The history of early Shelby models can be divided into three lengthy chapters: the Mustang, the Cobra, and the Daytona, which made motorsports history in 1965. Shelby honored the Daytona’s legendary accomplishment in 2015 with a run of 50th Anniversary Daytona Coupes, available with either fiberglass or aluminum bodies. Flash forward to the present day and Bulova is honoring the aluminum-bodied version of that commemorative model with its new limited-edition Shelby Racer Chronograph.
Back in the early 1960s, Shelby Cobras were winning races in the United States and Canada, but they were having trouble keeping up with their international rivals on the long straightaways of European tracks. To make Shelby more competitive against opponents such as Ferrari and Jaguar, designer Peter Brock came up with a sleek design for a coupe model known as the Daytona. Powered by a 289ci V-8, the Daytona went on to win the FIA World Sportscar GT class in 1965 — making Shelby the only American manufacturer to accomplish that feat. When Shelby rolled out its 50th Anniversary Daytona Coupes, it offered the option of either a hand-laid fiberglass body or a hand-formed aluminum shell.
One look at Bulova’s Shelby Racer Chronograph makes it clear which one of those options inspired its design. The 40.5mm polished stainless steel case surrounds a silver dial with a mirror finish. According to Bulova, the subdials for the chronograph function were inspired by the Daytona’s gauges. The Shelby logo at 6 o’clock? That’s just branding. Hexagonal bolt heads and raised numbers on the main dial add contrast and depth to the largely monochromatic color scheme.
The quick-release bracelet with push-button clasp is also stainless steel, but it has two different finishes that give it a striped look — similar to the ones offered on the 50th Anniversary Daytonas. A ribbed brown leather strap also comes with the watch, adding even more contrast.
A glass insert with the Bulova and Daytona Coupe logos highlights the caseback. Behind that is Bulova’s NP20 high-precision quartz movement. Like the Precisionist setup in the GT500-themed Bulova Shelby chronograph we reviewed last year, the NP20 resonates at a frequency of 262khz, which Bulova says is eight times the frequency of a conventional quartz watch.
As of right now, it’s not clear exactly how limited the latest limited-edition Bulova Shelby Racer Chronograph will be. But two things are for certain: It has a price tag of $1,425 — and that also buys you a 1:24-scale silver-plated Shelby Daytona Coupe.
