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Chopard Races With Mille Miglia 2021

Just ahead of the annual Mille Miglia, the 1,000-mile classic car race in Italy slated for June 16 to 19, long-time race sponsor and participant Chopard has released its ode to the race, the new Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition.

The new Chopard Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition, with a 44mm steel case A second model offers a rose gold and steel case.

While this year’s race will run in the reverse direction (counter-clockwise) starting in Brescia, on to Rome and returning to Brescia to pay homage to the race’s original 1927 route, Chopard moves forward, offering two models of the new watch.

The steel and rose gold version of the Chopard Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition.

Chopard is making one of the new Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition chronographs with a steel case, limited to 1,000 units, and will also make a second model cased in both steel and rose gold, limited to 250 units.  

Each is a sporty 44mm chronograph with either a stainless steel or polished ethical rose gold bezel with a black ceramic insert with white ceramic markings. Chopard has designed the bezel to mimic dials and gauges of the types found in classic automobiles that annually participate in the Mille Miglia.

The watch also sports a grey dial with a circular satin-brushed finish, all highlighted by red accents on the chronograph hands and for the race’s historic ‘Red Arrow’ pennant.

Chopard secures the back with screws and engraves a checkered flag, the ’1000 Miglia’ logo and the inscription ‘Brescia > Roma > Brescia.’ Though it’s not visible, the ETA-based COSC-chronometer-certified automatic movement offers a 48-hour power reserve, stop-seconds function, water-resistance to 100 meters and a glare-resistant sapphire crystal.

And finally, the watch’s calfskin leather bracelet features perforations and red or black stitching reminiscent of 1960s Dunlop racing tires, echoing examples from previous years.

Prices: $7,610 (steel model) and $11,000 (steel and ethical rose gold).

 

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The Watches

Zenith Goes on Safari

Zenith’s newest Revival, the Chronomaster Revival Safari, reinterprets the historical Zenith A384 chronograph from 1969, but instead of the original’s 37mm steel case we now have a micro-blasted 37mm titanium case.

The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Safari

The watch’s deep matte green dial with contrasting black registers and tachymeter scale is new, while the beige SuperLumiNova on the applied baton markers and hands is distinctly vintage.

The rubber strap takes on the same khaki-green tone as the dial, and is fixed to a matte micro-blasted titanium pin buckle. Price: $9,000.

Specifications: Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Safari”

(Reference: 97.T384.400.57.C856, a boutiques & e-commerce edition.)

Movement: El Primero 400 automatic chronograph with column-wheel, frequency of 36,000 Vph (5 Hz), a power reserve of 50 hours. Functions: Hours and minutes in the center, small seconds at nine o’clock. Chronograph: central chronograph hand, 12-hour counter at six o’clock, 30-minute counter at three o’clock. Date indication at 4:30.

Case: 37mm micro-blasted titanium, 50 meters of water resistance

Dial: Khaki green with black counters, tachometer scale, hour-markers and hands are rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with beige SuperLumiNova.

Bracelet: Khaki green “cordura effect” strap and white stitching. Micro blasted titanium pin buckle.

Price: $9,000.

 

 

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Featured News

Patek Philippe Exhibits Rare Handcrafts in Geneva

If you’re in Geneva between June 16 and June 26, we suggest you visit the historic headquarters of Patek Philippe on Rue du Rhône. There, the watchmaker is exhibiting more than seventy-five Rare Handcrafts items from its collection.

In its largest such collection of rare handcrafts masterpieces, Patek Philippe mixes in several of its 2021 Rare Handcrafts with a curated selection of seventy 2020 artisanal items, including one-of-a-kind limited editions. These include pocket watches, wristwatches, dome table clocks and bracket clocks made using a broad range of artisanal skills.

This genuine ‘panda’ dial from Patek Philippe will be on display at the exhibit.

These skills include manual engraving, precious miniature painting on enamel (a Genevan specialty), flinqué enamel on hand guilloching, paillonné enamel, enamel with Limoges painting, fauré enamel (relief enamel), Longwy enamel on faience, and gem-setting.

Patek Philippe has even included several rarely seen examples of wood micro-marquetry as well as mixed-technique pieces that combine marquetry, manual engraving, and flinqué enamel.

While exploring the exhibits, visitors can also observe the artisans at work as they demonstrate their expertise in enameling, miniature painting on enamel, engraving, marquetry and guilloching.

The “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition at the Patek Philippe salons in Geneva on Rue du Rhône 41 is open to the public from June 16 to 26, 2021, every day (except Sundays) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors should register at https://www.patek.com/rhc2021/ in advance.

 

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The Watches

The RPaige JukeBox Plays the Hits

By Steve Huyton

I first became aware of Richard Paige approximately nine years ago via various watch forums. We instantly hit it off because we appreciate Art Deco and independent watchmaking. Before establishing his own brand called RPaige Watches, Richard owned a successful high-profile watch boutique in California. The flagship store called, Paris 1925, was located in San Francisco.

