Passion

The story of cooperation between the Chopard Watchmaking Company and the legendary Mille Miglia race started in 1988 when Chopard provided the event with its support for the first time. The initial cooperation was followed by the introduction of the first Chopard Mille Miglia Chronograph,  so the year 2008 marks the 20-th anniversary of the collection. Today, Chopard is proud to act as an old-established partner of the race.

The Scheufele Family has always highly appreciated the cooperation with the Mille Miglia, having personally participated annually in the 1000-mile race since 1988. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, an avid fan of classic race automobiles, initiated the idea of creating a Mille Miglia chronograph, inspired by the belief that fans of cool automobiles, praising elegance and high performance, would feel passionate about fine watches and vice-versa.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele wanted to create a timepiece with a sporty design, equipped with the movement to guarantee most precise timekeeping during a race. In 1988, the dream came true, having given birth to one of the most successful Chopard watch collections ever. Nowadays, enthusiasts and collectors anticipate the appearance of a new Chopard Mille Miglia chronograph to feature an innovative design, high-tech materials and additional technical characteristics.

In 1998, to pay tribute to the Golden Age of automobile sport, the Mille Miglia chronograph was for the first time coupled with its distinctive natural rubber strap revealing the Dunlop racing tire tread of the 1960-s.

In 2006, Chopard unveiled the Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL. The timepiece incorporated the largest automatic caliber ever developed, 44 mm diameter, reflecting the recent trend for ‘extra large’.

The Chopard Mille Miglia watch collection has considerably enhanced public awareness of the race that, having come through a 30-year oblivion, has been revived as the ‘Mille Miglia Storica’ and represents one of the favorite vintage car races in the world.

Mille Miglia 2008

In 2008, the event was joined by 375 vintage and classic cars built in the period of 1927-1957, ready to take the challenge and compete along a picturesque ‘Thousand-Mile’ long route. The precious cars traveled from Brescia through Ferrara to Rome and through Siena and Florence back to where they started. The race lasted for 3 days. It attracted thousands of spectators who lined the streets of the original 1927 route, enthusiastically encouraging the drivers.

This year the Mille Miglia was won in the overall ranking by the team VIARO Luciano/VIARO Antonio who drove an 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport. The team of winners was followed by the team SANCHEZ-ZINNY Fernando/BARTOLOME Juan on Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport constructed in 1930. The Alfa Romeo victory stirred up strong emotions, having recalled the famous Campari and Ramponi victory 80 years ago.

Karl Scheufele and his co-pilot Albert Carreras drove a Mercedes 300 SL. President’s son Karl-Friedrich Scheufele with his wife Christine drove an Aston Martin 1 1/2 liter Ulster built in 1935.

Chopard held a Mille Miglia Dinner the night before departure in the Brescia countryside. The dinner was attended by the company’s friends and Mille Miglia supporters, with Jacky Ickx and his wife Khadja, Thomas Frank, Head of Audi Tradition, Stephan Gruhsem, Head of Communication Volkswagen, Dr. Jurgen Grossmann Chief Executive Officer of RWE AG

New Chopard Mille Miglia

To mark the 20-th anniversary of the collection and this year’s Mille Miglia race, Chopard has created the Mille Miglia 2008 GT XL Chrono. The powerful case construction equipped with a screw-locked crown is crafted in stainless steel or 18-K rose gold and measures 44 mm in diameter. Its sleek, sporting lines are accentuated by integrated rectangular pushers and a tachometric scale. The watch guarantees 100-meter water-resistance. As for the case-back, it reveals the engraving of the route map of the Mille Miglia.

The silvery dial of the new Chopard Mille Miglia showcases the oversized ‘12′ and ‘6′ Arabic numerals laminated beneath the sapphire crystal. The dial is completed with a 12-hour counter positioned at 6 o’clock, small seconds at 9 and 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock. The Superluminova-coated hands and hour-markers provide perfect readability in the dark. The tip of the central sweep second hand is accented by red, the symbol color of the Mille Miglia. The date display found at 3 o’clock is fitted with a built-in sapphire lens.

