Born in 1927, the Mille Miglia has over the years become the ultimate classic rally and undoubtedly the most prestigious and coveted of them all. After starting out as a speed trial in which some of the greatest ever drivers distinguished themselves by their accomplishments, the Mille Miglia became a regularity race while maintaining its 1,000-mile (1,600 km) route from Brescia in Lombardy to Rome and back. In 2017, Chopard is celebrating 90 years of the Mille Miglia by introducing the Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition. This anniversary edition Chopard timepiece is perhaps the most prestigious ever to grace the Mille Miglia collection, especially given that it is fitted with an L.U.C calibre.
Baselworld 2017: Chopard Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition
The Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition comes with an 18-carat rose gold case that measures a sporty 46 mm in diameter and 13.12 mm in thickness. To improve upon fit given its large body, the lugs on the novel Mille Miglia are thoughtfully short and down-turned. The pushers on the case flank that activate the chronograph functions are highly polished and most aptly, piston-styled. The large notched crown itself is also automotive-inspired, reminiscent of petrol tank caps and ensuring easy handling even with driving gloves. The anniversary Mille Miglia is equipped with a luscious porcelain-white dial punctuated with Superluminova-painted large Arabic numerals. On the dial as well are 3 finely snailed sub-dials: the small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, the chronograph minute register at 3 o’clock and a 12-hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock.
The Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition is powered by the 300-part, 28-jewelled L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L. Indeed, this hand-wound flyback chronograph movement, entirely designed, developed and produced by Chopard, has been borrowed for this tribute piece from Chopard’s haute horlogerie L.U.C collection. It is not surprising then that this timepiece bears the Hallmark of Geneva, a first for a Mille Miglia watch, and also COSC-certification. The L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L utilises nickel silver for its bridges, an alloy enabling precision machining and exceptional chamfering. The lowermost parts of the movement have been circular-grained and gilded, while the uppermost parts driving the chronograph are in steel or rhodium-plated.
Produced in a limited run of 90 pieces (for the 90 years that has passed since the inception of the Mille Miglia), the Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition comes with a matching brown Barenia calfskin strap and 18-carat rose gold folding clasp. The watch is priced at USD43,880.
