Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green Watch Review
Headquartered in Geneva, Chopard has been the official sponsor and timekeeper for the 1000 Miglia since 1988. Over the years, the brand has crafted an array of models inspired by the legendary 1000 mile race. A limited edition of 100 pieces, the new Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green is a chronometer-certified watch featuring a chronograph. It is housed in a Lucent steel case and dressed in a hue that has been associated with British motorsport since 1903.
Image – Sir Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson at the Mille Miglia (1955)
Introduction
In the world of watches, associations with motorsport are not unusual. In 1988, Chopard became the official sponsor and timekeeper for the 1000 Miglia. It’s a long-standing partnership that continues to endure. However, what differentiates Chopard from many of its rivals is that the owners of the Swiss brand are genuinely passionate about motorsport. Indeed, every year the Co-President of Chopard, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, enters the regularity race, often joined by his close friend and motorsport legend, Jacky Ickx.
The modern-day Mille Miglia, aka 1000 Miglia, attracts entries from all over the world. So too does Chopard’s catalogue of the same name, which previously featured a Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph France Edition and a Mille Miglia GTS Chrono Italian Edition.
Image – Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French Limited Edition
Now Britain gets its due, with an all-new piece bedecked in classic Racing Green. This spectacular model, limited to just 100 pieces and exclusive to the UK, is a further addition to the prestigious collection that brings classic racing flair to the wrist.
Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green – dial
Created using a galvanic treatment process, the dial of this limited edition Mille Miglia watch is dressed in British Racing Green, a historical hue known to legions of motorsport fans. This rich and verdant colour, a symbol of national pride, is complemented by crisp white accents that deliver maximum legibility. The layout of the dial will already be familiar to brand devotees, a proven design that has been executed in a variety of colourways over the years.
For the Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green, the Maison has selected a traditional font that has also featured on several other Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph references. On this occasion, it has been outlined in black, conferring a subtle ‘decal-esque’ touch. Encircling these numerals is a lovely tachymeter scale in an equally clean typeface. Incorporating small, but legible, sans-serif numerals, the tachymeter scale allows the wearer to measure their driving speed up to a very optimistic 400 mph or 400 kph for the metrically inclined. Follow that tachymeter scale with your eyes and you will find the subtle colour-matched date window at 4:30, sitting discreetly on the dial.
The tricompax layout features three counters, including a 12-hour chronograph register, a 30-minute chronograph register and a small running seconds indication. Each subdial is endowed with a snailed finish, adding an additional quotient of sophistication to proceedings.
Look closely at the dial and you will see two soupçons of ebullient red. The first of these, a classic Mille Miglia logo, sits beneath the Chopard branding. The pillar box red colour also features on the tip of the chronograph seconds hand. Even these minor details evoke thoughts of passion, speed and adrenaline-infused motorsport.
Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green – case
Like the dial, the housing of the Classic Chronograph shows a remarkable attention to detail. Sharing the same 40.5 mm diameter as its Mille Miglia siblings, this Chopard chronograph is sufficiently large to be legible when driving yet small enough to complement formal attire at the post-race soirée. Beyond its handsome appearance, examples of craftsmanship can be seen throughout. In a nod to traditional watchmaking and to achieve a higher standard of finishing, the lugs are made individually and then welded onto the piece.
The case is tastefully restrained with the lugs and bezel sporting a bright mirror-like finish, while the case flanks are executed in a gentle brushed finish. But the headline act is unquestionably the material used for the case, Chopard’s proprietary metal, Lucent Steel. An alloy primarily made from recycled steel that’s smelted twice instead of once for greater purity, it exhibits a whiter appearance when contrasted with the ubiquitous 316L stainless. Additionally, Lucent Steel is hypoallergenic and 50% harder than 316L, making it far more scratch-resistant.
A chronograph’s pushers and crown are important touchpoints because of their frequent use and the primary way the wearer interfaces with the watch. Thankfully, the Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green is endowed with lovely knurled chronograph pushers, meant to resemble brake pedals in a racecar, and a notched crown. Each component provides plenty of grip for easy use, even when navigating your classic Aston Martin at speed.
Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green – movement
The same blood courses through the veins of this limited edition as its siblings: a Swiss-made, self-winding mechanical movement with a significant 54-hour power reserve. On top of that, the movement is chronometer-certified by COSC, providing independent reassurance that the watch will be accurate, maintaining ‘an average daily rate between -4 and +6 seconds per day’. Apart from the chronograph, date and time display, the movement also features a hacking seconds, allowing the wearer to synchronise the timepiece with a reference clock or watch.
Image – the back of the watch bears a close resemblance to the rear of the Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph 2025: Tribute to Sir Stirling Moss. The pair of crossed flags and the movement decoration are identical on both models.
The movement is attractively decorated with Côtes de Genève adorning the rotor, perlage gracing the automatic device bridge and blued screws; all visible through an exhibition caseback. In addition, the pane of sapphire bears a pair of crossed flags, a chequered black-and-white racing flag and the Union Jack. This isn’t the first time Mille Miglia Chronograph fans have seen this combination. It featured on the ultra-limited Tribute to Sir Stirling Moss, named after the fearless British driver who completed the Mille Miglia in 1955 in a record time of 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds.
Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green – strap
When it launched its early Mille Miglia chronographs, Chopard became one of the first Manufactures to equip a luxury timepiece with a rubber strap. The British Racing Green continues this venerable tradition, with a dark green strip of rubber that secures to the wrist with a pin buckle formed of Lucent Steel. The strap incorporates a patterned exterior, its tread-like design inspired by that of classic Dunlop tyres. This choice is yet another example of the watch’s connection to racing history. Indeed, since it was founded in 1888, Dunlop has forged strong links with motorsport, producing tyres for several race-winning cars over the years.
Closing remarks
In the early 1900s, race cars from each country were bedecked in a ‘national colour’. For example, France was blue, Germany adopted silver and Italy took red. In 1903, with the customary red, white and blue colours of the Union Jack being unavailable, Britain selected ‘Emerald Green’ for cars participating in the Gordon Bennett Cup of the same year, paying tribute to the host of the race – Ireland. The colour stuck, albeit it is better known as ‘British Racing Green’, and it has now graced British race cars for 123 years. Chopard’s latest limited edition is a celebration of Britain’s impressive motorsport heritage, expressed in an understated, elegant execution, befitting all gentleman drivers who recognise the allure of chronometric performance.
Further reading
https://www.chopard.com/en-gb/
Technical Specification
- Model: Chopard Mille Miglia Classic British Racing Green
- Reference: 168619-3017
- Case: Lucent Steel, diameter 40.5 mm, height 12.88 mm, water resistance 5 ATM (50 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
- Movement: self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 37 jewels, power reserve 54 hours, chronometer-certified (COSC)
- Strap: green rubber strap inspired by 1960s Dunlop racing tyres. Pin buckle in Lucent Steel
- Price: £9,660 (RRP as of 20.4.2026)
- Limited Edition: 100 pieces