Tap the image to enlarge
Chopard Mille Miglia 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. 168589-6002
See more premium optionsHide
Stepping up in Chopard's range
Chopard's relationship with the Mille Miglia goes back more than three decades — the brand has been official timekeeper of the regularity race for classic cars long enough that the partnership has produced its own design language. This 2020 Race Edition, one of 250, sits within that tradition while pushing further than most: the case combines beadblasted DLC-coated steel with a bezel in 18-carat ethical rose gold, a pairing that reads as warmer and more considered than a purely blacked-out sports watch. The vintage yellow transfers on the outer minute track, the red-tipped chronograph seconds hand, and the direction arrow at twelve are all deliberate nods to period racing instrumentation rather than generic motorsport shorthand. On the wrist the dial is genuinely busy — 30-minute counter at nine, 12-hour counter at six, running seconds at three, and the date set obliquely at half-past four — but the matte black varnished surface absorbs enough light to keep it coherent. The perforated calfskin strap has a Dunlop tyre-tread rubber lining, which is the kind of detail that only reveals itself once the watch is on, and which justifies the racing brief in a way no dial graphic could.
- Reference
- 168589-6002
- Brand
- Chopard
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 12.67mm
- Case material
- Rose gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Tachymeter
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
Learn more about Chopard
Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded a workshop in Sonvilier in the Jura in 1860, building pocket watches that sold well in Eastern Europe and Russia. The family ran it for three generations before the line ran out of successors, and in 1963 the company was sold to Karl Scheufele III, a Pforzheim jeweller.
The Scheufele family still owns it, and their dual background explains the house's character: Chopard is unusual in being both a serious watchmaker and a serious jeweller, with in-house capability in gem-setting and gold-working alongside movement production.
The Happy Diamonds concept of 1976 — loose stones rotating freely between two sapphire crystals — became the commercial engine of the jewellery side and remains instantly identifiable.
On the watch side, the L.U.C collection launched in 1996 with the calibre 1.96, a micro-rotor automatic that announced Chopard as a genuine manufacture rather than a fashion house buying movements. L.U.C watches have since collected Geneva Seal and COSC certifications and produced tourbillons, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters made in Fleurier.
Chopard has timed the Mille Miglia since 1988, giving it a motorsport line with real provenance, and in 2018 moved its entire gold supply to ethically certified sources — the first major house to do so across all production.
- 1860
- Louis-Ulysse Chopard founds the workshop in Sonvilier.
- 1963
- Karl Scheufele III acquires the company.
- 1976
- Happy Diamonds introduces free-moving stones.
- 1988
- Chopard begins timing the Mille Miglia.
- 1996
- The L.U.C 1.96 establishes in-house movement production.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Automatic Watches (1,549), Chronograph Watches (1,029), Leather Strap Watches (883), All Black Watches (279), Limited Edition Watches (183) and Solid Gold Watches (133).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Chopard Mille Miglia alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 168589-6002 | 1183-310-7M/43 | 1-36-04-04-02-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £9,240 | £9,460 | £10,100 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | 60 hours | — |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 42 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
More Chopard watches like the Mille Miglia
In stock, and close on style and price
