BY MICHAEL THOMPSON
CHOPARD’S
RED RACER
THE 2019 CHOPARD MILLE MIGLIA RACE EDITION THAT DEBUTED AT
Baselworld this year is an especially sporty automatic chronograph of-
fered in 44mm steel or rose gold cases. But it turns out Chopard wasn’t
quite finished with its timepiece tribute to the famed annual classic car
race, which traces a 1,000-mile course from Brescia to Rome and back.
A month after that initial debut, Chopard raced into the hearts of Za-
gato fans with a brilliant red 100-piece Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph
Zagato 100th Anniversary Edition completely tricked out with the
Milan-based racecar maker’s well-known Z pattern and red-lacquered
color. Chopard is the official sponsor of the Scuderia Sports Zagato.
The resulting Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph is smaller
(42mm versus 44mm) than Chopard’s earlier Mille Miglia Race Edition,
and is by design a reflection of historic chronographs. This Mille Miglia
watch’s vintage profile includes smaller pushers, a chronograph subdial
layout at 3-6-9, a polished case and bezel and a tachymeter on the
dial’s perimeter.
Since Chopard is also honoring Zagato’s 100th year of making cus-
tomized racecars, this watch is being issued as a 100-piece limited edi-
tion. Designers created an eye-catching dial with the Zagato Z repeated
motif in lacquered red, a favorite color of both Zagato and the Mille
Miglia. The watch’s supplied ‘bund’ strap is made using the same type of
black calfskin leather Zagato used historically for its trunk straps.
There’s plenty of identification here for Zagato fans. The logos of both
Chopard and Zagato appear at 12 o’clock, surrounded by baton-type
hour-markers painted with SuperLuminova. As a bonus, the owner will
find the Zagato logo printed on the clear sapphire caseback alongside
the limited edition number and Mille Miglia logo. Price: $6,890.
The watch’s caseback is clear sapphire with a
Zagato 100th Anniversary logo
106 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2019
The new Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Zagato 100th
Anniversary Edition features a stainless steel crown with steering
wheel motif, polished stainless steel bezel and pushers