Fellows Auctioneers Ltd

With Barbie-mania sweeping the nation, we thought it would only be appropriate to look at one of the most Barbie-like watches we have seen. We shall look at the history of Chopard and the Mille Miglia race, before talking about the watch itself.

A Brief History of Chopard

Chopard was founded in 1860 as L.U.C. by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a Swiss watchmaker. They quickly grew in popularity. In the early years, they were supplying watches and jewellery to a number of clients. Including, among others, Tsar Nicholas II. The brand continued to develop with successive generations of the company continuing to create timepieces. After a takeover in 1963, Chopard began to expand dramatically, increasing production significantly and gaining greater acclaim. In 1976 they introduced one of their most iconic innovations that has perhaps gone on to define the brand, the Happy Diamonds. A crossover of Chopard’s watchmaking and jewellery expertise, free-floating diamonds were sandwiched between two plates of sapphire crystal. The Happy Diamonds line was certainly a brave direction and demonstrates Chopard’s willingness to try something new.

Since 1978 Chopard has been able to boast that they are one of a handful of Swiss watch companies with their own foundry. This allows them to produce their own gold alloys. In 2018 the company dedicated itself to using only ethical gold in their pieces, a noble pursuit. In 1988 Chopard began partnering the the Mille Miglia race, producing a particular sports watch collection for the yearly race.

Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia is an annual open road race that first ran in 1927. It equates to roughly 1000 Roman miles. It follows a route from the city of Brescia in Lombardy, to Rome, and back. The race was established by a group of local aristocrats after the Italian Grand Prix moved from Brescia to its current home, Monza. Since 1977 it has been run as a vintage and classic car parade. The winner is the team that can finish as close to a specified time as possible. The original race has been won by familiar names such as Stirling Moss and Alberto Ascari.

Every year Chopard produces a new Mille Miglia watch for the event. Every team is presented with an example with their car’s entry number engraved on the case back. The watches are known for their sporty aesthetic, accurate timekeeping, and attractive designs.

The Racing in Pink Mille Miglia

In 2011, Chopard introduced a new watch to the Mille Miglia lineup – a women’s watch. For the 23 years that Chopard had been producing the Mille Miglia range up to that point, they had never made a watch aimed at women. To describe this watch as pink would be a slight understatement. It is pink. So pink that Barbie would be jealous. To add to the motorsport aesthetic, the pink rubber strap is designed to look like a Dunlop race tyre from the 60s. But it is not just about looks. The watches in this line are, as already mentioned, highly accurate timepieces; COSC certified chronometer and hacking function.

This pink diamond bedazzled piece gives even some of the most premium watches a run for their money. Limited to just 250 pieces, this diamond set example goes up for auction in the Luxury Watch Sale on the 14^th of September.