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Chopard: Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale
Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale
Racing in style
To celebrate 30 years of partnership between Chopard and the Mille Miglia, the Geneva-based Maison presents a new sports edition of the emblematic collection Mille Miglia in subtle shades of grey – the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigrio Speciale – born from its passion for “classic racing”. This powerful grey-clad model is joining the Mille Miglia GTS collection launched in 2015 and inspired by the legendary Italian car rally for which Chopard has been serving as official timekeeper since 1988. Sophisticated aesthetics and technical excellence meet and mingle in this exclusive timepiece powered by a Chopard calibre: the 01.08-C movement, chronometer-certified by the COSC. With its “Rosso Corsa” red, grey and black detailing, its oversized numerals evoking 1950s car dashboards and its Cordura fabric strap, the new Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale 1000-piece limited edition perpetuates Chopard’s beloved “classic racing” spirit.
A passion for fine mechanics
The now inseparable ties between Chopard and “classic racing” stem from the personal passion for collector’s cars nurtured by Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. This attachment found concrete expression in 1988 when the Manufacture became partner and official timekeeper of the famous Mille Miglia. Thirty years on, this endurance competition that sees over 440 classic cars vying with each other each spring along a thousand-mile route running from Brescia to Rome and back, continues to wind its way through stunning Italian scenery. Regarded by Enzo Ferrari as “the world’s most beautiful race”, it is the source of inspiration for an eponymous watch collection created by Chopard. A true benchmark in the field of contemporary watchmaking, the Mille Miglia collection annually welcomes new models featuring virile, sleekly and sophisticated designs.
Classic inspiration, contemporary style
The intensely grey Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale is enriching this collection by revisiting the characteristics of the “classic racing” cars that took part in the Italian rally between 1940 and 1957. With its red-accented case and dial, it exudes a powerful allure and a sporty presence suited to all occasions. This contemporary timepiece issued in a 1,000-piece limited edition comes with a sturdy 43 mm-diameter case in shotblasted titanium – an extremely light and resistant material – topped by a bezel with a graduated black aluminium inlay. Its short, streamlined lugs, designed to mould the curve of the wrist to perfection, ensure optimal comfort and a unique style, complemented by an integrated strap in Cordura, a high-performance fabric used for driver race suits. Deftly combining modernity and timeless visual appeal, it is fitted with a shotblasted stainless steel folding clasp. The screw-in case-back, ensuring water resistance guaranteed to 100 metres, is secured by eight PVD-treated black screws and engraved with the inscription “Brescia > Roma > Brescia”. Ensuring pleasing colour coordination, the tinted crystal, framed by a bright red gasket, provides fascinating glimpses of the Chopard movement, its prestigious finishing and its openworked oscillating weight.
Contrasting effects for a distinctive aesthetic
While the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale does as its name implies feature various shades of grey, it also plays on contrasts. Its finely stippled anthracite dial is lit up by the flamboyant “Rosso Corsa” red tip of the central sweep-seconds hand, as well as the arrow-shaped Mille Miglia logo framing the date aperture. The black Super-LumiNova®-painted oversized 6 and 12 o’clock Arabic numerals stand out clearly against the dial backdrop. Recalling the dashboard of historical cars, they meet the readability demands of the Italian car rally which is raced in any weather. With the same purpose in mind, the broad facetted sword-shaped hands and the metallic applied hour-markers are painted with a black luminescent material. Just as drivers keep an eye on petrol level during the 1,600 km of the Mille Miglia, owners of a Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale will be able to check the power reserve of their timepiece by means of the dedicated indicator. The latter is indeed inspired by the petrol gauges of the cars competing in the race.
High-precision watch engine
A classic car involves a certain mindset, combined with streamlined bodywork designed to enhance performance, as well as a throbbing motor. The imposing yet subtle design of the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale houses an ‘engine’ boasting equally remarkable precision and performance. Entirely developed, produced and assembled in the Fleurier Ebauches workshops of the Maison Chopard, the calibre 01.08-C is chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Endowed with a generous approximately 60-hour power reserve, this mechanical movement with automatic winding drives the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. A powerful grey watch of strong character radiating an undeniable sense of chic, the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grizio Speciale embodies the Chopard spirit of “classic racing” interpreted in a resolutely contemporary mode.
