REVVING TO GO

Chopard celebrates its return as chief sponsor and official timekeeper of the Italian classic car rally with the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro collection

THE PERVASIVENESS OF WATCHES in the world of auto racing is undeniable. Be it of historical import or pop culture mania, rally-styled timepieces have always enjoyed a fervent following comprising new and veteran collectors alike.

Chopard’s Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro collection marks the annual refresh of the Mille Miglia collection to commemorate the brand’s involvement with the eponymous car rally. Since 1988, Chopard has served as both the main sponsor as well as the official timekeeper for the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia, today a regularity race that stretches from Brescia to Rome and back.

The Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro line comprises two limited-edition and individually numbered timepieces ‒ the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Power Control and the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Chrono. “Azzuro” is Italian for “blue”, which happens to be on full display in the dials of both watches. This sporty and versatile hue has adorned the liveries of some of the world’s most iconic classic cars, including the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Shelby Daytona.

Various auto racing design elements serve to complement the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro collection’s sporty aesthetic. Both the Power Control and the Chrono models sport a steel case with grooved sides akin to an engine’s piston, while the sloping lugs evoke the imagery of hand-crafted coachwork. Meanwhile, the oversized crown recalls the chunky cap of a race-style fuel filler.

The pushers on the chronograph likewise feature engravings in the same theme with an anti-slip pattern commonly found on the foot pedals of competition cars. Rally-style calf leather straps, with a rubber lining that mimics the tread pattern of Dunlop racing tyres, complete the package for these racing-themed timepieces.

Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Power Control

Limited to just 500 pieces, the automatic Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Power Control sports a satin-brushed blue dial with a varnished blue aluminium bezel insert. The 43-millimetre timepiece offers a distinctive “bi-colour” look with its combination of steel and rose gold, which is used prominently on both the case and the dial to balance the cool blue colourway with touches of warmth. A sapphire case back reveals the COSC-certified, in-house Calibre 01.08-C, which comes with a 60-hour power reserve displayed via an indicator at nine o’clock.

Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Chrono

It is only natural for a chronograph to be in a collection dedicated to auto racing, and the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Chrono checks all the boxes in both form and function. The 44-millimetre timepiece features a threeregister layout which houses sub-dials for the small seconds as well as the 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph totalizers. The “Mille Miglia red”-tipped chronograph seconds hand contrasts beautifully against the satin-brushed blue dial, thus providing excellent legibility for tracking elapsed time. The varnished blue and grey bezel insert also sports a tachymeter scale for on-thefly measurements of rates. Meanwhile, the “pump-style” design of the chronograph’s pushers allow for fuss-free actuation. Like its sibling in the collection, the Mille Miglia GTS Azzuro Chrono comes with a chronometercertified movement. It also features a 48hour power reserve. This model is limited to just 750 examples. AM