In a marketing-driven world, it has long been en vogue for brands to cycle through partnerships and corporate relationships quicker than you can scroll through your Instagram feed. That’s why the 30-year relationship between Chopard and the Mille Miglia — one of the world’s most famous open-road endurance races that sees more than 400 historical cars covering a one-thousand-mile route from Brescia, Italy to Rome and back — should be celebrated.
One of the reasons this has been such a longstanding partnership is due to Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s love of classic collector’s cars. In fact, during this 30-year period, Scheufele has driven in every single race. This year, the twosome celebrates its longstanding partnership with five new Mille Miglia watches in a variety of new colors.
Chopard describes these new chronographs as a re-edition of a previous Chopard collection but doesn’t specify what year the original models may have come from. What’s new here, however, is the five bright new color combinations that liven up the three-decade-old relationship. The five colors are as follows: Rosso Corso, Speed Silver, British Racing Green, Vintage Blue, and Speed Yellow. These colors actually have historic ties. Starting in 1910, nation-specific colors for auto racing were introduced so onlookers could identify the nationality of the drivers. Bright red Rosso Corsa for the Italians, British racing green for the United Kingdom, grey-white for the Germans, yellow for the Belgians, and, finally, blue for the French.
The watches are nicely sized at 42 mm and each color is limited to 300 total pieces. The slim cursive fonts, as well as the counters, are inspired by the dashboards of vehicles from the late 1920s. The Arabic numerals and applied indices are painted with Super-LumiNova. The movement is COSC-certified and features a healthy 42-hour power reserve. It’s visible through the exhibition caseback that features a special transfer highlighting the specific color of each model.
Click here to check out our recent review of the Chopard Mille Miglia XL Race Edition.
