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The world’s most beautiful car rally offers Chopard a new opportunity to race in style
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Brescia, Thursday October 25th 2020 – For the 32nd consecutive year, Chopard served as main partner and official timekeeper for this new edition of the ‘1000 Miglia’ rally. In four days, the 354 crews conquered the 1,618 km of the race. Amongst them were four cars composing the Chopard Sponsor Team, starting the competition under the protective gaze of Jacky Ickx, who presided over the festivities organised by Chopard.
The competition was eventually won by the team composed of Roberto Vesco (already a winner in 1993) and his son Andrea Vesco (who finished third in the 2018 edition and second in 2019) at the wheel of a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato.
More than 45 hours of driving through 245 Italian municipalities resulted in Silvia Marini and Francesca Ruggeri, the first all-female crew to finish the ‘1000 Miglia’, to win the "Coppa delle Dame" with an excellent 24th place at the wheel of a 1929 Bugatti T40.
Finally, the Chopard Sponsor Team is proud to announce a great performance by of one of its crews, led by Stefano Valente and Alberto Aliverti, which finished fifth aboard a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS Zagato.
This exceptional edition of the race offered Chopard the occasion to unveil the latest timepieces from its 2020 Mille Miglia Collection, must-have creations for contemporary gentlemen to race in style.
Mille Miglia 2020 Race Edition
A chronometer with a distinctive character
Since becoming the 1000 Miglia's principal partner and official timekeeper in 1988, Chopard has produced a new Mille Miglia timepiece every year. Over the decades, these have come to be highly sought-after collectors’ items, as much for their rarity – all are made in strictly limited numbers – as for the way they perfectly express the inextricable link between the worlds of classic cars and mechanical sports watches. A chronograph is an essential piece of operational equipment for any serious rally contestant, and every team taking part in the 1000 Miglia is presented with the latest Mille Miglia Race Edition chronograph before they arrive at the start line. The 2020 edition is issued in two versions powered by a chronometer-certified movement: 1,000 in beadblasted DLC-treated stainless steel and 250 in two-tone beadblasted DLC-treated stainless steel and ethical 18-carat rose gold.
The Mille Miglia 2020 Race Edition revisits the full-black theme with a beadblasted, Diamond Like Carbon (DLC)-treated case, a matt black varnished dial and contrasting 'vintage yellow' markings. The combination adds up to a retro look that appears entirely at home at the steering wheel of a classic automobile, yet which works equally well for regular day or evening wear and is sure to appeal to younger enthusiasts becoming increasingly involved in events such as the 1000 Miglia.
One watch, two versions
Two versions of the Mille Miglia 2020 Race Edition will be available: an all-black model in a 1,000-piece limited series, plus a further run of 250 fitted with bezels made from contrasting beadblasted 18-carat ethical rose gold. Both of them are powered by a chronometer-certified mechanical movement with automatic winding enabling a comfortable 42-hour power reserve.
Turning the watch over reveals a sapphire crystal case-back bordered by the 1000 Miglia logo and the unique edition number of each piece while the perfect finishing touch is set by a black, perforated leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching and a rubber lining featuring Chopard's signature tread pattern based on that of a 1960s Dunlop racing tyre.
Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro
Made to stay the course
Each year Chopard produces a new Mille Miglia watch collection to celebrate what is regularly described as 'the most beautiful race in the world' and to which the Maison has been the main partner and official timekeeper since 1988. 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.
A car – in a watch
Both the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control and the 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.
Miglia Lab One
mechanical challenge
A new futuristic-shaped case, a new tourbillon movement: the Mille Miglia Lab One is a concept watch that pays homage to the 1000 Miglia. Designed in the spirit of high-performance race cars and impelled by the same quest for technical refinement and innovation, the first Chopard self-winding tourbillon chronometer – issued in a 20-piece limited edition – pushes the boundaries of the Manufacture. This ultra-light model features a highly contemporary blackened titanium cushion-shaped case that is both exceptionally ergonomic and technically sophisticated, as well as a tourbillon movement (Chopard 04.03-M) equipped with a patented stop-tourbillon mechanism and a likewise patented invisible crown.
A mechanical culture
In developing this original watchmaking creation, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of the Maison and founder of the Chopard Manufacture workshops created in 1996, selected its best design engineers, watchmakers and experts in the strictest secrecy with a mandate to imagine the future of sporting Haute Horlogerie. Thus assembled, the elite group drew inspiration from the L.U.C 04.01-L calibre, a unique movement that has made its mark on the history of Chopard Manufacture and today equips the L.U.C Engine One models.
The first innovation featured in this new Mille Miglia Lab One timepiece is the first-ever Chopard Manufacture ‘form’ (non-round) self-winding tourbillon movement, enriched with several advanced functions. Stemming from the performance culture characteristic of Chopard – partner and official timekeeper to the Mille Miglia race since 1988 – it is driven by a passion for automobiles and a demand for quality tested in the toughest environments. This technical prowess is based on lightness, understatement and mechanical optimisation.
