For almost 30 years, the Swiss watchmaker Eberhard & Co. has enjoyed close links with one of the greatest drivers in the world of motorsports, Tazio Nuvolari, and the famous race dedicated to him, the Nuvolari Grand Prix. Each year, the race brings together over 300 vintage cars and enthusiasts from all over the globe.
According to the story, the driver owned an Eberhard & Co. watch, of which only the original casing was ever found, with the trademark and reproduction of the Maison's historic building. This precious object is now part of the collection of memorabilia associated with him. It is held at the Tazio Nuvolari Museum in Mantua, along with a 1930s mechanical pocket watch with alarm function, identical to the one that belonged to Nuvolari, which the Maison has donated to honour his memory.
The “Tazio Nuvolari” collection, which has concentrated on sports watches, has been enriched with many versions over the years, some of which have been inspired by the champion’s great victories and enterprises. The collection was created according to a philosophy inspired by the instrumentation of vintage racing cars: the driving seat of the extraordinary cars in which the "Mantovano Volante" conquered so many victories was, for the Eberhard technicians, a concrete source of functional and aesthetic specifications and solutions.
The most recent innovation, to be presented to all competitors at the opening cocktail organised by Eberhard each year at the Piccinini jewellers in Mantua and exhibited at the Eberhard Space in the Piazza Sordello during the days of the event, is the:
“Nuvolari Legend”
On the stroke of 11 on Friday, 14 September, 300 wonderful vintage cars manufactured between 1919 and 1972 set out from the historic Piazza Sordello for the first stage for an enthralling journey of over 1,000 kilometres, which crossed the Po Valley and the Apennines and reaches the Adriatic Coast. The second stage departed from Rimini on Saturday 15 September and involved 500 km of route along the gentle slopes of Marche, Tuscany and Umbria, a number of reliability trials and spot checked and passeed through the historic centres of Siena, Arezzo and Urbino before returning to Rimini for the traditional gala at the Grand Hotel. On Sunday 16 September, the race closed with the last trials, arriving at Mantua, the native city of Tazio Nuvolari, where the winners paraded along the platform in the piazza Sordello.
There are numerous Eberhard & Co. initiatives, beginning with the attendance of two-time world rally champion Miki Biasion, Brand Ambassador of the Maison, who formed a crew with Mario Peserico, General Manager of Eberhard & Co. Also participating for the second time as the official Eberhard & Co. crew, following their success of last year, are the champions Andrea Vesco and Andrea Guerrini, who were aiming for their seventh consecutive title at the Nuvolari Grand Prix.
There was an impressive line-up of 13 crews and 12 pre-war cars, including a rare 1929 Lancia Lambda Casaro. Also competing in the race were crews from other countries supported by Eberhard (2 German and 1 Swiss), who formed part of the Eberhard Vintage Racing Team made up of Müller-Manetsch, Zettl-Suffa and Tiggemann-Sagnak.
To welcome and crown the winners at the finish line were two watches from the Tazio Nuvolari collection. Other partners attending the event alongside Eberhard & Co. were Maserati - "Main Partner & Car", Banca Generali, "Official Partner & Private Bank" and Red Bull “Special Partner”.
