Chopard celebrates 1000 Miglia with three timepieces
For the 32nd consecutive year, Chopard served as main partner and official timekeeper for the latest edition of the 1000 Miglia rally. Traditionally organised in May, the car race regarded as “the world’s most beautiful” was held this year from October 22 to 25, in compliance with the prevailing public health regulations. On the eve of the race, during an intimate dinner at La Sosta in Brescia, “Mister Le Mans” unveiled the timepieces from the Mille Miglia Collection created by the in-house artisans in homage to the race
1000 Miglia
Since 1988, Chopard has been the main partner and official timekeeper of the famous endurance 1000 Miglia race, a close collaboration born of the Scheufele family’s longstanding passion for classic cars, which Karl-Friedrich Scheufele – Co-President of the Maison – both collects and drives, including at various motorsports events.
Founded in 1927, the 1000 Miglia is one of the most famous automobile events in the world. Originally, the 1,618 km route – the equivalent of 1,005 Roman miles – was a speed race that started and ended in Brescia, with a passage through Rome. After its original formula was interrupted in 1957, the 1000 Miglia was relaunched in 1977 as an endurance race for cars built between 1927 and 1957, still covering 1,000 miles. Over the years, the original route has undergone a few changes, but has remained faithful to the route designed 93 years ago by the original organisers, criss-crossing Italian scenery that has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of the 20th century.
The competition was won by the team composed of Roberto Vesco – a winner earlier in 1993 – and his son Andrea Vesco – who finished third in the 2018 edition and second in 2019 – at the wheel of a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato.
The Chopard Sponsor Team announced a great performance by of one of its crews, led by Stefano Valente and Alberto Aliverti, aboard a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS Zagato, which finished fifth.
Finally, more than 45 hours of driving through 245 Italian municipalities also allowed Silvia Marini and Francesca Ruggeri to win the “Coppa delle Dame”, the first all-female crew to finish the 1000 Miglia with an excellent 24th place at the wheel of the Bugatti T40 of 1929.
Mille Miglia 2020 Race Edition
Since becoming the 1000 Miglia’s principal partner and official timekeeper in 1988, Chopard has produced a new Mille Miglia timepiece every year. A chronograph is an essential piece of operational equipment for any serious rally contestant, and every team taking part in the 1000 Miglia is presented with the latest Mille Miglia Race Edition chronograph before they arrive at the start line.
The 2020 edition is issued in two versions powered by a chronometer-certified movement: 1,000 in beadblasted DLC-treated stainless steel and 250 in two-tone beadblasted DLC-treated stainless steel and ethical 18-carat rose gold. Both are powered by a chronometer-certified mechanical movement with automatic winding enabling a comfortable 42-hour power reserve.
Partly inspired by the satin black and ‘gunmetal’ finishes often seen on vintage cars, the DLC finish gives the 42-mm, beadblasted stainless steel case a highly attractive appearance that is also scratch-resistant and non-reflective. While the short strap lugs assure comfort and a perfect fit, extreme legibility results from the strong contrast between the matt black dial surface and the vintage yellow minute track and tachymeter scale.
The Arabic numerals, also in vintage yellow, are filled with ultra-bright Super-LumiNova enabling the watch to be more easily read in low-light conditions, while the counter subdials are clearly marked to show 60 seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours. A bold date window is located between the 4 and 5 o’clock positions, while a hint of red on the tip of the seconds hand – together with the subtle inclusion of the famous red 1000 Miglia direction arrow – are the indications on the dial side that this chronograph pays tribute to the race.
Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro
The new models for 2020 comprise the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control, an automatic time and date watch and the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono in stainless steel (750-piece limited edition) featuring a sub-dial layout inspired by a classic car instrument cluster. Both models are highlighted by elegant ‘Azzurro’ dials of a steely blue hue that contrasts beautifully with the ‘Mille Miglia red’ used for detailing the hands as well as the instantly recognisable ‘1000 Miglia’ direction arrow that frames the date window.
Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control
The watch offers a distinctive, ‘bi-colour’ look with its steel case and 18-carat rose gold detailing to the winding crown, bezel, hands and hour markers. Available in just 500 examples, the 43mm timepiece has a satin-brushed blue dial with a varnished blue aluminium bezel insert marked in 12 increments of five to facilitate elapsed time recording.
Turning the watch over allows a clear view of the meticulously decorated Chopard 01.08-C mechanical self-winding movement. Made entirely in-house, the 251-part mechanism offers 60 hours of power reserve (indicated at the nine o’clock position on the dial) and is COSC-certified. The steel ring surrounding the sapphire crystal case back is marked with the ‘Brescia > Roma > Brescia’ route of the Mille Miglia and its individual edition number.
Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono
The Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono combines a central chronograph hand with a trio of dashboard-like sub dials designed to separately record periods of 60 seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours, all to chronometer-grade accuracy. Robust ‘pump’ pushpieces ensure the mechanism is quick and easy to stop, start and re-set even when wearing driving gloves, and the varnished blue and grey bezel insert is marked with a tachymeter scale to enable speed and distance calculations. Also fitted with the same perforated leather and tyre-tread rubber strap as the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control, the Chrono has a solid case back featuring a chequered flag pattern topped by a Mille Miglia arrow, while the ‘Brescia > Roma > Brescia’ legend is marked around the edge.
Mille Miglia Lab One
With a new futuristic-shaped case and a new tourbillon movement, the Mille Miglia Lab One is a concept watch that pays homage to the 1000 Miglia. Designed in the spirit of high-performance race cars and impelled by the same quest for technical refinement and innovation, the first Chopard self-winding tourbillon chronometer – issued in a 20-piece limited edition – pushes the boundaries of the Manufacture. This ultra-light model features a highly contemporary blackened titanium cushion-shaped case that is both exceptionally ergonomic and technically sophisticated.
The Chopard Calibre 04.03-M is an all-new movement. The first self-winding tourbillon calibre to emerge from Chopard Manufacture, it is protected by a patent relating to the stop-tourbillon mechanism. Inspired by a disc-brake system, the tourbillon carriage is brought to a halt by axially mounted levers that are activated as soon as the crown is pulled out. The movement can thus be set to the nearest second, which is extremely rare for a tourbillon. Another patent filed by Chopard relates to the Variner balance with which Chopard Calibre 04.03-M is equipped: it ensures stable movement rating by compensating for inertia variations throughout the running time of the watch.