However, after several years in the business, Paige became very frustrated dealing with corporate groups. At this stage, he started TimeZone.com, which is considered a template for many new watch blogs.

The RPaige Speakeasy, with an Art Deco dial, case and font. Inside is a vintage Waltham movement.

For several years Paige has resided in Honolulu, where he spends his days creating beautiful timepieces for discerning customers around the globe. The unique selling point of RPaige Watches is the striking Art Deco-inspired aesthetic and the choice of historic movements. Early on, Richard decided to use vintage pocket watch calibers from Elgin (Illinois) and Waltham (Massachusetts) and originally manufactured between 1897 and 1929.

Enamel JukeBox

Over the years Richard has created several popular collections like the Aviator, DuoFace, Skyscraper and Speakeasy. A few months ago Paige mentioned to me that he would be unveiling a dress style watch called the JukeBox, inspired by the 1940’s Moderne style of vintage watches.

The RPaige JukeBox features a beautiful white enamel dial.

JukeBox is a departure from the Art Deco style, and is the smallest timepiece RPaige has created, with a brushed steel case measuring 41mm x 12mm. Certainly, the finished result is impressive, and I am sure devotees of the brand will be enticed.

Even though the JukeBox is a limited series (100 pieces) every watch will have a different dial. This means that customers essentially will get the opportunity to own a unique 1/1 piece that is assembled in Paige’s own workshop.

For this review, I’ll focus on the latest JukeBox model (numbered 71/100) with a beautiful white vintage antique fire-enameled dial. It is also priced very competitively at $1,400.  Other features include bold black (12-hour) and red (24-hour) Arabic numerals. This model also has a steel crown with inset blue crystal and blue enameled Cathedral style hour/minute hands with luminous coating.

The manual-wind Unitas 6498-1, with higher-end finish, is visible from the clear caseback.

Powering the watch is a Swiss-made Elabore-grade (higher-end-version) 17-jewel Unitas 6498-1. The manual-wind mechanism oscillates at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour and is visible via the sapphire crystal exhibition case back.

This use of the Unitas caliber represents a different direction for RPaige, which has previously only used vintage U.S. calibers. I suspect it’s an availability issue, but feel this is a great alternative.

As a final touch, the JukeBox is presented on a brown genuine alligator strap, with brown stitching and steel buckle. Price: $1,400.

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

 

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The Watches

TAG Heuer’s Carrera Goes Green

TAG Heuer this week adds a teal-green-dialed beauty to its Carrera collection with the Carrera Green Special Edition, an eye-catching ode to the brand’s famed 1963 original.

The new TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition.

While the shimmering, sunray-finished blue-green color is new for Carrera, the watch’s signature lugs, polished steel case and pushers recall the original with purist accuracy, though the case now measures 39mm in diameter rather than 36mm for the original.

The enviable dial retains the same Heuer tri-compax layout (minute chronograph at 3 o’clock, hour chronograph at 9 o’clock and permanent second indicator at 6 o’clock) found on the original.

The watch’s nicely faceted hands, domed glass box crystal and Heuer logo thoughtfully extend the commemoration. In fact, the vintage-hued SuperLuminova seems to amplify the apparent depth of the dial, a visual effect already strengthened by the crystal’s curves.

TAG Heuer extends the dial’s teal color to the movement, where thanks to the transparent caseback you’ll see the color on the movement’s column wheel and in the Calibre Heuer 02 and Swiss Made inscriptions on the rotor.

Inside the Carrera Green Special Edition TAG Heuer fits its superior Caliber Heuer 02 manufacture movement that utilizes a column wheel and vertical clutch and boasts an impressive 80-hour power reserve. Finally, TAG Heuer attaches the watch to your wrist with a black alligator leather strap with a folding clasp and two safety push buttons.

TAG Heuer now offers the 500-piece limited edition chronograph on its e-commerce websites and at TAG Heuer boutiques. Price: $6,650.

 

Specifications: TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition

Reference: CBK221F.FC6479 (Limited Edition of 500)

Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic manufacture movement. Chronograph with minute and hour hands, permanent second, hour and minute indicators, center seconds hand.

Case: 39mm polished stainless-steel case and fixed bezel, domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, polished stainless-steel crown with push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock. Water-resistant to 100 meters, SPECIAL EDITION engraved on the caseback

Dial: Teal sunray brushed dial and flange with three snailed subdials. Permanent seconds indicator, polished and rhodium-plated hour and minute hands coated with SuperlumiNova.

Strap: Black alligator leather strap featuring a polished stainless-steel folding clasp with two safety push buttons.

Price: $6,650.

 

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