HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING
With this COSC chronometric precision-certified model, the manufacture fills up on innovations! On the agenda: a world-exclusive stop-tourbillon mechanism and an invisible crown.
Chopard’s Mille Miglia collection was born out of a desire to weave a link between automotive engineering and mechanical watchmaking. The Lab One showcased here makes this wish reality once again. Even though the case’s traditional roundness gives way to a rather-more elongated profile (48.6 x 46 mm), the style still takes its cue from classical sports cars. The microblasted titanium-crafted case coated with black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) protects the one-of-a-kind architecture perfectly. The highly-graphical dial scenography conjures up a racing car radiator grille. Here, a pair of openworked hour and minute hands hover powerfully. At 12 o’clock, a large-sized date ticks over the digits in a double aperture. At 6 o’clock, a tourbillon separates two indicators gauge-style, one for the power reserve and one for the days of the week.
Besides this athletic visual design, this model stands out through the originality of its new caliber, the 03.03-M, assembled using 485 components. The regulating device carriage draws its inspiration from a disc-brake system. It’s brought to a halt by levers and activated as soon as the crown is pulled out. In addition to this stop-tourbillon mechanism, a patented balance-wheel, known as Variner®, ensures stable automatic movement running rate by compensating for inertia variations throughout the watch’s working time (60 hours’ autonomy).
The twenty Mille Miglia Lab One pieces issued also stand out with its incredible person-friendliness. The crown sits to the left of the case so as not to bother the wearer. Its braided carbon-fiber strap boasts rubber lining skin-side guaranteeing excellent wearing comfort.
Price: EUR128,500 chopard.com
By Dan Diaconu