The Mille Miglia 2008 GT XL Chrono accommodates a mechanical self-winding movement, boasting a COSC-chronometer certification. The mechanism is beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, offering a 48-hour power-reserve. This movement has also incorporated a stop seconds device to allow most accurate time-setting.

The steel version of the Mille Miglia 2008 GT XL Chrono goes on a natural black rubber strap with the one-of-a-kind 1960s Dunlop Racing tyre-tread motif, while the 18K rose gold version goes on a crocodile leather strap. The Chopard Mille Miglia 2008 will be available in a limited edition of 2008 pieces in stainless steel and 500 pieces in 18K rose gold.

What makes the latest L.U.C. watch from Chopard so special can be seen in an opening at the top of the watch. A tiny window allows a view of the striking mechanism and the hammer. The Strike One watch does just what you would think, it strikes each passing hour once. The watch uses the LUC 96SH caliber and the mechanism provides the energy for the hammer to strike each hour. The 18K white gold watch also has date, hour and minute indications and shows small seconds. This watch looks a lot like the Chopard L.U.C. Twist that we featured earlier this year.

Eagerly awaited since the presentation of a pre-series in 2006, the L.U.C Chrono One Flyback is now making its grand entry into the Chopard Manufacture collections.

The L.U.C Chrono One Flyback reveals its exceptional nature at first glance. Crafted in 18-carat white or rose gold, the 42 mm case features an admirable blend of classical elegance and dynamic sportsmanship. Water-resistant to 30 metres, fitted with shaped pushers and a crown bearing the L.U.C logo, it is equipped with a sapphire glass and transparent. The sunburst charcoal grey dial is a model of clarity, particularly with its two oversized hour and minute counters slightly offset from the crown axis. The slender, partially hollowed hour and minute hands, characteristic of the L.U.C collection, are coated in Superluminova to ensure optimal night-time readability.

Three innovative systems

The meticulous finishing of the case and dial is matched by an exceptional movement. Designed, developed and produced by the Chopard Manufacture, L.U.C Calibre 11 CF is an integrated chronograph movement – the most prestigious in the world of chronographs. It is indeed equipped with a column wheel – the nerve centre of high-end chronographs – and comprises a flyback function. The L.U.C Calibre 11 CF is distinguished in particular by three innovative systems. The reset function operates by means of a lever pivoting three supple hammers, thereby ensuring optimal return of the counter hands and also cushioning the reset action (patent pending). The L.U.C Calibre 11 CF also includes a “small seconds reset” function combined with a movement stop feature for a precise time setting (patent pending). Finally, the self-winding mechanism winds in both directions and comprises a unidirectional gear device (patent pending). This system avoids losses of energy and ensures optimal winding speed via the gold oscillating weight.

Case:
Case in 18ct white or rose gold
Total diameter42.00 mm
Water-resistant to30 metres
Crown with L.U.C logo 8.00 mm
Shaped pushers
Sapphire crystal with multi-layer glare-proofing on both sides
Transparent case-back
Thickness14.23 mm
Inter-horn width22.00 mm

Movement:
Self-winding chronograph L.U.C 11 CF
Total diameter28.80 mm
Casing diameter28.00 mm
Thickness7.60 mm
Number of jewels 45
Frequency 28,800 vph
Power reserve 60 hours
Chronometer-certified (COSC)
Small seconds reset on demand
Gold oscillating weight

Dial and hands:
Charcoal grey dial
Superluminova coated hour and minute hands

Functions / Indications:
Hour counter at 9 o’clock, minute counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 6 o’clock
Chronograph sweep seconds hands, hour counter, minute counter,date
Flyback , stop seconds device

Strap and buckle:
Black or brown alligator leather strap (22.00mm x 18.00mm)
White or rose gold folding clasp

Ref 161916-1002 white gold
Ref 161916-5001 rose gold
Ref 161916-1003 white gold with baguette-set bezel (2.49 cts)

The legend of Chopard’s Mille Miglia continues with the launch of the new Mille Miglia GT XL GMT. Imposing and endowed with an original GMT indication, this watch combines cutting-edge mechanical engineering and sophisticated aesthetics.

