Among the milestone evolutions of this collection was the first mechanical movement, incorporated into a stainless steel split-seconds chronograph model launched in 1990.
Chopard. Chopard. Chopard. Chopard. Chopard. Chopard
Mille Miglia Chronographe. Mille Miglia Chronographe. Mille Miglia Chronographe. Mille Miglia Chronographe. Mille Miglia Chronographe
Launch Year
1988
Functions
hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, date, tachymeter scale
Movement
mechanical
Distinctive features
limited-edition watch reserved for Mille Miglia competitors, 1988 edition
Chopard drew inspiration from the famed Italian Mille Miglia road race for a collection of sporty timepieces which has been issued in a new limited series each year since 1988. The strong ties established between the watch and jewellery house and the Mille Miglia stemmed from Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s passion for classic cars. Under the impetus of this enlightened connoisseur and experienced driver, Chopard became partner and official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia in 1988.
Each spring, as more than 400 classic cars compete across the thousand miles stretching from Brescia to Rome and back, Chopard unveils a new edition of the watch featuring consistent sporty design codes. The models in the collection are almost always chronographs and generally include red elements –often teamed with black – as well as the arrow-shaped Mille Miglia logo. Other distinctive features include a tachymeter scale and the use of a luminescent coating to accentuate legibility, much like the dashboards of classic cars.
Mille Miglia race, 2017 ©Chopard
Among the milestone evolutions of this collection was the first mechanical movement, incorporated into a stainless steel split-seconds chronograph model launched in 1990. Since 1997 every Mille Miglia watch has been fitted with a mechanical self-winding movement and, another important development, all models – previously presented to Mille Miglia competitors only – were made available as limited editions for public sale. Since 2000, all movements are systematically COSC certified.
The Mille Miglia now comprises two distinct lines. The Classic line is inspired by the oldest cars having taken part in the Mille Miglia from 1927 to 1940. The sportier GT XL take its cues from more ‘recent’ cars that competed between 1940 to 1957. Marking the partnership’s 30th anniversary in 2018, the Mille Miglia Race Edition was issued as two limited editions with a circular-grained anthracite dial, cased in steel or gold and steel. Released in 2020, the Mille Miglia Lab One Concept in titanium became Chopard’s first concept watch. An impressive 48.6 x 46mm, it runs off the in-house Chopard 04.03-M, the brand’s first tourbillon form movement, displaying hours and minutes, small seconds on the tourbillon, power reserve and a retrograde day indication. Built from 485 components, this is one of the most complex Chopard movements to date.
Key Characteristics
- Wrist chronograph issued in a limited edition for competitors in the Mille Miglia classic car rally