iW Magazine iW Summer 2018 | Page 74

2018 basel review CHOPARD’S RACING COLORS Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Chopard and Mille Miglia, and the resultant race-focused watch collection, Chopard debuted a new collection comprising five Mille Miglia Racing Colors timepieces. National colors for motor racing came about in the 1910s to identify the nationality of the competing drivers. This new Chopard watch collection takes color one step further, allowing fans to choose their favorite, whether as national pride or to match the bodywork of a car. The 42mm steel chronographs comprises a 300-piece limited series for each dial color, inspired by the cars that competed in the Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1940: Rosso Corsa (Italy), Speed Silver (Germany), British Racing Green (United Kingdom), Vintage Blue (France) and Speed Yellow (Belgium). The dials feature luminescent Arabic numerals and hands, fonts and counters inspired by dashboards of that era, counters at 6, 9 and 3 o’clock and a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock. The sweep-seconds hand has a bright red tip for easy monitoring and the arrow-shaped Mille Miglia logo is at 12 o’clock. The self-winding chronograph movement is certified by the COSC, and it offers power reserve of about 42 hours. And, reprising one of the coolest features of this collection, the perforated calfskin racing straps here also feature a rubber lining inspired by 1960s Dunlop tire tread. Price:$6,080. 74 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2018