Rosso Corsa, Speed Silver, British Racing Green, Vintage Blue and Speed Yellow were the original 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.
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.
This collection, offering five different colours, is an opportunity for unconditional fans of the maison to acquire a collector’s model. These Mille Miglia Racing Colours are finely crafted, 42mm 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. 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.
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.
These 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.
Architects of Time tel: 011 669 0790 or visit: www.architectsoftime.co.za
Chopard Boutique: Shop 7232, Link Mall, V&A Waterfront, CT. Tel: 021 421 4296
Boutique Haute Horlogerie: ShopUM28A Upper Level, Hyde Park Corner, Corner Jan Smuts Avenue and William Nicol Drive, Hyde Park, JHB. Tel: 011 325 4119
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