The Mille Miglia Classic open road endurance race took place every year in Italy between 1927 and 1957. Interrupted only by the years when the country was at war, the spectacle was renowned for bringing in millions of spectators, and was a well loved feature in the world of motorsport. Despite its ultimate closure due to safety reasons, the event has been revived several times, and is now the showcase of a classic car parade known as the Mille Miglia Storica. This 1000 mile ride stretches between the boundaries of Bresica and Rome, and the luxury watchmaker Chopard has been its proud sponsor and timekeeper ever since 1988.
Chopard Mille Miglia watches are one of the best selling collections to be pioneered by Chopard, and a new version is lavishly developed each year to commemorate the namesake event for these watches. This year’s Mille Miglia is a Chopard chronograph with a difference, and has come about as a result of a convergence between Chopard and the historic Italian automotive design company Zagato. Zagato has lent its design expertise to a wealth of iconic sports car manufacturers, including Bentley, Bugatti and Ferrari, and this legendary design brand has exerted its full powers of creativity to personalise the new Mille Miglia in a memorable fashion.
The case of this 42.5mm steel chronograph boasts a black DLC finish which has been specially treated to be extremely resistant to scratch damage. Chopard have provided twin variations of this watch, including a version with a rose gold bezel, although both models boldly declare the symbolic red detailing that has become synonymous with both Zagato and the Mille Miglia event. The Mille Miglia series invariably incorporates a small crimson arrow marker somewhere on the dial; an affectionate nod towards the similar icon used to designate the route of the actual car rally. Â Zagato has also had a profound influence over the strap of the timepiece, with a prominent central groove providing a strong visual link to many of the designers other projects.
Whilst the Zagato logo is undoubtedly flaunted upon the sculpted crown of this new Mille Miglia, Chopard’s own input into the timepiece is far from insignificant. The ‘engine’ of this high performance chronograph is a Chopard COSC-certified self winding mechanism, and it has been specifically selected for use in the Mille Miglia series due to its qualities of durability and reliability. Both Chopard and Zagato are distinguished by a fierce passion for unparalleled automotive excellence, and the collaboration between these two brand names has produced a triumphant spectacle of horology that eminently worthy of bearing the Mille Miglia name.
The Millie Miglia Zagato is available only in a limited series of 500 issues for each of the paired models, although here at Banks Lyon we are able to offer a huge range of previous Mille Miglia timepieces, each representing the many years of successful collaboration between these two iconic companies. With brand new Mille Miglia timepieces being fashioned by Chopard every year, this collection is only set to expand, so be sure to keep a close eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages to read all about our latest news.
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