The annual Italian Mille Miglia is hailed as “the most beautiful car race in the world” by Enzo Ferrari. Chopard has become the global sponsor and official timekeeper of this antique car race since 1988, and launches race-themed watches every year, embodying the ultimate pursuit of mechanics and time between watches and cars.
In 2024, Chopard launched the new Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph JX7 watch, which is the result of the seventh creative cooperation between Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and well-known racing drivers. In addition to highlighting the event features and also pays homage to brand ambassador and legendary racing driver Jacky Ickx.
The overall line outline of this 40.5 mm diameter watch is inspired by the body paint of antique racing cars. The midnight blue color of the dial is inspired by the color of the helmet of Jacky Ickx, a racing driver known as “Monsieur Le Mans”; he He was the first person to wear this integrated helmet in 1969. This racing helmet with two eyelets and a sun visor has been changed from electric blue to midnight blue since 1972. It is decorated with white lines and was named “hibou” because the shape of the helmet resembles the head of an owl. ” (French, meaning “owl”). This helmet with a very geometric appearance has become one of the iconic equipment of this legendary racing driver and has remained consistent for 30 years.
The sapphire crystal caseback on the back is also decorated with this prestigious “Owl” helmet pattern, and has the words “Time Attack” (time attack), which refers to the qualifying race, in which drivers time the track and drive multiple times. lap, and their respective starting positions in the race will be determined based on their lap speed. The dial is equipped with white time indicators. The hour markers and hour and minute hands are coated with Super-Luminova® super luminous material. The calendar dial also displays the date in white numbers, but the date numbers “6” and “24” are specially displayed in red, cleverly echoing Jacky Ickx has an impressive record of winning the 24 Heures du Mans six times.
The outer edge of the bezel is engraved with a progressive tachymeter scale, which is essential for speed measurement, and is paired with a retro “box-type” convex mirror. The texture of the rubber strap, reminiscent of Dunlop tires in the 1960s, has been a feature of this series for more than 25 years since its inception, but this is the first time that a midnight blue model is available to match the dial. The designed watch box can display the miniature replica of the legendary helmet side by side. This watch is available in two limited edition models: the Lucent Steel™ stainless steel model exclusively owned by Chopard and using at least 80% recycled material, limited to 250 pieces; Lucent Steel™ stainless steel and ethical 18K gold Model, limited edition of 50 pieces.