Technical Details
Mille Miglia GTS Grigio Speciale
1,000-piece titanium limited edition
Case:
Titanium
Total diameter 43.00 mm
Thickness 11.43 mm
Water resistance 100 metres
Screw-lock crown in DLC-treated blackened steel
Featuring a steering wheel motif 7.00 mm
Titanium bezel with black aluminium inlay and shiny numerals
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition back secured with screws
bearing the inscription Brescia > Roma > Brescia,
fitted with a red gasket and tinted crystal
PVD-treated case-back screws
Movement:
Mechanical movement with automatic winding Chopard 01.08-C
Number of components 251
Total diameter 28.60 mm
Thickness 4.95 mm
Number of jewels 40
Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve approx. 60 hours
Chronometer-certified (COSC)
Dial and hands:
Stippled anthracite grey ruthenium dial
White transfers
Super-LumiNova®-painted matt black hour-markers and Arabic numerals
Power-reserve indicator with black and red transfers
Black facetted hours and minutes hands
Black red-tipped central sweep-seconds hand
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds
Date window at 3 o’clock
Power-reserve indicator at 9 o’clock
Strap and buckle:
Strap made of Cordura fabric as used in high-performance motorsports apparel, known for its durability as well as its resistance to abrasion and tearing.
Polished folding clasp in shotblasted steel.
Ref. 168566-3007 – in titanium fitted with a Cordura fabric strap
1,000-piece limited edition
2018 of the Mille Miglia car rally
Chopard celebrates 30 years of partnership with
“la corsa la più bella del mondo”
Since 1988, Chopard has been serving as historical partner and official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia, the legendary car rally born 90 years ago. From May 16th to 19th 2018, the race will see 440 teams cover a distance of one thousand miles (approximately 1,600 km) along a historical route leading from Brescia to Rome and back via Ferrara, Cervia, San Marino, Sienna, Parma and the famous Monza track. This competition is reserved for historical models having taken part in one of the Mille Miglia editions held between 1927 and 1956. Loyal to a tradition that began in 1988, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele – Chopard co-president and a passionately dedicated collector’s car driver – is to compete in this latest edition.
Thirty years of undimmed passion
Roaring engines, smoking tarmac, thrilling speed and waves of adrenalin…. all of which make a striking contrast with the world of watchmaking and its temperature-controlled rooms pervaded by almost monastic serenity. A closer look however reveals a number of similarities between the two spheres: the relationship with time, a passion for fine mechanics, as well as absolute concentration. The ties between Chopard and the Mille Miglia have been woven through an inseparable shared history that is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. This bond stemmed from Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s personal passion for classic cars that fuelled the Maison Chopard in becoming the main sponsor of the Mille Miglia in 1988 – and one of the first brands to associate its name with the automobile world. For Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, these ties are self-evident: “Lovers of fine cars often have a weakness for precious timepieces, and vice versa. Extreme precision and sporting elegance are important in both fields.” Since his first participation in the Mille Miglia, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has made a point of honour of being one of the drivers in the Porsche 550 Spyder RS A. The second Chopard team consists of Albert Carreras, son of world-famous tenor José Carreras, and his friend Jordi Pascual.
A family story
The Mille Miglia is a family story of passion for the Scheufele’s. This passion is transmitted from generation to generation. All the members of the family have taken part or attended the Mille Miglia under the Maison Chopard flag. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele will be on the starting line under the watchful eye of his own father, Karl Scheufele, who instilled in him his own fascination and enthusiasm for classic cars. These moments are special and precious for a father. There is of course a deeply rooted desire to pass on a personal penchant… What could be finer than to transmit a passion for fine mechanics, whether of the horological or automobile variety? Yet, the Mille Miglia is a demanding mistress. A trying race that requires constant attention and tolerates no imprecision. It is all about passing on, as well as teaching, sharing and accompanying in order to help avoid potential pitfalls and lead the car to victory. The qualities required to take part in this rally are well-known and quite logically similar to those of the Chopard watchmakers.
Human adventures and dreamy scenery
In keeping with a tradition established in 1927, this year’s Mille Miglia route features a loop starting in the town of Brescia. It runs through more than 200 towns and villages of northern and central Italy, taking a different route each year in order to delight aficionados from around the world. The first stage will depart on the afternoon of Wednesday May 16th and end in Cervia. The second will take competitors to Rome where they will enjoy a chance to rediscover the city of seven hills at nightfall. On Friday May 18th, it’s off to the enchanting landscapes of Tuscany, en route to Parma in the Emilia Romagna region. Finally, on Saturday morning, pilots will begin their return to Brescia, where an ever-enthusiastic public will await them.
Racing in style: the Italian art of living
While the actual route of the Mille Miglia varies from year two year, there are two specific features that make it unique: the thousand-mile distance covered, and the Italian art of living inseparably bound up with the race. The world’s finest drivers come for the sheer pleasure of competing in the extraordinary cars that collectors and the best-known museums agree to part with for the duration of the race. The elegance of these classic marvels is matched only by that of the participants. The ‘unreasonable’ side of the rally has given way to very sportsmanlike atmosphere of conviviality and fair play. Good humour, joie de vivre, the art of living and a passion for fine mechanics are an integral part of this competition’s enduring success.
