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Chopard and Mille Miglia Celebrate 36 years

Chopard returned to Brescia for the 36th time in succession as the World Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of the famous 1,000-mile Mille Miglia.

The pair teamed-up again this year (as on more than a dozen previous occasions), once more tackling the course in the instantly recognizable ‘metallic raspberry’ Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing in which they made their 1000 Miglia debut.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele & Jacky Ickx at the starting line in Brescia.

This year’s event was won by reigning champions, Andrea Vesco and Fabio Salvinelli.

In addition to the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing crewed by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and Jacky Ickx, Chopard Ambassadors Zhu Yilong, the acclaimed Chinese actor, and Romain Dumas, the celebrated endurance racing driver, also competed under the ‘Team Chopard’ banner in a 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster.

The 2023 Mille Miglia watches 

Chopard also continued its tradition of introducing new Mille Miglia timepieces, with four Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs, plus an additional, very special ‘Italian Limited Edition’ of the Mille Miglia GTS Chronograph – some of the proceeds from which are being donated to victims of the recent Emilia-Romagna flood disaster.

Comprising four new models crafted in Chopard’s own Lucent Steel, which is fifty percent more resilient than regular steel and incorporates material recycled from the medical, aerospace, car and watch industries.

The 40 mm chronographs are fitted either with Chopard’s signature rubber strap based on the pattern of a 1960s Dunlop race tire or a brown calfskin leather strap evoking traditional driving gloves.

What makes this year’s Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs extra-special, however, are their dials: each of the four variations is based on the paint hues and interior finishes typically found on the type of pre-1957 cars eligible for the 1000 Miglia.

This means a choice of Rosso Amarena (cherry red), Grigio-Blu (grey blue), Verde Chiaro (light green) and Nero Corsa (racing black). In keeping with a 36-year tradition, each watch carries a miniature ‘1000 Miglia’ route marker on its dial and case back. Prices start at $8,830.

In addition to the Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs, Chopard has also produced a very special version of its larger Mille Miglia GTS Chrono.

The Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Chrono Limited Edition Italy 2023 .

Also made from Lucent Steel in just 100 examples, part of the proceeds from each sale are being donated to victims of the devastating floods that swept through the Emilia-Romagna region in early May. 

This 44 mm edition carries the green and red colors of Italy, with its olive green bezel featuring a tachymeter scale for speed and distance calculations. Further marking-out the ‘form and function’ nature of Chopard’s Mille Miglia watches, the Mille Miglia GTS Chrono Limited Edition Italy is also fitted with substantial ‘mushroom’ pushers and a large diameter crown to provide a firm grip and ease of use while on the road. 

Source: Chopard

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The Watches

Parmigiani Fleurier Launches Tonda PF Sport 

Parmigiani Fleurier launches a pair of sporty models within its Tonda PF collection, adding the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph and Tonda PF Sport Automatic, two models that effectively replace the watchmaker’s Tonda GT collection.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph, available in a 42mm steel or rose gold case.

Both watches extend the watchmaker’s Tonda PF collection, first introduced two years ago as a slate of knurled platinum-bezel dress models with clean dials and revamped bracelets.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Automatic is available in a 41mm steel or rose gold case.

The new ‘tailored’ approach to the design drew has drawn strong collector acclaim. The watchmaker has responded with a series of high-profile rattrapante designs and complicated models within the expanding Tonda PF collection.

Parmigiani Fleurier offers the new models in both steel and rose gold. As sporty watches within a fairly dressy collection, both the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph and Tonda PF Sport Automatic display design touches that confirm their sportier appeal, including a bolder bezel and broader guilloché dial pattern.

The knurled bezel on each Tonda PF Sport watch features 160 cuts rather than the finer 225-incision bezel found on the dressier Tonda PF collection.

The new dial features a hand guilloché ‘triangular nail’ pattern known as clou triangulaire, a sportier look when compared to the guilloché grain d’orge of the existing Tonda PF collection.

In addition, Parmigiani Fleurier coats the applied hour markers here with black SuperLuminova while also supplying each watch with a rubber-treated textured and stitched strap. Both watches are water-resistant to 100 meters.

For the 42mm by 12.9mm ‘panda’-style chronograph, Parmigiani Fleurier has removed the large date found on the firm’s previous GT chronographs in order to leave space for the PF logo.

This mimics the dial on the current, dressier, Tonda PF chronographs. The (smaller) date is now found between the 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock position. In addition, the new design features shorter indexes and a somewhat smaller flange.

Similarly, on the 41mm by 9.8mm Tonda PF Sport Automatic the watchmaker places a small date aperture at the 6 o’clock position to allow for a clean dial marked only by a logo at the 12 o’clock position.

The PF Tonda Sport Chronograph displays its Caliber PF070 movement via a clear sapphire back.

Inside the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Parmigiani Fleurier fits its stunning Caliber PF070, a superb high-frequency (5Hz – 36,000 vph) manufacture movement with an integrated column wheel chronograph and a vertical clutch. The COSC-certified chronometer offers a power reserve of sixty-five hours.

A view of the caliber PF770 from the back of the Tonda PF Sport Automatic.

Inside the Tonda PF Sport Automatic you’ll find a Caliber PF770 with a serial-mounted double barrel and a power reserve of sixty hours. To extend the sporty design, the watchmaker also created a new, skeletonized oscillating weight for both watches. The watchmaker says the rotor now looks somewhat like the steering wheel of a Ferrari 250 GTO. 

Prices: $50,200 (chronograph in rose gold), $29,000 (chronograph in steel), $38,200 (automatic in rose gold) and $21,300 (automatic in steel). 

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Bulova Adds Two to Marine Star

Bulova expands its nautically inspired Marine Star collection with a dramatic automatic model and an eye-catching orange-dialed quartz chronograph.

The new Bulova Marine Star Series A watch.

The 45mm steel-cased automatic Marine Star Series A watch shows off its mechanical heart by exposing the Miyota Caliber 82S5 movement’s escapement through an aperture on the dial and its rotor though the clear case back.

Bulova surrounds that ticking space with a sunburst-finished central dial and a sun-ray textured hour track. Orange accents enliven the dial even more on the running sub-seconds dial and the Arabic minutes markers.

The sporty watch is water resistant to 200 meters with the assistance of a screw-down crown.

Bulova pairs the watch with a matching silver-tone stainless steel bracelet with a push-button deployant clasp. Price: $650. 

The new Bulova Series B Marine Star Chronograph features a silver-tone 43.5mm stainless steel case with brushed and polished facets framing a bright orange dial that some collectors may recognize from Bulova’s famed Devil Diver.

The new Bulova Series B Marine Star Chronograph.

Black accents pair with silver-tone polished stainless steel hands and applied markers, all treated with luminescent material.

Bulova completes the dial with an internal rotating 60-minute timing case ring operated by the 10 o’clock crown.

Bulova fits the new watch with a matching silver-tone stainless steel bracelet with brushed and polished finishing and an extendable sport fold-over clasp with pushers and a safety bar. Price: $525. 

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Porsche Design Celebrates 75 Years of Porsche 

Porsche Design celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ roadster, the first namesake automobile made by Ferry Porsche.

The new Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition.

The celebratory model, called the Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition, echoes the first blackened steel Porsche Design watch from 1972 with its Porsche dashboard-inspired matte-black dial with Porsche Design logo and lettering, red seconds hand and tachymeter.

For the new model, Porsche Design updates the 40mm case, which here is glass-bead-blasted and carbide-coated black titanium. And instead of the Valjoux 7750 found in the original, Porsche Design’s own excellent COSC-certified WERK 01.140 powers the chronograph.

For this limited edition, however, Porsche Design also adds a few flourishes, starting with the caseback. This Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition features a winding rotor in the shape of the famed Fuchs wheel, including a Porsche crest in color, as well as the specific limited edition number.

Porsche Design has also created a new textile/leather strap with light blue stitching and a woven red stripe in the middle to mark the anniversary. The chronograph is also available with a black leather strap and matching black stitching. Both straps can be changed quickly using Porsche Design’s snappy quick-change system.

