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So where to start with this brand? From the beginning, short version of course.
Louis-Ulysses Chopard, started this entity as a watchmaker specializing in movement, in Sonvilier Switzerland. In 1860 he began the L.U.C. manufacturing company realizing it was more profitable to bring to market a finished watch than to just manufacture movements alone. Chopard focused on Pocket watches and Ladies watches. The company stayed in the Chopard family until the grandson Paul-Andre sold it to Karl Scheufele III in 1963.
The company is still owned by the Scheufele family, being one of the last Family owned watch companies still in business.
They are the official timekeepers for the Mille Miglia, 1000 mile Italian TSD Classic Rallye since 1988, Official timekeepers of the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco since 2002, and The Cannes Film Festival since 1998, sponsoring the Trophée Chopard prize and making the Palme d’Or trophy. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival and the 20th anniversary of their partnership, Chopard created a special Palme D’Or adorned with ‘Fairmined’ diamonds. Their reach into the fashion world is as extensive as their watchmaking heritage.
Moving forward, to sometime around 2010, now I am the latest caretaker of a Chopard Mille Miglia GMT Chrono, with “an emblematic rubber strap, a subtle reference to Dunlop tires of the 1960s” I love that line from their web page!
I honestly do not remember the exact time I added this to my collection, but suffice it to say it has been a mainstay for 10 years. I have always rotated this in my daily wear collection since introduction. The box it came in is superb black leather, and with it comes a Chopard tire pressure gauge which I have never used. In a side note, I was attending the Art of the Car Concours de Elegance in Kansas City, and was blessed to meet Sir Stirling Moss. He was signing autographs and I decided to bring my Mille watch box in. Sir Stirling was the fastest winner of the famed Mille Miglia (1000 mile) race in 1955. This was a pure race through the Italian countryside from Brescia to Roma and back to Brescia. This was a race of champions. Moss won this race in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR #722 which was based on the Formula One car (Mercedes-Benz W196), entirely different from their sports cars carrying the 300 SL name. Moss was piloting this iconic automobile to average speeds over 97mph on the entire trip. Imagine the cars howling through quaint little Italian villages. The sounds of all that history from 4 cylinders to roaring V12’s! I cannot tell you how giddy I was to meet him and have him autograph my watch box. He recognized it immediately, and was very humble, an amazing man. A highlight of my auto hero’s!
This particular unit is not the famed L.U.C. movement, but the ETA / Valjoux 7750 (caliber 7754 Chopard) version, a mainstay on its own. 25 jewels, 42-hour power reserve. The L.U.C. movement was introduced at that time, but was not available in a Chrono GMT version at that time. It has the second time zone around the outside of the bezel, fixed, and the Tachymeter located just inside the bezel elevated from the dial. Date window is magnified, and easy to read. Lume is still very good considering its age. The strap has actually worn better than any of the other rubber or leather straps in my watch collection. That being said, I have not really done this watch justice. I have never had it serviced, and it is still easily within parameters for a Swiss Chromometer. I have never felt it was a fragile timepiece. I do however go to great lengths to take care of it.
It does not have a screw down crown, but I have never really had it under about 10 feet of water. The plungers work with the same pressure as any other swiss movement I own. The strap is adorned with the Chopard branding on the Deployant buckle, and the sapphire crystal has an anti-reflective coating on the inside for the timekeeping side, and the crystal back glass shows the wonderfully accented winding rotor and movement. It has a classic black dial with baton hour markers. The GMT hand has a easy to read broad arrow head pointing to the second time zone. It features a 42mm round polished stainless-steel case, a tasteful size in today’s styles.
This is a subtle yet visible watch to the keen eye. I love watches that spark conversation of the past and the stories they tell. I am a complete child when it comes to a great story, totally enthralled, and the Mille has so much heritage not only from a family owned watch company but to the race itself.
So in the end, I have a watch that is perfect for me. Zero issues, I take average care of it, and it has performed perfectly. Easy to read day or night. Classic enough for an evening out, or historic race day.
And it has a story. I love a good story…