To support its partnership with Paul Miller Racing in the American Le Mans Series, Chopard introduces the Paul Miller Racing Limited Edition Mille Miglia GTXL.  The watch is available in stainless steel (100 pieces, $9,650 per) or pink gold (25 pieces, $26,000 per)

Mille Miglia GTXL Special Edition Paul Miller Watch set in Stainless Steel

stainless steel or pink gold case, automatic mechanical movement (COSC)

You are looking at the world’s first “triple certified” timepiece.  And you thought a COSC certified tourbillon was rare!  The new L.U.C. 3C Tourbillon is a remarkable watch in both form and function.  The name of the watch is derived from the three certifications (aka “3C”) it has received — the Geneva Seal, the Fleurier Quality Foundation (FQF) and COSC.   Overkill, you say?  Eh, perhaps — but my view that this an achievement worth savoring.  Without going into too much technical detail on each of these certificates, here is a high level rundown of each:  “COSC” is a timing certification, issued to a particular movement (not a cased up watch); conversely, the Geneva Seal is for a timepiece of high quality finishing and decoration and that is also made in the the Swiss Canton of Geneva; lastly, the FQF certification — while somewhat redundant to both the COSC and Geneva Seal, is arguably a more difficult (prestigious?) certificate to receive as it covers both technical and aesthetic criteria.  Just click through above if you want to up y0ur knowledge on any of these three prestigious certifications — but for now please enjoy a look at the beautiful new Chopard L.U.C. 3C Tourbillon.  Well done, Chopard, well done!

Chopard L.U.C. 3C Tourbillon

(Ref. 161929-5001 – 100 piece limited edition)

world first “triple certificate” timepiece – Geneva Seal, COSC & FQF

43mm rose gold case (11.15mm thick), hand-wound L.U.C 02.13-L (L.U.C 1.02QF) tourbillon caliber (nine day power reserve — double barrel/four mainsprings)

The movement finishing appears first class all the way — nicely shaped bridges and bevelled edges, etc.

It is a bit difficult to see — but note the “FQF” logo on the bottom left and the “Geneva Seal” on the bottom right:

grained, sandblasted finish on the dial; 9-day power reserve meter, visible tourbillon

Did You Know? 

The FQF

Created on 5 June 2001, the Fleurier Quality Foundation stems from a joint project undertaken by the Chopard, Parmigiani Fleurier and Bovet Fleurier brands, as well as the Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, to establish new aesthetic and technical criteria dedicated to the certification of finished watches.

Just before the Singapore Formula 1 night race, Chopard unveiled the latest in its ongoing series of Chopard Jacky Ickx Chronograph watches, the the Jacky Ickx “Edition V”.   This classic racing watch is limited to 2000 pieces in stainless steel case and 500 in rose gold,and now features 24 hour (instead of 12) and 60 minute (instead of 30) counters.  More on the legendary racer Jacky Ickx and his Formula 1 and Le Mans 24-hour race career, here.

Chopard Jacky Ickx Chronograph (Edition V)

42.5 mm steel or rose gold case (14mm thick), magnifying glass date display, screw-down crown, “car piston” styled chrono pushers, specially decorated sapphire case-back, automatic mechanical chronograph movement (COSC-certified)

“Only Watch” is a biennial charity auction of one-of-a-kind watches created by many of the most renowned watch brands in Switzerland.  This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.   All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research which is why many of these watches go extraordinarily high prices.

Starting today Perpetuelle will begin its coverage of Only Watch 2011.  Stay tuned in because over the next few months, you will get to see awesome “piece unique” watches from each of the participating brands for the 2011 event:

Click through to see our in-depth preview of each watch:

• Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon
• Patek Philippe Ref 3939A Minute Repeater
• Urwerk UR-103 “Phoenix”
• Romain Jerome “Rock the Rock”
• Hublot Oceanographic 4000m dive watch
• MB&F HM-4 “Flying Panda”
• TAG Heuer “Monaco Mikrograph”
• Bell & Ross Pink Gold “Casino”
• Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Chronograph
• Blancpain Villeret Grand Decoration
• Piaget Altiplano Skeleton
• Breguet Reveil Musical Watch
• Audemars Piguet Gstaad Classic
• Jaquet Droz Petit Heure Minute
• Van Cleef & Arpel “From the Earth to the Moon” Watch
• Girard-Perregaux ww.TC
• Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium
  
