Mille Miglia means a thousand miles in Italian and the Mille Miglia race that takes place every year in Italy is exactly 1000 miles long. This open road endurance race is a historic event that started in 1927 and ran 24 times until 1957. It was only 20 years later in 1977 that the Mille Miglia was revived once again as a regularity race for classic and vintage cars. This tradition has continued ever since.
In 1988 however Chopard became the official timekeeper of the race with co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele even participating in them. This year marks the 90th anniversary of Mille Miglia and once again the participating teams travelled a thousand miles from Brescia to Rome via Padova and back via Tuscany. There’s a good reason why the legendary Enzo Ferrari describes it as “the world’s most beautiful raceâ€.
Apparently, the race is open to anyone who wants to brave these gorgeous Italian roads but the catch is, the only cars allowed to participate are the models that ran the original race more than 60 years ago. If by some miracle you have a 60-year-old car that can handle a 1000 mile journey, you’ll also get a very special limited edition Chopard Mille Miglia watch for participating. But for the rest of us average joes, only 1000 pieces (mille pezzi) are up for grabs.
Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition
This year’s Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition watches are inspired by the classic speed machines that ran in the original race. Apart from the unmistakable Mille Miglia styling on the watch, the dial is circular grained and the strap is black rubber with a 1960s Dunlop racing tyre-tread motif. Of course, any racing watch worth its salt comes with a fitting level of precision. The Self-winding chronograph movement within this watch is also COSC certified and beats at 28,800 vph.
Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition
It is, after all, the 90th anniversary of the Mille Miglia and for this special edition Chopard has dressed the sporty chronograph in a luxurious rose gold. Although it is a pretty dressy piece, the pushers are piston inspired, the notched crown comes from petrol tank caps; the perfect way to bring your racing spirit to a ballroom.
