Foversta shares his annual tradition of experiencing Rome with the latest Chopard Mille Miglia Race Edition, offering a detailed, hands-on review of the 2016 XL model. His insights provide a valuable long-term perspective on the watch's wearability, design choices, and the significance of its in-house movement within the Mille Miglia collection. This review helps readers understand the evolution and quality of Chopard's racing-inspired chronographs.
It has now become a beautiful tradition: every year, the official Chopard Mille Miglia of the famous race accompanies me during my summer Roman journey and spends a lot of time on my wrist. And this year, I couldn't have the feeling to live the same holidays than the year before since the 2016 version is radically different from the 2015 one! And yet these two watches share one thing in common: they symbolize the improving quality of the Mille Miglia collection.
If the Chopard Race Edition 2015 is distinguished by its beautiful red dial and the power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock, the Edition 2016 watch plays a different musical score, much more classic. Indeed, this chronograph is inspired from the vintage watches as evidenced by the color of the dial and of the counters and the mushroom pushers. There is however a difference ... in size compared to its illustrious elders, the chronographs from the past: the case diameter is 46mm making this watch very impressive and quite bulky!
However, I experienced a lot of fun by wearing it under the beautiful Roman sun. These particular lights first made me appreciate the serious and the quality of the execution: the finishes of the dial and the case are exemplary and the movement provides a technical and very clean presentation. The challenge, given the diameter has been to reduce the perception of size. The black dial with slate-colored counters manages to achieve this objective through its dominant dark color and the peripheral tachymeter scale. The date seems to be better integrated despite the fact that it is relatively far from the edge of the bezel. Moreover, I would have preferred that Chopard removed the date window, to be more faithful to the spirit of the watch. The numbers and hands also contribute to the perceived quality and their luminescence is effective.
The case exudes a sense of power due to its size but also to the oversized crown, the pushers and the shape of the bezel. Fortunately, the lugs are sufficiently curved to properly position the case on the wrist and preserve the nice visual rendering of the watch. The brown calfskin strap, relatively flexible and the folding clasp firmly hold the watch and the comfort is thus ensured if you have a sufficient wrist size.
Beyond its successful design, the great asset of the Chopard Mille Miglia XL Race Edition 2016 is its movement. And just like the caliber Chopard 01.08-C which powers the Race Edition 2015 watch, the automatic chronograph caliber Chopard 03.05-C was developed and assembled by Fleurier Ebauches, an entity which belongs to Chopard. This is obviously a crucial point which highlights the importance for Chopard of the Mille Miglia collection. Using an exclusive (and used for the first time in this context) and certified chronometer caliber, Chopard gives a new ambition and dynamic to this strategic collection. Obviously, the finishes of the movement don't reach the standards of the LUC calibers. But its presentation is very nice, clean and its technical rendering is consistent with the motor racing atmosphere of the watch. Its frequency is 4hz and its power reserve of about sixty hours, what is very decent. However, its own diameter makes it a bit lost in the case. In this context, a solid caseback may have been more appropriate but the commercial constraints require the visibility of the movement. I finally appreciated its winding efficiency and if the pushers are a bit stiff, they still remain pleasant to use.
The Chopard Mille Miglia XL Race is for me a qualitative watch with an imposing style. This contrast between the Vintage inspiration and the powerful case can be confusing at first glance but it gives a lot of character to the watch. However, I hope that Chopard has the will in the future to use the caliber Chopard 03.05-C in a more reasonable and more suitable case.
Please discover below some of the pictures taken during my Roman walks this summer.
Piazza di Pietra:
Fontana di Trevi:
The Roman Forum:
On the Ponte Sisto:
Via Giulia:
At the Via Giulia, 84, a small bar offers a delicious Cappuccino:
A visit at Bartolucci's boutique is always necessary to say hello to Pinocchio!
Piazza di Spagna:
Piazza di Pietra:
The Bernini hotel offers a spectacular view on the Piazza Barberini and the Triton Fountain:
A view from Aventine Hill:
Pros:
+ the finishes of the dial and of the case
+ the performances of the new caliber Chopard 03.05-C
+ the comfort on the wrist despite the size
Cons:
- the case diameter
- the date window is not mandatory and could have been removed
Thanks a lot to the Chopard Italy team and especially to the staff of the Boutique in Rome.
Fr.Xavier