The outstanding characteristics of the new Mille Miglia GT XL GMT include a dual time-zone indication and a representation of the globe at the centre of the dial. The watch uncompromisingly flaunts its sporting and dynamic nature with features such as the oversized 12 and 6 o’clock Arabic numerals and the Superluminova hour-markers as well as the hour and minute hands.

Signature features of the Mille Miglia collection are continued with the famous red arrow and the emblem of the legendary race with which Chopard has been associated since 1988. The watch is also fitted with a natural rubber strap resembling the tread of the 1960’s Dunlop Racing tyres.

A generous 44 mm case

Water-resistant to 100 metres, fitted with a glare-proof sapphire crystal completed with magnifying glass and a screw-locked crown stamped with the Mille Miglia arrow, its generous 44 mm case houses a mechanical self-winding movement chronometer-certified by the COSC – a sure token of precision and reliability. It shows the hours, minutes and central seconds, along with a date window and a central second time-zone hand.

The Mille Miglia GT XL GMT comes in a choice of steel (black dial) or 18-carat rose gold (slate-grey dial) versions. As an alternative to the tyre-tread rubber version, the strap is also available in Barenia leather, complete with steel or 18-carat rose gold folding clasp.

Case:
Steel or 18ct rose gold
Total diameter:44 mm
Thickness:14.25 mm
Water-resistant to100 metres
Glare-proof sapphire crystal with built-in magnifying glass
Screw-locked crown in steel or rose gold struck with the Mille Miglia arrow

Movement:
Self-winding
Diameter:37.2 mm
Total thickness:7.9 mm
Number of jewels:24
Power reserve: approx. 46 hours
Frequency28,800 vph
Stop seconds device while setting the time
Bridges decorated with straight-line “Côtes de Genève”
Chronometer-certified (COSC)

Dial and hands:
Black dial for the steel model or slate-grey dial for the rose gold model , with applied Superluminova-coated hour-markers and numerals (6 and 12)
Hour and minute hands coated with Superluminova to ensure perfect night-time readability

Functions/Indications:
Hours, minutes, central seconds
Date window
GMT function: central 2nd time-zone hand

Straps and buckle:
Barenia leather or natural black rubber strap (with 1960s Dunlop Racing tyre-tread motif)
Folding clasp in polished steel or rose gold

Ref. 168514-3001 in steel, black dial (Boutique exclusivity)
Ref. 161277-5001 in rose gold, slate-grey dial

Right from the time its launch in 1993, the Happy Sport line has proved spectacularly successful. This highly original watch was inspired by the flagship Happy Diamonds model, while adding a touch of refreshing originality and avant-garde lines. Since then, the Happy Sport collection has become one of the brand’s greatest hits.

The new Happy Sport Chrono Mark II presented at Baselworld last year was in tune with this consistent determination to innovate and to respond to women’s ever more sophisticated demands in terms of watches. The 18-carat rose gold or steel chronograph with rotating bezel radiated a resolutely novel style that appealed to active women who enjoy a blend of style and modern elegance.

Chopard now unveils the Happy Sport Chrono Mark II All Black

This striking model immediately lays its cards on the table: blacker than black, monochrome, powerful, minimalist. Its carbon-treated steel case and buckle guarantee impeccable scratch-resistance. Only a diamond, the hardest of all precious stones, could hope to make a mark on it. But instead of any damaging intent, the sparkling white diamonds lend an inimitable touch of radiance and light, spinning freely around the black dial displaying the hours, minutes and seconds. The jet-black shade even extends to the crown, on which onyx replaces the traditional sapphire.

Contemporary, elegant, sporty and discreet, black meets the requirements of a modern and varied wardrobe and matches all kinds of styles, while displaying a natural penchant for the black dinner suit, the quintessence of ultimate chic.

Picture shows on left: “Happy Sport Mark II Chrono All Black” ref. 288499-3007 and on right, ref : 288499-2001 with a diamond-set bezel (2.20ct).