Chopard is a brand famous for its passion for racing – and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique watch series is a great illustration of this special relationship. The Swiss luxury watchmaker has been the race’s official timekeeper and sponsor since 2002, but 2014 is the first time it has released an entire collection to celebrate the partnership.
The three watches, Chrono, Power Control, and Automatic, follow the three main types of car engine: V6, V8, and V12. All feature a Swiss automatic caliber with 24 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 46 hours, COSC-certified, and with a chronograph complication. Another similar element is the black Barenia calfskin strap with cream stitching and a titanium folding clasp.
The differences between the timepieces are mostly aesthetic. While all are available with a titanium 44.5 mm case, the dials look different on every piece. One of them, for instance, comes with a snailed silver-toned dial with hollowed black-toned subdials at 12 and 6 o’clock, hollowed silver-toned subdial at 9 o’clock, gold-toned hour and minute hands, and black central sweep-seconds hand; another has a snailed silver-toned dial with raised oversized Arabic numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock, a silver-toned inner bezel ring, gold-toned hour and minute hands and black central sweep-seconds hand, while the power reserve indicator is reminiscent of petrol and oil gauges.
[TimeZone]
