This spring Chopard will proudly reprise its role as main sponsor and official timekeeper of Italy’s world famous Mille Miglia classic car rally, a position it has held continuously since 1988. Each year, Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has demonstrated his passion for automobiles by competing in the gruelling, 1,000-mile contest that runs from Brescia to Rome and back – and each year the Maison produces a new Mille Miglia watch collection to celebrate what is regularly described as "the most beautiful race in the world".

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The brand-new models for 2020 comprise the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control, an automatic time and date watch, limited to 500 pieces in stainless steel and 18-carat rose gold, with a power reserve indicator based on an automotive fuel gauge, and the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono in stainless steel (750-piece limited edition) featuring a sub-dial layout inspired by a classic car instrument cluster. Both models are highlighted by elegant "Azzurro" dials of a steely blue hue which contrasts beautifully with the 'Mille Miglia red' used for detailing the hands as well as the instantly recognisable "1000 Miglia" direction arrow that frames the date window.

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A car – in a watch

Both the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control and the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono are rich in design touches inspired by the automotive world. Each steel case, for example, features sides that are grooved in the style of an engine’s piston, while the smoothly-sloping strap lugs are reminiscent of the curvature of hand-crafted coachwork. The oversized winding crown, meanwhile, recalls the chunky cap of a race-style fuel filler, while the chronograph's pushpieces are deeply engraved in the manner of the anti-slip pattern often applied to the control pedals of competition cars.  Even the straps take their cue from the motoring world, combining the classic, perforated leather favoured by gentleman drivers of the 1950s and '60s with a rubber lining that replicates the tread pattern of a Dunlop racing tyre.

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Blue is the coolest colour – in every way

The particular 'Azzurro' (Italian for 'blue') that adorns the dials of the new Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Collection was chosen both for its aesthetic appeal and its similarity to the shades often used in the past on some of the world's great classic cars. The colour both reflects the mechanical nature of the Mille Miglia timepieces and offers a versatile alternative to more conventional black or silver dials, enabling the robustly engineered Mille Miglia GTS models to fit in perfectly whether they are worn for business, at a cocktail party, on the sports field – or, of course, beneath the cuff of a favourite driving jacket.

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The Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control – built entirely in Chopard’s workshops

The Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control offers a distinctive, 'bi-colour' look thanks to its combination of a steel case and 18-carat rose gold detailing to the winding crown, bezel, hands and hour markers.

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Available in just 500 examples, the 43mm timepiece has a satin-brushed blue dial with a varnished blue aluminium bezel insert marked in 12 increments of five to facilitate elapsed time recording. Turning the watch over, meanwhile, reveals an exhibition case back that allows a clear view of the meticulously decorated Chopard 01.08-C mechanical self-winding movement.

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Made entirely in-house, the 251-part mechanism offers 60 hours of power reserve (the level of which can be monitored by the indicator at the nine o'clock position on the dial) and is chronometer certified for accuracy by the COSC, the official Swiss chronometer testing institute. The steel ring surrounding the sapphire crystal case back is marked with the 'Brescia > Roma > Brescia' route of the Mille Miglia and each of the 500 watches is engraved with its individual edition number.

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The Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono – the watch for gentleman drivers who make every second count

The chronograph wristwatch is as inextricably linked with the world of classic motorsport as are fly screens, bonnet straps and wire wheels. Ideal for timing laps at a race circuit or monitoring special sections during a reliability trial, the Chronograph Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono combines a central chronograph hand with a trio of dashboard-like sub dials designed to separately record periods of 60 seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours, all to chronometer-grade accuracy.

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Robust 'pump' pushpieces ensure the mechanism is quick and easy to stop, start and re-set even when wearing driving gloves, and the varnished blue and grey bezel insert is marked with a tachymeter scale to enable speed and distance calculations.

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Also fitted with the same perforated leather and tyre-tread rubber strap as the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control, the Chrono has a solid case back featuring a chequered flag pattern topped by a Mille Miglia arrow, while the "Brescia > Roma > Brescia" legend and the individual edition number out of 750 is marked around the edge.

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Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control

Technical specifications:

Reference: 168566-6002 – in stainless steel and 18-carat rose gold with blue-coloured calfskin leather and blue rubber strap – 500-piece limited edition

Case:

·       Stainless steel

·       Total diameter: 43.00 mm

·       Thickness: 11.43 mm

·       Water-resistant: 100 metres

·       18-carat rose gold crown with steering wheel motif: 7.00 mm

·       Polished 18-carat rose gold bezel with blue aluminium inlay

·       Glare-proofed sapphire crystal

·       Exhibition caseback secured with screws bearing the inscription Brescia > Roma > Brescia

Movement:

·       Mechanical self-winding movement: Chopard 01.08-C

·       Number of components: 251

·       Total diameter: 28.80 mm

·       Thickness: 4.95 mm

·       Number of jewels: 40

·       Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)

·       Power reserve: 60 hours

·       Flat terminal curve

·       Chronometer certified (COSC)

Dial and hands:

·       Circular satin brushed blue-coloured dial achieved with galvanic treatment

·       Varnished blue and grey inner bezel ring with a white transfer

·       Super-LumiNova-painted gilded appliques

·       Super-LumiNova-painted and facetted gilded hours and minutes hands

·       Power reserve indicator gilded hand (at 9 o’clock)

·       Gilded red-tipped sweep-seconds hand

Functions:

·       Hours, minutes, seconds

·       Date aperture at 3 o’clock

·       Power-reserve indicator at 9 o’clock

Strap and buckle:

·       Blue-coloured calf leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching

·       Perforations inspired by driving gloves

·       Blue rubber lining inspired by 1960s Dunlop racing tyres

·       Polished and satin-brushed stainless-steel folding clasp

The price for the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control Ref. 168566-6002 is EUR 9,640 and is limited edition to 500 pieces.

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Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono

Technical specifications:

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Reference: 168571-3007 – in stainless steel with blue-coloured calfskin leather and blue rubber strap – 750-piece limited edition

Case:

·       Stainless steel

·       Total diameter: 44.00 mm

·       Thickness: 13.79 mm

·       Water-resistant to: 100 metres

·       Stainless steel crown with steering wheel motif: 8.00 mm

·       Polished stainless-steel bezel with blue aluminium inlay

·       Glare-proofed sapphire crystal

·       Solid caseback bearing the inscription Brescia > Roma > Brescia

Movement:

·       Mechanical self-winding chronograph    

·       Number of components: 240                  

·       Total diameter: 30.40 mm

·       Thickness: .90 mm

·       Number of jewels: 25

·       Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)

·       Power reserve: 48 hours

·       Stop seconds function

·       Flat terminal curve

·       Chronometer-certified (COSC)

Dial and hands:

·       Circular satin brushed blue-coloured dial achieved with galvanic treatment

·       Varnished blue and grey inner bezel ring with a white transfer

·       Super-LumiNova-painted rhodium-plated appliques

·       Super-LumiNova-painted and facetted rhodium-plated hours and minutes hands

·       Rhodium-plated red-tipped sweep-seconds hand

Functions:

·       Hours, minutes, small seconds

·       30-minute and 12-hour counters

·       Date window at 3 o’clock

·       Tachymeter

Strap and buckle:

·       Blue-coloured calf leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching

·       Perforations inspired by driving gloves

·       Blue rubber lining inspired by 1960s Dunlop racing tyres

·       Polished stainless-steel folding clasp

The price for the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono Ref. 168571-3007 is EUR 7,360 and is limited edition to 750 pieces.

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For more information please visit Chopard Online.