For the 36th year in succession, Chopard became the World Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of this year’s 1000 Miglia – “the most beautiful race in the world” – which took place between June 13 and 17. Also, in keeping with tradition, the maison has unveiled four new Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs, plus an ‘Italian Limited Edition’ of the Mille Miglia GTS Chronograph. Some of the proceeds from the sale of these watches will be donated to victims of the recent Emilia-Romagna flood disaster.
The Chopard and 1000 Miglia partnership represents one of the longest in history between a watchmaker and an automotive event. This partnership is driven by Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s passion for classic cars and motorsports. A passion confirmed by the fact that 2023 marks the 35th occasion that he has competed in the race.
Karl-Friedrich’s first participation was in 1989, with six-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Jacky Ickx in the navigator’s seat. The pair teamed up again this year, as they have done on more than a dozen previous occasions in the intervening years. This year the duo tackled the route in a ‘metallic raspberry’ Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the vary car in which they made their 1000 Miglia debut in 1989.
Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (LEFT) with six-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Jacky Ickx
The 1000 Miglia, first run in 1927, set off this year from Brescia on June 13, on a course that took the participants on a clockwise circuit. It featured a new route, and held over five days instead of the usual four. Also, for the first time, the race incorporated a section from Parma to Milan, marking the first time that the Lombardy capital has been included in the 1000 Miglia.
Day one of the event ended with an overnight stop on the coast at Cervio-Milano Marittima. An early start on Wednesday took the group to the tiny, hilltop republic of San Marino – the fifth smallest country in the world. They then climbed up to 300 metres above sea level for a lunch break in Macerata – a town renowned for its striking palazzos, and annual opera festival. The day finished in Rome, where the cars paraded around the eternal city, followed by a dawn start on Thursday for the six-hour run to lunch in Siena, at the scene of the historic Palio horse race.
After tackling the famous Abertone Pass – frequently used by Ferrari’s test drivers – the cars arrived in Parma, where they spent the night before heading out on Friday morning to begin the ‘home run.’ The cars stopped at Piacenza military airport to mark the centenary of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana.
After lunch in Alessandria and a further five hours on the road, the competitors checked in at the new Milan time control point, followed by dinner and a well-earned night’s rest. A civilised 8am start on Saturday marked the beginning of the final 100 kilometres of the course, which took the surviving cars back to the finish at Brescia, where they paraded along the tree-lined Viale Venezia.
Chopard had two cars competing under the ‘Team Chopard’ banner this year. In addition to the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, there was also a 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster driven by Chopard Ambassadors – the Chinese actor Zhu Yilong and Romain Dumas, the celebrated endurance racing driver.
Before setting off from Brescia for the 1000 Miglia, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele hosted a special welcome dinner at the beautiful and historic L’Albereta hotel, just 20km from Brescia, and close to the breathtakingly beautiful shores of Lake Iseo. Here, the new Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph collection and the new Mille Miglia GTS Chronograph, both of which commemorate this year’s race, were presented to the guests. Thus, maintaining Chopard’s tradition of creating all-new dedicated watches for the 1000 Miglia, for each year since 1988.
This year’s Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs are distinguished by their dial colours. Each of the four variations is based on the paint hues and interior finishes typically found on the type of pre-1957 cars that are eligible for the 1000 Miglia. That means a choice of Rosso Amarena (cherry red), Grigio-Blu (grey blue), Verde Chiaro (light green) and Nero Corsa (racing black). In keeping with a 36-year tradition, each watch carries a miniature ‘1000 Miglia’ route marker on its dial and case back.
The four new models are crafted in Chopard’s exclusive Lucent Steel. This alloy is 50 per cent more resilient than regular steel and incorporates material recycled from the medical, aerospace, car and watch industries. The 40mm chronographs are fitted with either the maison’s signature rubber strap featuring the pattern of a ’60s Dunlop race tyre, or a rich brown calfskin leather strap evoking traditional driving gloves.
The slightly larger Mille Miglia GTS Chrono, at 44mm, is also made from Lucent Steel. Limited to just 100 examples, part of the proceeds from the sale of this watch will be donated to victims of the devastating floods that swept through the Emilia-Romagna region in early May.
This edition carries the green and red colours of Italy, with its olive green bezel featuring a tachymeter scale for speed and distance calculations. The GTS Chrono is also fitted with substantial ‘mushroom’ pushers and a large diameter crown to provide a firm grip and ease of use while on the road.
Both the Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs and the Mille Miglia GTS Chrono are not limited to just those taking part in ‘the most beautiful race in the world,’ but are available for all those who appreciate and admire it.
