Watchmaking is not just about photos and words. It is lived, watches are experienced, accompanying daily life or exceptional moments. Last year, I experienced, with Chopard, the start of the Mille Miglia, in Brescia. What an emotion... It seemed to me as if I had traveled back in time! At the start, their were only models that participated in the editions from 1927 to 1957. The tension was palpable on the concentrated faces of the drivers. Or the scents of leather, gasoline, the shine of polished bodies. Each year, a special Chopard Mille Miglia edition combines the spirit of the race and chronometric precision. This year, the house presents two limited-edition chronographs: the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control – 2025 Race Edition and the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Tribute to Sir Stirling Moss.
In 2025, two new special editions
I still hear the engines roaring under the blackened hands of mechanics examining the engines, anxious. For they fear breakdowns like the plague! These beauties of the past are unfortunately often prone to them. I see the Piazza Vittoria again, ablaze with the small red flags characteristic of the race.
On the day of departure, the whims of the weather had decided to water the adventure. Bad luck for the few vehicles without roofs. Makeshift umbrellas then sprang up, notably to shelter the occupants of the 1952 bordeaux Ermini 1100 Sport Internazionale from one of the Chopard crews, closely followed by the unchanging duo Jacky Ickx - Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, in their Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "gullwing". Featured that year was the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph "La Gara", with a black and white dial inspired by the checkered flag.
A year later, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, returns to the starting line – for his 37th consecutive participation. On this occasion, the Geneva house presents two new limited editions dedicated to the race.
Mille Miglia GTS Power Control – 2025 Race Edition
The first novelty: the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control – 2025 Race Edition celebrates the ten years of the Grand Turismo Sport (GTS) line. This timepiece has a 43 mm Lucent Steel™ case, both robust, durable and ethical (80% recycled materials).
Beyond the technical characteristics, it's hard to resist its salmon-colored dial. Its warm, vibrant, and metallic shade evokes the painted aluminum dashboards of vintage cars. The contrast is sublime with the black aluminum bezel, as well as the display indications, also in black.
The power reserve hand, shaped like a fuel gauge, reminds that every detail is designed for gentlemen (and gentlewomen!) drivers: elegance sacrifices nothing to usefulness. The 60-hour autonomy of the Chopard 01.02-M movement — COSC-certified chronometer — meets the demands of a true endurance race. And the sapphire back, with its vintage steering wheel-shaped oscillating weight, is a nod to the past. The whole rests on a perforated black leather strap, lined with rubber with a Dunlop racing tire tread pattern – a Chopard signature.
Tribute to Stirling Moss: the soul of a record
The other novelty, more confidential, recalls an unmatched feat. Sir Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the 1955 Mille Miglia at an average speed of 157.65 km/h – a record etched in the annals. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of this mythical victory, the house offers an ultra-limited edition of 70 pieces: the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Tribute to Sir Stirling Moss.
The 40.5 mm Lucent Steel™ case is inspired by the champion's Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR – manufactured in "Elektron" magnesium weighing only 901 kilos – with a silver opalin dial reminiscent of the car's matte finish. The perforated brown leather strap evokes drivers' gloves, while the tachymetric bezel, luminescent indices, and domed "glass box" crystal revive the atmosphere of night rallies. On the back, on the sapphire caseback, an engraving of the exact date and time of the record – "May 1, 1955 / 10 hours 7 minutes 48 seconds". A tribute as discreet as it is full of emotion. A piece magnificently in the spirit of the Mille Miglia, a powerful link between that achievement and today's racing and watchmaking enthusiasts. To keep the legend alive, year after year.
