Originally...a mythical race
The Chopard Mille Miglia watch owes its name to a legendary race. Between 1927 and 1957, the Mille Miglia (for 1,000 miles) car race would invite many prestigious drivers and manufacturers to challenge its circuit across Italy. Considered one of the most famous car races in the world, this event disappeared after 30 years, following the death of one of the drivers, to the great displeasure of the enthusiasts. Finally, it will be resurrected many decades later. As a tribute to the original competition, the new edition of the Mille Miglia will see many vintage vehicles competing. Only the models that took part in the race between 1927 and 1957, i.e. about 400 vintage cars, can take part in the event. In 1988, the manufacturer Chopard decided to become the main partner and official timekeeper of the new generation Mille Miglia. For this occasion, it invented an eponymous timepiece that paid tribute to the race and to the automobile of the previous century: the Mille Miglia. For nearly 30 years, the Swiss watchmaker has regularly taken advantage of this partnership to release limited editions of its famous Chopard Mille Miglia. This pilot's watch has become the sporting emblem of Chopard and is today one of the greatest classics of modern watchmaking. Part of the Classic Racing collection, the Mille Miglia chronographs are truly inspired by the design of the cars that compete in this legendary event.
Mille Miglia: one inspiration, two styles
Although each new edition of the Mille Miglia sees the creation of an eponymous chronograph, all Chopard Mille Miglia watches are classified into two different families, both of which are lightheartedly inspired by the vehicles participating in the automobile event. The first is the Mille Miglia Classic. In this collection, we find driver's watches with a vintage look, whose airy and elegant lines remind us of other times. These are a tribute to the very first cars that took part in the Mille Miglia, namely the models that competed between 1927 and 1940. The second large family is the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS (meaning Gran Turismo Sport). Within it, we find more modern and racy chronographs that take up the design of the most recent racing vehicles (between 1940 and 1957). These models are also distinguished by their very high performance and originality. The Mille Miglia Automatic and Mille Miglia Power Control models have very high precision movements, entirely designed in the Swiss manufacturer's workshops.