The intersection of high performance lubricants and artisanal horology has deepened with the announcement of a second collaboration between the Mobil 1 brand and Autodromo. This latest release, the Group B Mobil 1 Pegasus Edition, serves as a technical homage to the most unbridled era of international rallying. By channeling the aesthetic of the short lived but legendary Group B era of 1982 to 1986, the two brands have created a timepiece that reflects a period characterized by reckless innovation and the pioneering use of exotic materials.
The partnership follows the rapid commercial success of their first joint venture, the Monoposto Mobil 1 Edition, which debuted earlier in 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the synthetic motor oil brand. While the previous collaboration drew from the open wheel racers of the 1950s, this new iteration pivots to the high tech, high risk world of the 1980s, where turbocharged monsters dominated mountain passes and forest stages.
Engineering a Bi-Metallic Tribute to Group B Monsters
During the mid-1980s, Group B rally cars were essentially laboratory experiments on wheels, utilizing lightweight composites and sophisticated subframes to achieve power-to-weight ratios that frequently overwhelmed the safety standards of the time. Autodromo has mirrored this structural philosophy in the construction of the Pegasus Edition. The watch features a 39-millimeter titanium capsule housed within a stainless steel outer chassis, a bi-metallic design that echoes the way rally machines of the era were built around rigid core structures.
The visual language of the watch is deliberately utilitarian, leaning into the high contrast, tactical look of vintage racing tachometers. Finished with a black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, the integrated stainless steel bracelet provides a stealthy, modern profile that contrasts with the heritage-rich dial. This specific aesthetic choice departs from the neon accents typical of early 1980s design, focusing instead on the professional instrumentation found in the cockpit of a Lancia Delta S4 or an Audi Quattro.
The Pegasus as a Symbol of Lasting Motorsport Credibility
A central element of the design is the inclusion of the iconic red Pegasus, a logo that has appeared on racing liveries for over half a century. In the context of this collaboration, the emblem is more than a branding exercise; it signifies a shared history in performance engineering. Mobil 1 has been a staple in racing paddocks across Formula 1, endurance racing, and rallying, providing the technical fluids that allowed the high-boost engines of the Group B era to survive extreme thermal stress.
Bradley Price, the industrial designer behind Autodromo, noted that the Mobil 1 brand sits at the heart of automotive culture, making the partnership feel purposeful rather than purely cosmetic. For Autodromo, a brand founded in 2011 to bridge the gap between minimalist industrial design and vintage motoring, the Group B silhouette remains its most successful platform. By integrating the Pegasus, the timepiece gains a layer of official motorsport pedigree that resonates with collectors who value historical accuracy.
Technical Specifications and Collector Exclusivity
Under the hood, the Pegasus Edition is powered by the Miyota 9015 automatic movement, a reliable Japanese caliber known for its slim profile and 42-hour power reserve. The choice of movement allows the watch to maintain a thickness of just 9.9 millimeters, ensuring it remains wearable and unobtrusive even during active use. The watch is further protected by a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating and is water resistant to 50 meters.
True to the spirit of the “homologation specials” that were produced in limited quantities to qualify cars for racing, this edition is highly exclusive. Only 70 pieces will be produced, packaged in hand-crafted aluminum boxes that mirror the tool-kits and spare-parts containers used by rally crews in the field. This scarcity ensures the watch remains a dedicated collector’s item for enthusiasts of both horology and automotive history.
Legacy of a Banned Era in Modern Style
The Group B era was ultimately cut short in 1986 due to a series of tragic accidents, leaving behind a legacy of “what if” engineering and a cult following that has only grown in the decades since. The Mobil 1 and Autodromo collaboration captures the essence of this brief window in time—where ambition and passion were at their peak—and translates it into a wearable object.
As the second successful drop in this partnership, the Pegasus Edition reinforces the idea that the bond between mechanical watches and automotive performance is founded on more than just nostalgia. It is an appreciation of the materials, the mathematics, and the daring required to push machinery to its absolute limits. Enthusiasts looking to secure one of the 70 units can find the release exclusively at autodromo.com, where the brand continues to archive the artifacts of motoring history through modern design.
