Almost every premium car manufacturer has associated, at one point, with a prestigious watchmaker, with Range Rover and Zenith’s being the latest alliance.
Back in the day, timepieces were detrimental in racing events, with chronographs being used to calculate speed. From 1911, Heuer offered dashboard-mountable watches, while later Jaeger-LeCoultre manufactured instrument clusters for high-end automobile companies.
Nowadays, the intricate creations have become more of a symbol in the automotive industry (think of Breitling and Bentley), bringing new levels of prestige along with them.
The new partnership between Land Rover and Zenith sees two milestones of engineering coming together and celebrating their mutual longevity. At the unveiling of Range Rover’s SVAutobiography Dynamic model, at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2016, Zenith revealed a special edition watch called El Primero Range Rover.
The famous El Primero movement, the world’s first self-winding chronograph, made its first appearance in 1969 – the same year a team at the Rover car company, led by Charles Spencer King, came up with the idea of a vehicle that combined the off-road capabilities of a Land Rover with the comfort of the best-appointed saloon.
“The match between our two brands is very strong. Zenith and Range Rover are both pioneers in our respective industries, and we both create unique, innovative products. Through timeless design, both brands express authentic luxury. The Zenith team is very excited to start this long-term partnership with Range Rover, another superb brand and kindred spirit”, said Aldo Magada, President and CEO of Zenith.
Land Rover’s Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic sits at the pinnacle of the British car maker’s line-up, being described as the most dynamically capable full-size Range Rover to date. It was designed and engineered for the customer looking for a sporty SUV, that’s why it sits eight millimetres lower than standard model, and draws 550 PS (542 hp) and 680 Nm (501 lb-ft) of torque from a 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 engine tuned by Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations.