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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

MB&F Revisits Driving Watches with Sleek HM8 Mark 2 

MB&F is back at the race track with the new HM8 Mark 2, a more compact version of its auto-inspired HM8 that combines the supercar styling of the watchmaker’s HM5 with the driving watch display and open ‘hood’ of the MB&F HM8 from 2016. 

The new MB&F HM8 Mark 2.

The new watch also features a similar horizontal time display optically magnified and projected 90 degrees to the wearer via a series of sapphire prisms.

But instead of the titanium and gold casing used in the earlier models, the new HM8 Mark 2 is built from titanium topped with CarbonMacrolon, a composite material composed of a polymer matrix injected with carbon nanotubes.

The English racing green version of the new MB&F HM8 Mark 2 is a limited edition of 33.

The material, developed for MB&F, is eight times lighter than steel and can be colored, polished, bead-blasted, lacquered or satin-finished. 

MB&F takes full advantage of those properties to create a lighter, smaller and more brightly colored driving watch, inviting a more unisex appeal to the debut.

For this debut, MB&F opts for a white or British racing green finish, matte on the top and high polish on the sides. The white version is paired with a green CVD rotor and light-green minute markers.

The British racing green version (a limited edition of 33) comes with a red gold rotor and balance wheel and turquoise minute markers. 

MB&F explains that the double-curved sapphire it uses on three sides of the HM8 Mark 2 is thirty to forty times more expensive than standard domed sapphire, and a result the watchmaker could find only one supplier for the component.

The trademark battle 22-karat gold axe rotor is also a chore to construct as it is only two-tenths of a milimeter thick and can’t be made by machine. Instead, it must be stamped, with the engraving already incorporated into the stamp.

The new watch’s crown is also unusual. Echoing the “double de-clutch” system found on race-cars, it operates by pushing it in and turning it three-quarters of a turn to release it. This ensures the watch’s 30 meters of water resistance while also maintaining a less intrusive profile.

The MB&F HM8 Mark 2 launches in two editions:  Titanium and green CarbonMacrolon body (limited to 33 pieces) and titanium and white CarbonMacrolon body panel.

Price: $78,000. 

 

Specifications: MB&F HM8 Mark 2 

Movement: Three-dimensional horological ‘engine’ composed of a jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed in-house by MB&F, powered by a Girard-Perregaux base movement. Mechanical movement, automatic winding with 22-karat gold automatic winding rotor. Power reserve is 42 hours, balance frequency is 28,800 bph.

Functions/indications: Bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes, displayed by dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Case: Grade 5 titanium with green or white CarbonMacrolon, dimensions: 47mm x 41.5mm x 19mm. Water resistance to 30 meters. Sapphire crystals on top, front and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Strap & Buckle: Calfskin: White for the British green model and green for the white model with a titanium tang buckle.

Price: $78,000

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Featured Events

Roger Smith Pocket Watch Auctioned for $4.9 Million

Roger Smith’s Pocket Watch Number Two sold for $4.9 million during the Phillips New York Watch Auction Eight held June 10 and June 11, setting a new record for any British timepiece while marking the fourth highest price ever achieved for a pocket watch at auction.

The Roger Smith, Pocket Watch Number Two.

The English watchmaker worked for five years to create the watch by hand in order to win the approval of the late George Daniels and secure an apprenticeship in Daniels’ legendary workshop on the Isle of Man.

Case back open view of the Roger Smith, Pocket Watch Number Two.

As Phillips explains “With Pocket Watch Number One rejected by Daniels, it was the perfection of this timepiece – Pocket Watch Number Two – that led Daniels to proclaim to Smith, “You are now a watchmaker.”

The Patek Philippe Ref. 2481 Pristine Forest.

In addition to the Roger Smith sale, two Patek Philippe watches sold for more than $1 million, including the Ref. 2481 Pristine Forest (which sold for $1.1 million) as well as the Philippe Dufour Simplicity 37, which sold for $863,600.

The Audemars Piguet Grand Complication platinum pocket watch, which sold for $635,000, more than ten times its low estimate.

An Audemars Piguet Grande Complication pocket watch in platinum, completed in 2011, sold for $635,000, more than ten times its low estimate.

The Philippe Dufour Simplicity 37 “No. 70”

Watches from Zenith also did well, including a tropical A384 El Primero which sold well past its $6,000-$12,000 estimate to $50,800, setting a new record for a vintage El Primero model. Zenith’s Chronomaster Original Pink “Unique Piece” for Susan G. Komen” sold for $30,480, of which 100% of proceeds, including Buyer’s Premium, will be donated to the breast cancer organization.

The Zenith Chronomaster Original Pink “Unique Piece for Susan G. Komen”

The auction realized total sales of $26.4 million, selling 100% by lot and 100% by value. See the Phillips website for full results and details. 

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The Watches

Chronoswiss Reaches for the Sun 

Chronoswiss continues to explore the universe with the new Space Timer Solaris, the independent Swiss watchmaker’s third watch in its relatively new Space Timer collection.

The new Chronoswiss Space Timer Solaris.

Like the earlier Space Timer Moonwalk and Space Timer Jupiter models, the new entry into the regulator-style collection boasts an unusual high-tech dial inspired by galactic-themes, patterns and colors.

As its name implies, the Space Timer Solaris’s fiery orange and red dial is meant to mimic the surface of the sun. Chronoswiss artisans created the dial’s textured surface by placing seventeen layers of nano-printed and laser-sculpted metal onto a gold-plated surface.

The watch’s multilayered dial is composed in part of a raised date disc and hour ring, each built from clear ITR2, a carbon nano-tube synthetic material.

Though employing a regulator dial display like the existing Open Gear ReSec series, the newer Space Timer collection offers a celestial dial theme that replaces that collection’s retrograde seconds hand with a large moon phase and date sub-dial. 

That date subdial is a heat-colored titanium globe with SuperLuminova that display the moon’s rotation and a few stars. Around the globe, miniature steel (0.6mm) ’planet’ balls serve as date indicators between Arabic numerals.

The remainder of the dial echoes the familiar Chronoswiss Open Gear regulator dial layout, with a polished and skeletonized bridge supporting the raised, decentralized hour display.

A long central minute hand and central seconds hand both rotate above the full Space Timer Solaris universe.

The watch’s rotor is skeletonized and orange-colored with Côtes de Genève finishing.

Chronoswiss fits its ETA-based C.308 automatic caliber into a 44mm by 15.2mm steel case to power this impressive galactic display. 

The Chronoswiss Space Timer Solaris is a limited edition of fifty pieces.

Price: $18,800.

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The Watches

An Ode to Mr. Roboto

By Steve Huyton

The Mr. Roboto from Azimuth is one of my favorite watches. Essentially this watch is the reason I fell in love with the brand in the first place.

Azimuth’s Mr. Roboto R1 Original.

Over the past twenty years, Azimuth has really established itself as a big player on the horological landscape. In particular the Azimuth avant-garde SP-1 collections have gained enormous critical acclaim. For this reason the brand has become synonymous for exceptional design and Swiss quality normally associated with more expensive watchmakers.

In fact it’s fair to say their progressive approach to watchmaking has led the pathway for many micro brands. 

Over the last few years, I’ve frequently communicated with Chris Long and got to learn what makes him tick. As a brand owner, you can essentially invent a title and Chris playfully describes himself as the Chief Product Visionary. This perpetuates his approach to watchmaking, which is mainly inspired by childhood fantasies.

The Mr. Roboto Artist Series with rat and gears.

Ultimately this was the catalyst for iconic creations like Mr. Roboto that pay homage to the Golden Robot of the 1950s. The Mark I variant was originally released in 2008 and measures 42.6mm x 49.5mm. For the price, there was nothing comparable at the time and it instantly became collectable with watch enthusiasts.

What originally impressed me about the original Mr. Roboto was the meticulous attention to detail. This watch has a sophisticated geometry and several bespoke sapphire crystal windows. The eyes display the hours (left), and GMT/second-time zone (right), with his red triangular nose featuring seconds and minutes in a retrograde format.

Certainly, in 2008 it was an ambitious project for a small independent brand. However, for Chris Long, this became a perfect springboard. 

In 2016 Azimuth took on another partner, Giuseppe Picchi, who now runs the technical side of the operation from Neuchatel in Switzerland. This allowed the brand to experiment with more sophisticated designs and build on a solid reputation.

In 2017 Azimuth unveiled the Mr. Roboto R2, which is a larger more muscular version of the original. The primary objective was to give the watch an ‘Haute Horlogerie’ aesthetic similar to MB&F and Urwerk.

Mr. Roboto R2

In my opinion, they were very successful and this is an exceptionally fine watch. However, interestingly Long revisited the original version to create several limited editions constructed from bronze. 

Notable highlights include the Mr. Roboto Bronzo Artist Series, a collection of unique 1/1 pieces. These feature hand-engraved bezels inspired by steampunk, bitcoin and motorcycle themes.

Mr. Roboto Bronzo.

For those that prefer a natural finish there was also a 100-piece limited edition Mr Roboto Bronzo that’s long sold out. 

Recently Chris Long informed me of a very special 43mm x 50mm sapphire crystal model, which will be limited to twenty pieces worldwide (to commemorate Azimuth’s 20th anniversary). Certainly, it’s the most exclusive model they’ve created to date and visually the boldest.

Mr. Roboto Sapphire.

Not surprisingly Azimuth will be entering this masterpiece for a prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award.

Personally, I feel it’s a perfect recipient for this type of accolade and maybe a natural conclusion to Mr. Roboto’s story.

Steve Huyton is an industrial designer, illustrator and author who publishes Total Design Reviews

 

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