Mille Miglia Racing Colours

Rosso Corsa, Speed Silver, British Racing Green, Vintage Blue and Speed Yellow were the colours allocated to the various nations competing in the world of motor racing. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Chopard and Mille Miglia, the Maison presents a new collection composed of five Mille Miglia Racing Colours watches. A re-edition of a historical Chopard collection featuring unique dials and intended for gentlemen drivers and collectors. They pay tribute to the heyday of motorsports and to an exclusive race, the Mille Miglia, widely referred to as “la corsa la più bella del mondo”.

Chopard and the Mille Miglia, bound by passion for more than 30 years

For 30 years, the hearts of Chopard and Mille Miglia have been beating as one, echoing a shared love of fine mechanics and performance born of the personal passion for classic cars nurtured by Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. He is both a discerning connoisseur of collector’s cars and an accomplished driver. For the past 30 years, he has exercised his skills at the wheel of the most prestigious classic cars, with which he annually competes in the famous race. The now indivisible ties, first established in 1988 when Chopard become partner and official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia, inspired an eponymous watch collection presented that same year. The prestigious annual endurance rally sees more than 400 historical cars covering an enchanting one thousand-mile route from Brescia to Rome and back. This legendary competition has led to the creation of iconic watches bearing the Chopard signature.

Legendary colours

National colours for motor racing were first attributed in the 1910s. In order to identify the nationality of the competing drivers, one colour was allocated to each country. Bright red Rosso Corsa for the Italians, British racing green for the United Kingdom, grey-white for the German “silver arrows”, yellow for the Belgians as in their national flag, and finally blue for the French Bugattis and Talbots.

This provides a valuable explanation behind the historical colours of various speed machines. The fact that Ferraris are red and Aston Martins are green is no coincidence, instead stemming from the earliest great races, of which the Mille Miglia was one of the most popular.

Dashboard instrument

This collection offering five different colours is an opportunity for unconditional fans of the Maison to acquire a collector’s model and to match their outfits with one of these dials… or with the bodywork of their car. An original means of merging two consuming and often shared passions for fine watchmaking and historical racing cars. These Mille Miglia Racing Colours are finely crafted 42 mm chronographs assembled by the Chopard master-watchmakers in 300-piece limited series for each dial colour. Their calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and is COSC-certified, ensuring chronometer-worthy precision throughout the 42 hours of its power reserve. The Mille Miglia Racing Colours chronographs are inspired by the cars that competed in the Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1940.

The dials display optimal legibility thanks to broad Arabic numerals that are luminescent at night, as are the hands. The slim cursive fonts, as well as the counters, are inspired by the typical dashboards of the late 1920s and stand out by their silver-toned colour. The sweep-seconds hand features a bright red tip to tick off the precious seconds of the race. The arrow-shaped Mille Miglia logo appears at 12 o’clock in the heart of the dial.

A successful blend of precision, comfort and elegance, these watches are authentic auxiliary instruments for drivers hurtling along Italian roads, enabling them to race in true style. The chronograph functions serving to measure short times are complemented by the tachymeter scale, which is ideal for measuring average speeds, along with a date display.

Water-resistant and luminescent

Although less common in Spring when the Mille Miglia takes place, rain can sometimes play its part in the race, thus making the 50-metre water resistance of this watch prove particularly useful. In rainy conditions, mean hourly speed is never quite the same, and some teams end up finishing the race at night. In such cases, the luminescent hands help competitors keep track of the tachymeter scale surrounding the hour-markers, without taking their eyes off the road.

The new Mille Miglia Racing Colours symbolise their owners’ authentic passion for racing and classic cars: a passion that a true gentleman driver will never relinquish.

Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Racing Colours Edition

Five steel 300-piece limited editions

Ref. 168589-3008 – in steel with Rossa Corsa dial and calfskin & rubber strap
300-piece limited edition – a Boutique and Corner exclusive

Ref. 168589-3012 – in steel with Speed Silver dial and calfskin & rubber strap
300-piece limited edition – a Boutique and Corner exclusive

Ref. 168589-3009 – in steel with British Racing Green dial and calfskin & rubber strap
300-piece limited edition – a Boutique and Corner exclusive

Ref. 168589-3010 – in steel with Vintage Blue dial and calfskin & rubber strap
300-piece limited edition – a Boutique and Corner exclusive

Ref. 168589-3011 – in steel with Speed Yellow dial and calfskin & rubber strap
300-piece limited edition – a Boutique and Corner exclusive

Technical Details

Case:
Steel
Total diameter: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 12.67 mm
Water resistance: 50 metres
Screw-lock steel crown with steering wheel emblem: 7.50 mm
Polished steel bezel
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Steel pushers
Exhibition case-back with screws, Mille Miglia logo around the rim and special transfer featuring the traditional racing colours of the various nations competing in motorsports

Movement:
Mechanical self-winding chronograph
Total diameter: 28.60 mm
Thickness: 6.10 mm
Number of jewels: 37
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: approx. 42 hours
Chronometer-certified by the COSC

Dial and hands:
Lacquered or circular satin-brushed dial bearing the traditional racing colours of the various nations competing in motorsports:
Rosso Corsa for Italy
Speed Silver for Germany
British Racing Green for the United Kingdom
Vintage Blue for France
Speed Yellow for Belgium

White or black transfers for the minute track
Black transfers for the tachymeter scale
Red Mille Migla logo
Arabic numerals painted with Super-LumiNova
Silver-toned hours, minutes and seconds hands
Rhodium-plated baton-type hands for the hours and minutes, painted with Super-LumiNova
Rhodium-plated red-tipped sweep-seconds hand

Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds
Hours, minutes and seconds counters at 6, 9 and 3 o’clock respectively
Date window between 4 and 5 o’clock

Strap and buckle:
Calfskin leather strap with stitching reflecting the racing colours of the various competing nations
Rubber lining inspired by 1960s Dunlop tyre tread
Polished steel pin buckle

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