WATCH YOUR TIME |
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F O C U S
KARL-FRIEDRICH SCHEUFELE & JACKY ICKX
A story of passion
For Chopard, the legendary 1000 Miglia
race is more than a rally, it’s an expres-
sion of the enduring bond between man
and machine, both on the road and on the
wrist.
Watch sponsorships are much like romantic relation-
ships. Some are lucky enough to stand the test of time
and such is the case with the long-lived association of
Chopard and the 1000 Miglia rally, the longest continu-
ally-running partnership between a watchmaker and a
motorsport event. Begun in 1988, with Chopard as offi-
cial timekeeper of the race, it remains, 37 years later, a
textbook example of perfect synergy. Proof of that lies
in the personal commitment of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele,
co-president of Chopard, who took to the wheel himself
just a year after the partnership began and has never
missed a race since. And it was through this experience
that he formed a friendship with Jacky Ickx — a motor
racing legend who has become part of the Chopard fam-
ily. “We are indeed very loyal to this partnership,” notes
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. “This connection between
watchmaking and motoring comes from a shared obses-
sion with precision and mastery of time.”
A fine alchemy
What Scheufele does not say, but what lights up his
eyes whenever the subject is raised, is that this race
occupies a very special place in the world of motor-
sport. Running over thousands of kilometres along the
old Italian roads between Brescia and Rome and with
crowds of fans lining the route, it’s an automotive Tour
de France. An endurance event where camaraderie and
sporting challenge go hand in hand. Most of all, the race
is open only to cars that took part in the original 1000
Miglia between 1927 and 1957, when the race was sus-
pended owing the number of accidents. But Italians have
never lost their love for beautiful machines and nei-
ther has Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who has a particular
fondness for vintage cars. When the organisers of the
revived 1000 Miglia Storica met Chopard, a partnership
was inevitable. Together, they helped restore the pres-
tige of “la Corsa più bella del mondo”, a celebration of
the gentleman driver spirit and sheer mechanical beauty.
This chemistry could hardly leave Chopard unmoved.
With precision and elegance as guiding principles, the
brand released its first Mille Miglia watch as a limited
edition for the 400 or so drivers at the starting line. It had
a sporty yet refined aesthetic with its classically round
case, wide bezel and tachymeter scale for measuring
average speed, designed to be sufficiently legible so the
chronograph can be read without taking eyes off the road.
The design instantly recalled a classic car’s dashboard,
complete with the unmistakable Mille Miglia red arrow
logo as its signature. That initial chronograph was fol-
lowed by 35 variations, nearly one per year. From the
outset in 1988, Chopard offered fan versions alongside
the special ‘competitor’ pieces for the race participants.
Onward journey
In nearly four decades, the collection has evolved sig-
nificantly. One of the major changes came in the 1990s,
with the move to automatic mechanical movements
across the board, including a split-seconds chronograph.
From the year 2000 onwards, another hallmark became
standard: all movements now carry COSC chronome-
ter certification, an assurance of precision that applies
to both lines and has defined the collection since 2015.
The first, Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph, has a dis-
tinctly vintage spirit, inspired by the earliest race cars
from 1927 to 1940. The second, Mille Miglia GTS, adopts
a sportier look, more in keeping with the vehicles that
competed between 1940 and 1957. In recent years, the
brand has also begun using Lucent Steel™ for the cases,
a high-quality steel exclusive to Chopard, made from
80 percent recycled material.
“A car, like a watch, is a marvel of engineering,” the
brand concludes. “All true watch and motor enthusi-
asts know it. And Chopard knows it better than most.”
With this truth as a foundation, the 1000 Miglia and the
timepieces that bear its name look set to keep racing far
into the future.
■ Éric Dumatin
1. CHOPARD Mille Miglia GTS Power Control – 2025 Race
Edition. Marking ten years of the GTS (GT Sport) collection,
Chopard offers a 43 mm Lucent Steel™ model with a trendy salmon
dial featuring a power reserve indicator, 1000 Miglia ‘arrow’ date
window, and now a small-seconds display, while nighttime leg-
ibility is ensured by blackfilled SuperLumiNova hands and indi-
ces. Limited to 250 pieces, the watch is powered by Chopard’s
in-house, COSC-certified, automatic Calibre 0102M and is paired
with a perforated calf leather strap backed with rubber.
2. CHOPARD Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Tribute to
Sir Stirling Moss. This year’s homage to Sir Stirling Moss cele-
brates his legendary 1955 Mille Miglia victory with co-driver Denis
Jenkinson, when they completed the race in 10 h 7 m 48 s, an
average speed of 157.65 km/h, a pace that’s still unmatched. The
40.5 mm Lucent Steel™ chronograph is COSC-certified and based
on the ETA A32211 movement. Limited to 70 units for the 70th anni-
versary of his record, it comes on a perforated calf leather strap.