Porsche Design is offering the Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition as a special edition limited to 475 pieces. Price: $11,000. 

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The Watches

Ulysse Nardin Celebrates World Oceans Day 

Ulysse Nardin refreshes two of its dive models with eye-catching azure blue dial markers and matching blue rubber straps to mark World Oceans Day (June 8).

The new Ulysse Nardin Diver Net Azure.

One model, the Diver Net Azure, adds the sparkling blue color to the watchmaker’s existing environmentally friendly Diver series. This latest model in the collection (which also includes the Ocean Race diver) utilizes recycled materials within its case, which is made from Carbonium (with a 40% lower environmental impact than other carbon composites), Nylo (recycled polyamide from fishing nets) and 95% recycled steel.

The watchmaker reports that the new model represents a greater use of recycled steel than the first Diver Net concept model in 2020, which contained 80% recycled steel. 

The watch remains water-resistant to 300 meters and exhibits its blue hue on the dial’s X accent, the dial markers, the bezel markers and its rubber strap.

Ulysse Nardin fits the watch with its automatic UN-118 movement (above), fitted with a silicon balance spring and a DiamonSil escapement wheel and anchor. Price: $12,600.

The new Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton Azure.

The Diver X Skeleton Azure is a more complex dive watch. As the latest model within the watchmaker’s Diver X Skeleton collection, the skeletonized watch exposes its UN-372 Manufacture caliber, a top-tier in-house automatic movement Ulysse Nardin outfits with an extra-large oscillator and a silicon escapement wheel, anchor and balance-spring.

The movement is exposed within a 44mm titanium DLC case, which is water-resistant to 200 meters. Its components are visible underneath a dramatic black and azure blue X-shaped bridge. Lightweight Carbonium tops the barrel cover at the 12 o’clock position and covers the unidirectional rotating bezel. Price: $26,400.

Ulysse Nardin Caliber UN-372.

 (See below for full technical specifications for both new watches). 

Specifications: Ulysse Nardin Diver Net Azure

(Ref. 1183-170-2B/3A)

Movement: UN-118 Manufacture caliber, automatic movement displaying
hours, minutes, small seconds, date, power reserve indicator.  Silicon balance-spring, DiamonSil escapement wheel and anchor. Frequency 4Hz (28,800 vph). 

Case: 44mm by 14.81 mm with central case, bezel, case back and movement mount in 95% recycled stainless steel. Side case and case back ring: 60% Nylo recycled fishing nets and 40% Carbonium up-cycled carbon fiber from the aeronautic industry. Open sapphire crystal case back. Concave unidirectional rotating bezel in 100% upcycled Carbonium with domed sapphire crystal.  Water resistance to 300 meters. 

Dial: Sandblasted black with an embossed and satin X Power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, date and small seconds at 6 o’clock, hour-markers and hands with Super-LumiNova. 

Strap: Azure-colored rubber with black “Ulysse Nardin” ceramic element at 6 o’clock
Black ceramic pin buckle.

Price: $12,600.

 

Specifications: Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton Azure

(Ref. 3723-170-2B/3A) 

Movement: UN-372 Manufacture caliber, self-winding skeleton movement
Hours, minutes, seconds. Oversized silicon balance wheel, silicon escapement wheel, anchor and balance-spring. Frequency 3Hz (21,600 vph). 

Case: Polished and satin finished 44mm by 15.7mm black DLC titanium case,
concave unidirectional rotating bezel in Carbonium with domed sapphire crystal,
open sapphire crystal caseback in black DLC titanium. Water resistant to 200 meters.

Dial: X-shaped skeleton dial in polished and satin-finished black PVD Carbonium barrel cover, black hour-markers and hands with Super-LumiNova. 

Strap: Azure-colored rubber strap with black “Ulysse Nardin” ceramic element at 6 o’clock, compatible with R-STRAP, folding clasp in black ceramic and black PVD titanium. 

Price: $26,400 

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