The partnership was instigated by Chopard co-president and classic car aficionado Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who has competed in the rally every year since 1989. For fans of the event who do not compete, Chopard designs a new, limited edition Mille Miglia watch each year for general sale. In all cases, the fee includes a unique Chopard Mille Miglia watch engraved with the relevant crew’s entry number. Now run as a regular rally, for which only cars of a type that competed in the original event are eligible, entry to the Mille Miglia starts at €15,250 and rises to €73,200. The modern Mille Miglia was established in 1977 to celebrate the original 1,000-mile contest between Brescia and Rome that was held 24 times between 19 before being banned as a true road race after a series of fatalities. It is a similar, if longer-running, story with Chopard, which will mark its 36th consecutive year as the sponsor and official timekeeper of Italy’s Mille Miglia rally (June 13-17). “It is far easier for someone who already loves mechanical objects to appreciate what we do than, say, for someone who is purely a collector of conventional art,” he reasons, adding that the brand will this year add September’s Audrain Concours in Newport, Rhode Island, to its list of sponsorships. Schmid says he chose to associate Lange with concours events both because of the unifying thread between cars and watches and because he believes such shows help the brand reach the type of people who can afford to spend from £22,500 up to six figures on a watch. “Our usual action at Hampton Court is to sponsor the ‘30Under30’ category of cars under 30 years of age owned by people under 30 years of age - it’s a way of keeping classics relevant to younger people when they are not seen on the roads so often.” “That was a one-off, donated as part of a ‘give back’ strategy,” says Schmid. Last year, it also made a one-off chronograph dedicated to the annual Concours of Elegance, which takes place at Hampton Court Palace, south-west London.īut, instead of being awarded to the winner, the watch was sold by auction house Phillips, raising more than €1mn for the Prince’s Trust charity. Lange creates a unique watch each year for presentation to the owner of the car judged “best in show” at the Concorso.
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