Commissioned by Wyler Genève, Francesco Carrozzini followed the El Camino Real route for some 1000 miles (1600 kilometres) from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back again. Covering a mixture of historic sites and the dramatic coastal scenery and taking in such legendary highways as US 1 and US 101, the young photographer returned with an eclectic mix of images to reflect his first-ever US road trip.

His images were used as the backdrop for the launch of Wyler Genève's El Camino Real chronograph in black ceramic. Only 614 such chronographs were produced, representing the 614 kilometres covered by Carrozzini on his road trip.

As an established fashion photographer, his work having appeared in the likes of Vogue Italia, Libération and 10Magazine, Carrozzini is usually confined to one area for one day on his shoots. This trip therefore allowed him a greater freedom of expression on what he considered “less of an assignment, more of an adventure – the kind of job a photographer dreams of.” At the end of his road trip, he already missed the change of routine that the open road had offered him. “I found out that thinking about basic needs every day makes you feel more alive. Time had almost stopped and there was so much to see that, looking back, it feels like everything happened in one single and very short moment.”

For the most authentic road trip experience, the photographer and his assistant opted for the traditional American “RV” (Recreational Vehicle, or motorhome) so that they could stick as close as possible to the El Camino Real route. Their six-day journey incorporated some of the more famous Californian sights, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Malibu, Los Angeles and the spectacular coast of US Highway 1, but also lesser known jewels such as the Danish town of Solvang.