date of purchase.
This warranty is valid for watches purchased from an authorized CT Scuderia retailer. The warranty certificate must be filled in, signed, and stamped.
According to the brand’s website, they will cover all the defects “in material and workmanship existing at the time your CT Scuderia watch was sold.” Watches that were damaged caused by improper use, loss, or accident will not be covered by the warranty.
All CT Scuderia watch purchase is internationally-warranted by Vertime B.V.
To learn more about the brand’s warranty policy, you can this page. For other concerns, customers may also send an email to [email protected] if there are questions regarding service and repair.
