CaliforniaJed introduces the Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Jacky Ickx Edition, a limited series celebrating Chopard's partnership with Porsche Motorsport and its ambassador, Jacky Ickx. This post details the watch's design elements, which draw inspiration from both the Porsche 919 Hybrid and Ickx's iconic racing helmet.
Superfast Chrono Porsche 919
Jacky Ickx Edition
In
2014, Chopard became “Official Timing Partner” of Porsche Motorsport for the
German racing team’s grand comeback to endurance competition. That same year,
in honour of this exclusive partnership, Chopard launched a 919-piece limited
edition 919 Superfast chronograph inspired by the Porsche 919 Hybrid
com peting in the World Endurance Championship LMP1 category. See
chopard.watchprosite.com
Today, Chopard is unveiling a new watch, the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Jacky
Ickx Edition, a 100-piece limited series dedicated to Jacky Ickx, longstanding ambassador of Chopard and
Porsche.
While the Superfast Chrono Porsche
919 Jacky Ickx Edition features the design codes of the German speed machine
racing in the World Endurance Championship, its dial also displays the
famous colours of the racing helmet worn by Jacky Ickx,
multiple champion (and close friend of Chopard Co-President
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele). The dial features an inner bezel ring and
counters in dark blue dotted with white touches, the colors of Ickx’s racing
helmet. The dial remains primarily silver-toned, a nod to Porsche’s metallic grey, with
dial stripes designed to resemble the rear diffuser of the Porsche 919 Hybrid.
The Man
Jacky Ickx is
involved in much of Chopard’s racing endeavors. Who is he? Mr. Ickx
is truly one of the greatest 20th century race car
drivers. As a Formula 1 driver from 1967 to 1979, he took part in 114 Grand
Prix and won his first victory at the French Grand Prix in 1968, at the age of
23. He also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, four
with Porsche, and he won the 1983 Paris-Dakar rally.
The Watch
With the exception of its unique dial
colors, the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Jacky Ickx Edition appears to me to be
identical to the regular version. It is water-resistant to 100 meters. The 45
mm grooved case features a bezel bearing a tachymetric scale and secured by
eight blackened screws. The crown is adorned with a black rubber-moulded
steering-wheel motif.
The now familiar, COSC
certified, self-winding, flyback movement is a beauty – the Chopard Calibre
03.05-M, entirely developed, produced and assembled in Chopard’s Fleurier
Ebauches workshops. The caseback is engraved with the inscriptions “Official
Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport” and “Jacky Ickx Limited Edition”.
The watch comes on a black “smooth tread” rubber strap.
Thoughts
I have wanted a Superfast
Chrono for some time now but I have not yet "pulled the trigger".
When I first saw them, the regular edition rather than this new Jacky
Ickx, in all honestly I was underwhelmed. As a huge fan of Chopard
L.U.C, this case seemed huge at 45mm, and thick, and the styling is anything
but subtle. But then I tried one on. It does wear big, and
thick, maybe too big for a small wrist, but it is very comfortable on its
smooth rubber strap, and not nearly as heavy as I suspected.
And then I took it off, and really studied the case and
movement. The fit and finish of this case is fantastic, and for me a
comparison to an AP Royal Oak Offshore was inevitable. But while
similarly bold, and big, this watch draws styling cues all it own, not at all
derivative of the AP. And then I turned it over and got a
good look at the Calibre 03.05-M and its unique, slotted finishing.
The movement is entirely derivative -- of the L.U.C Chrono One, and
that is a good thing! It's a proven movement and entirely Chopard's
design.
Anything I don't like? I might as well
say it before Nicholas does: I wish it didn't have a date complication, and the
location between the 4 and 5 o'clock markers is not my favorite.
But Chopard is by no means alone with the presence of a date window
on its chronographs, and I forgive its presence easily given how much there is
to love about this watch.
What do I
think of this new, Jacky Ickx limited edition? The dial looks handsome.
That it bears Ickx's name, and his colors -- undeniably cool.
Cool enough to trade a view of the Calibre 03.05-M through a
sapphire caseback? That we'll have to see. I can't
wait.
Best,
CaliforniaJed
Technical
Details
Case:
·
Steel
·
Total
diameter
45.00 mm
·
Thickness
15.08 mm
·
Water
resistance
100 metres
·
Screw-lock crown with black rubber-moulded steel
steering wheel motif
·
Steel bezel with tachymetric scale, secured by eight blackened
PVD-coated steel screws
·
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
· Exhibition back
engraved with the inscriptions “Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport” and
“Jacky Ickx Limited Edition”
Movement:
·
Self-winding chronograph
movement Chopard
03.05-M
·
Total
diameter 28.8
mm
·
Thickness
7.60 mm
·
Number of
jewels
45
·
Power reserve
60 hours
·
Frequency
28,800 vph (4Hz)
·
Chronometer-certified (COSC)
Dial and
hands:
·
Opaline
silver-toned dial with matt blue inner bezel ring, white and silver-toned
transfers
·
Metallic
black hours/minutes hands and hour-markers
·
Arrow-tipped
red central seconds hand
·
Red
hours/minutes counter hands
·
Metallic
black small seconds hand
Functions and
displays:
·
Central
display of the hours, minutes and seconds
·
Small
seconds at 6 o’clock
·
Date
aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock
·
Chronograph
sweep-seconds hand with flyback function
·
30-minute
counter at 3 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock
·
Tachymeter
Strap and clasp:
·
Black rubber strap (slick-tyre tread)
·
Polished steel folding clasp
Ref.
168535-3003 – Limited edition of 100
The Porsche 919 Hybrids and their teams.
Here is the
Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition for comparison. 
Yes, Jacky Ickx is a legend. No he's not a watchmaker.
Or is he?! ;-)
This message has been edited by CaliforniaJed on 2015-06-15 11:08:28