• Vulcain Anniversary Heart Watch
• Chanel J12 Marine Watch
• Franck Muller “Totally Switzerland”
• Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo
• Vacheron Constantin “Dove” Watch (M.C. Escher-inspired)
  
• Zenith El Primero “Destro” watches
• Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph
• Ikepod Red Hourglass by Marc Newson
• Bovet Fleurier, Celsius, Chaumet, Chopard, De Bethune, Delacour, De Witt, Frédérique Constant, Hermès, Laurent Ferrier, Maurice Lacroix, Richard Mille
  

Only Watch 2011 will be held September 24, 2011 and managed by watch auction house Antiquorum.  But you don’t have to wait this long — because part of the excitement leading up to the September 24, 2011 event is the release of each participating brand’s special edition watch.

ONLY WATCH 2009

If you are interested in looking back, I covered the Only Watch 2009 auction extensively including blogging about several of my favorites inlcluding:  Piaget Emperador Coussin, MB&F Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau Jump Hour, Louis Vuitton Tambour, Chanel J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain 500 Fathoms.   You can see all 34 “Only Watch 2009″ watches here on the Perpeuelle World Watch Forum.  The Only Watch 2009 auction was hosted by Patrizzi & Co.

When it comes to racing-themed/auto-inspired watches, I’ve always reserved a spot in my watchbox for a Chopard Mille Miglia.  This is a watch has a great heritage, a very cool “tire-tread” rubber strap.  This watch always looks better on the wrist than it does on a computer screen, too!  New for 2011, the Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono is being sold in a quasi-limited edition run of 2011 pieces in steel and a 250 pieces in rose gold.  Compared to the 2010 Mille Migle GT XL Chrono (which I profiled last May),  the 2011 model sports new textured chronograph pushers and a black dial (the 2010 version has a silver dial), all of which I think are positive tweaks to this iconic race watch collection.  The Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono list price is about $8,500, but savvy buyers can likely scoop one up for closer to $6,000.

Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono (2011)

44mm steel or rose gold case (14.36mm thick), automatic mechanical movement, rubber strap

note the new “textured” chrono pushers — a nice new touch for 2011

More at Chopard.com

Baselworld 2011 – The new Chopard Mille Miglia GT Chrono Rosso Corsa features a vivid red-varnished dial with silver-toned counters.  The oversized 6 and 12 o’clock numerals transferred beneath the sapphire crystal are signature to the Mille Miglia collection.   Its aerodynamic titanium pushers, along with the tachometric scale engraved on the bezel, further reinforce its sporting nature.   Note too, the “cyclops date” window, which I do not recall on a Chopard Mille Miglia before.  The Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono Rosso Corsa is produced in a limited series of just 1,000 watches.

Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono Rosso Corsa

44 mm polished titanium case, automatic mechanical movement (COSC-certified)

Did You Know?

This extremely sporting and sophisticated watch is inspired by the legendary Mille Miglia car rally, with its Brescia-Rome-Brescia route that annually attracts the cream of classic racing cars, and which has been partnered by Chopard since 1988. The origin of “racing colours” dates back to the Gordon Bennett Cup, the famous car race that involved competing national teams from 1900 onwards. This sparked the emergence of “Vintage Blue” for France and “Rosso Corsa” for Italy, followed by “British Racing Green”, “Speed Yellow” for Belgium and “Silver Racing” for Germany.

Another luxury brand collaboration with The Hour Glass…

I’ve long been a fan of Chopard‘s Mille Miglia collection of watches, and today I’ve got a special edition “all-black” DLC Mille Miglia watch to show you.  Overall, the Mille Miglia timepieces are an excellent embodiment of auto-racing sport and culture, not to mention all-around cool looking watches.  This particular model is the results of a collaboration between Chopard and The Hour Glass, a famous group of Singapore-based watch boutiques celebrating 150 years in 2010. The watch is limited to just 150 pieces worldwide, but you can only buy it through the aforementioned Hour Glass.  Comes with the rubber strap (pictured) and also a black calf-strap with orange stitching. Available August 2010.  No word on price, but I would guess upwards of $10,000.

Chopard Mille Miglia Speed Black Power Control

44mm black DLC (diamond-like carbon) case Orange accents and power reserve gauge

On a side note, this is the second high end boutique/brand collaboration I recall in recent months (see:  Urwerk White Shark for Chronopassion Paris and The Hour Glass).  I’m not quite sure how these arrangements work, but I would guess that in these instances the boutiques are somehow sharing the costs (production, marketing or otherwise) of having these pieces produced exclusively for their particular boutiques.  And given the results that such collaborations can produce, I like these partnerships!

