Chopard Unveils the New Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Watch

In celebration of the 2024 Mille Miglia race, Chopard launches a beautiful black and white panda chronograph with plenty of racing-themed features. 

There have been some exceptional Mille Miglia watches released by Chopard over the last 12 months. Take for example, the downsized Classic Chronograph iteration measuring a compact 40.5mm diameter and the collaborative Bamford Edition named the “Desert Racer”, based on the GTS Power Control. In addition to these special iterations, we were treated to a Mille Miglia watch earlier in the year that sported the colours of the French flag and a JX7 model honouring a special friendship with racing driver Jacky Ickx.

All of those watches celebrate Italy’s most famous road race for automobiles – the Mille Miglia, which finished just days ago. The race began back in 1927 and continued up until 1957. From 1977 it was reborn into a regularity race, where both vintage and classic cars could partake in a route similar to the original. The watches featured in Chopard’s chronograph collection are named after the famous event and pay tribute to the open road race that has brought so many vintage car and racing enthusiasts together over the years. The designs belonging to the collection are sporty and masculine, often sporting different liveries or paying homage to different partnerships. As tokens of optimal racing performance, these Mille Miglia Chronograph watches are primed for the race track. They are engineered to offer all the features required in a legible, robust timepiece behind the wheel. Whether or not you use the watch for racing is up to you, since each model has what it takes to constitute a daily companion for the wrist.

You can appreciate these qualities in the finer details. Take the strap and buckle on a Mille Miglia watch, for example. The strap, crafted from black rubber, has a moisture-wicking lining that makes it perfect for endurance sports. The tread pattern, chosen for aesthetics, is yet another tasteful nod to the environment the Mille Miglia belongs in and features a redesigned pin buckle crafted from the brand’s chosen Lucent steel.

A quick glance at the dials of these watches and you’re instantly transported to the automobile world. The scales are crisp and the details are highly legible. They share the same values as the panels of the speed and distance gauges on a racing car. Upon perusing the collection, you’ll also see several colours inspired by the paintwork and interiors of classic cars. These include Verde Chiaro – a palpable light green colour, Rosso Amarena – a rich cherry red, and Nero Corsa – a classic racing black, not forgetting, of course, Grigio-Blue – an attractive grey-blue shade. The classic black colour, however, brings me onto the topic of Chopard’s latest offering from the popular collection. The Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph. If you’re intrigued, keep reading.

The New Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph

The legendary Italian race, which stretches from Brescia and Rome and all the way back again, has just finished up. Therefore, it would be naive to think that those returning from the race won’t be looking for the perfect timepiece to communicate their love for high speed and daringness. The famous watchmaker has been enjoying its role as an official timekeeper for the race since 1988 and continues a tradition of releasing a Mille Miglia watch each time. Even the brand’s co-president has an innate love for the race and has participated every year since 1989. As one of the longest-standing alliances in the world of motorsport and car racing, Chopard presents a new release that is nothing short of beautiful. The panda watch is nicknamed “La Gara”, which translates to “Competition”. And if you were wondering what the white and black colours on the dial stand for, then they’re a simple nod to the chequered flag. The hands and Arabic numeral hour track are inspired by the dashboard of a vintage racing car. 

Working our way from the centre of the dial outwards, the first thing you’ll note about the luminous-coated baton-style central hour and minute hands is that these join a central chronograph second hand and three black-filled sub-counters. At 3 o’clock, you have the 30-minute register, balanced by a small seconds function at 9 o’clock. Nestled in between the two is a 12-hour totaliser. The date window lies between the fourth and fifth hours and the Chopard lettering sits at the head of the dial. Surrounding the “1000 Miglia” lettering in red is an Arabic numeral hour track treated with Super-LumiNova. Then you have a tachymeter scale in black to help assist with measuring speed based on distance. The snailed interior of the counters and vintage-style Arabic numerals are a nice touch to the design, as are the traditional piston-style push-pieces. 

Underneath the dial of this new Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph watch is the ETA A32.211. The automatic movement is an updated version of the earlier ETA 2894-2 and provides an improved power reserve of 54 hours once fully wound. The movement is also COSC-certified to guarantee exceptional reliability and accuracy. Exterior-wise, the new Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph watch measures 40.5mm and sits at 12.8mm thick. It’s also crafted from a luminous alloy named Lucent steel. This is a recycled steel with a composition of almost 80% recycled materials and is one of many of Chopard’s strategic methods to become more sustainable. As such, it is one of the Mille Miglia watch collection’s best USPs. The case if this new Chopard watch is executed with a mix of brushed and polished finishes and features pushers that are inspired by engine pistons with knurled ends that capture the look of brake pedals. Additionally, the crown at 3 o’clock on the case is notched to evoke the look of a petrol tank cap as one would expect to see on a vintage race car. To finish, experts at Chopard choose a stunning boxed sapphire crystal glass to capture a vintage-esque aesthetic. 

If you fancy a timepiece that yields the spirit of this special world-renowned race, get in touch with a member of our Jura Watches sales team today on 01335 53453 or email us an enquiry at help@jurawatches.co.uk