Chopard’s long association with auto racing, which has inspired watches such as the Mille Miglia and the recent Grand Prix de Monaco Historique — continues at this year’s Baselworld, which sees the release of a trio of new timepieces in its Classic Racing Collection, called Superfast.
The new watches — which Chopard describes as appealing to “thrill-seeking sports-car drivers” with their “bold lines” and “virile design” — are the first in the brand’s Racing Collection to be equipped with movements developed in-house at Chopard’s workshops in the Swiss town of Fleurier. The collection includes the Superfast Automatic, a three-handed watch with date; the Superfast Chrono, a chronograph with a flyback function and tachymeter; and the Superfast Power Control, with a small seconds subdial and unconventional power reserve display.
The design of the collection includes several references to the world of competitive car racing, such as the silver-brushed vertical lines against the black background of the dial, which resemble the cooling fins on air-cooled racing engines. Also, the inner bezel rings display minute numerals similar to the type found on sports-car rev-counters and speedometers.
The natural rubber straps have a smooth tread pattern, reminiscent of that on the slick tires used for high-speed track motor racing. The watches bear other hallmarks of Chopard’s Classic Racing line, like the “steering wheel” logo on the rubber-molded gold crown, engraved cooling-fin-like grooves on the sides of the lugs, rubber-coated pushers for better grip, and Allen screws on the bezel similar to the ones on car-wheel rims.
The cooling-vent motif extends even to the movements, which boast openworked bridges finished with the same thin parallel line pattern. All the movements in the Superfast collection are COSC-certified chronometers, and all are on display beneath sapphire exhibition windows in the backs of the steel cases.
The Superfast Automatic (above, front and back) has a traditional central display of the hours, minutes and seconds and a date window at 6 o’clock. It has a 41-mm-diameter case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters, and contains the self-winding Chopard Calibre 01.01-M, which has a 60-hour power reserve.
The Superfast Power Control model (below, front and back) uses an evolved version of the Automatic’s base movement, called Chopard Calibre 01.02-M, to power its range of functions, which include central hours and minutes, small small seconds on a subdial at 6 o’clock, date in a window at 3 o’clock, and an unusual power-reserve indicator that appears to be cribbed from an automobile’s dashboard, with a needle pointer in a semicircular subdial evoking the look of a fuel gauge. The Power Control’s steel case is larger, at 45 mm in diameter.
The Superfast Chrono (below, front and back) also sports a 45-mm-diameter case, and contains automatic Chopard Calibre 03.05-M. This watch also displays the seconds on a subdial at 6 o’clock but moves the date window to 4:30. The chronograph has a central sweep-second hand and a flyback function; the 30-minute counter is at 3 o’clock and the 12-hour hour counter is at 9 o’clock. There is also a tachymeter scale engraved on the bezel, another nod to auto racing.
Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Schuefele sees the new Racing Collection watches with manufacture movements as another important step in the brand’s increasing vertical integration and its determination to produce more of its movements in-house. Chopard is expected to announce more news and introduce other new products at the Baselworld watch fair next week. For our video interview with Scheufele, in which he discusses Chopard’s plans for more in-house movement production, click here.
I don’t mean to be biased, but as much as I like the new Chopard Superfast Power Control, I still prefer the look of my older Mille Miglia GT XL Power Control. The fuel gauge at the 6 o’clock position blends in so much better with the overall look of the dial and is more balanced with the big luminous 12 o’clock numeral. It also has a MUCH more classical look linking it to the vintage cars. I will never sell it as I reckon mint condition models it will be in demand and sought after by collectors eventually. I guess Chopard has had to move on and the new manufacture movement in this new model should prove a success.
I have an older model Mille Miglia GT XL Power Control which has the Power Reserve Indicator at the 6 o’clock position with the Dunlop tread pattern rubber strap and it’s the most accurate of all my C.O.S.C certified watches but even greater is the pleasure it gives me wearing it. Also a real attention getter!
Chopard Watches are one of my favourites and they make truly great watches!