Also — You can check out all our Chopard coverage by clicking HERE>>

I like the DLC model…

For the 150th and 100th anniversary celebrations of Chopard and Alfa Romeo, respectively, the two brands have come together for a limited edition series of watches and clocks.  In fact the effort is rather ambitious as they are launching five new products – three wristwatches, a travel alarm clock and a table clock.

The Gran Turismo XL Alfa Romeo and the GT XL Chrono Alfa Romeo (available in 44mm stainless steel or stainless steel with DLC coating) feature black dial with red hands and indexes as well as the logo of the two brands.  Movement is a COSC-certified ETA base.  100 meter water resistance.

The three versions are issued in limited and numbered editions of 500.  Price unknown but I would guess around $10,000.

Chopard Gran Turismo XL Alfa Romeo

Chopard GT XL Chrono Alfa Romeo

Chopard GT XL Chrono Alfa Romeo DLC (note — black case)

Chopard for Alfa Romeo Limited Edition Desk and Table Clocks

1,000 Miles…this way…

Yes, it was just a couple days ago that I showed you a Chopard racing watch – the Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chronograph (along with one sweet video of the event).  But when it is racing time, it is racing time and the sponsoring watches must follow!    The 2010 Mille Miglia will take place this coming Wednesday, May the 5th through Sunday, May the 9th, thus I go again with another Chopard – the Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono for 2010.  Chopard’s Mille Miglia watch is truly an iconic sports watch and Chopard has been a sponsor of the race for over 20 years now.  So what exactly is “Mille Miglia”?  Find out below, after you check out the watch:

Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono 2010

Limited edition of 2010 pieces in steel (Ref 168459-3019) and a Limited numbered edition of 250 in rose gold (Ref 161268-500)

44mm steel or rose gold case (14.36mm thick), water resistant to 100 meters, COSC-certified movement,

with natural rubber Dunlop Racing strap (1960s racing tire design) with a matching metal folding clasp

A (very) brief history of the Mille Miglia

Originally an open-road endurance race, the 24 original Mille Miglia races took place in Italy between 1927 and 1957 (thirteen before World War II, eleven after).  The race was eventually banned in 1957 after the fatal crash of a 4.2-lire Ferrari that took the lives of the Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago, his co-driver/navigator Edmund Nelson, and thirteen spectators, at the village of Guidizzolo.  The event was revived in 1982 as a road rally event which originates in Brescia, Italy and ends somewhere 1,000 miles down the road!  More at the Official Mille Miglia website!

Did You Know?

The Red Arrow, the mark of the myth.

Historically, the Mille Miglia symbol began as a marker showing the route of the rally, then becoming its most common and easily remembered symbol.  The story continues: next to the signals placed along the route at every new edition of the rally, it is fun and interesting to to see the old symbols which have remained along the historical route of the rally.

Graphically, the logo is made of a red arrow – of a determined size and shape – with “1000” written on it in numbers and “Miglia” in letters – in the historically certified, original font.   In the tip of the arrow is a white brace pointing in the same direction as the main arrow.

The 7th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, event which takes place every 2 years, two weeks before the Monaco F1 Grand Prix.  This year the event is taking place on May 1st and 2nd, 2010 — occuring live as I now type, though it will be done by the time many of you read this.  Representing the vintage version of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique was created in 1998 to mark the 700^th anniversary of the Grimaldi family’s accession to the throne of the Principality.  Raced along the same route through the streets of Monaco, it is reserved exclusively for classic racing cars, making it unique in its kind.  Although initially intended as a one-off event, it is now on its 7th  bi-annual event! Here’s a closer look at the event and some of the automobiles:

As a headline sponsor for the event, Chopard is representing with two new variations on its aptly named Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chronograph:

limited edtion of 250 pieces, 42.5mm case in steel or rose gold (14.9mm thick), water resistant 50 meters,automatic movement

available on a black perforated strap with matching (blue/orange) stitching and Chopard-engraved folding clasp or a steel or rose-gold bracelet

Case-back engraved with the GPMH + Automobile Club de Monaco logo

Get yours at the Chopard Boutique Monaco, Place du Casino, Monte-Carlo.  Telephone +377 970 70 71 11.

Steel edition 168992-3031

Steel edition with steel bracelet 158992-3006

Limited numbered edition of 250 in rose gold 161275-5003