Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control watch hands-on operation At the 2015 Basel International Watch and Jewellery Show, Chopard continued to release new sports watches with in-house movements. The latest Mille Miglia series watches contain the in-house homemade Chopard movement, this beautiful Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control, equipped with a new 01.08-C movement. This is actually part of the larger new “Mille Miglia GTS” (GTS standard for Grand Turismo Sport) watch series, which includes Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Automatic (three hands), Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control and Chopard Mille Miglia GTS chronographs Stopwatch.
In 2012, Chopard launched a new series of movements in a new factory called Chopard Fleurier Ebauches, which is a separate factory from the L.U.C production base. Chopard produced more “large-capacity” mechanical movements on Fleurier Ebauches, which first appeared in the 2012 Chopard Classic Racing Super Fast series (hands-on). Of course, for Chopard, the goal is to become more and more independent of third-party movement suppliers. Ultimately, I believe that switching to more and more internal movements will benefit consumers.
Over the years, I have always liked the design and details of Chopard racing watches such as Classic Racing, Grand Prix de Monaco Historique and the Mille Miglia series. The chronograph version is the most popular, and when people like them, some collectors complain that Chopard charges high prices for products containing the Swiss ETA Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement. Indeed, although Chopard provides the most advanced case and dial, the price of the 7750 is much cheaper.
I don’t know when or if all Chopard men’s sports watches will include an internal movement, but the overall trend of the brand is to increase the number of watches with Chopard-made movements. I’m pretty sure that this year at Baselworld 2015, we will see Chopard replacing the 7750 by itself, even though the Chopard chronograph movement made in-house has been on the market for a short time now. So let’s talk about this movement in Chopard Mille Miglia GTS power control.
Chopard is proud of its 01.08-C automatic movement, whose name has been displayed on the dial. I think they believe that it will take a lot of effort to communicate with people, and their new Chopard Mille Miglia GTS watch can not only refresh the previous appearance. The operating frequency of 01.08-C is 4Hz (28,800 bph), which can retain power for 60 hours. The movement also passed the COSC chronograph certification. On the dial, you can see the time, the power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock and the date. The fuel gauge-style power reserve indicator feels good to the touch, and I like the way Chopard designed it to be slightly embedded in the dial.
From the final point of view, the 01.08-C movement is somewhat different from the movement I have seen before from Fleurier Ebauches. The decoration and bridge design look less industrial and modern, with a more classic appeal, as if Chopard is trying to provide a less complicated and more entry-level version of its L.U.C series movement. I think this is not necessarily a bad idea, the movement can be seen through the sapphire crystal case back.
In the past, I have always been very clear about most Chopard racing-style swiss watches for men. I like the bold look, the clear dial, the use of colors and clear details. Here, you can slightly update the design theme of the 2015 Chopard Mille Miglia GTS series, which includes updated numbers at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock and other adjustments. We also saw a thin bezel design with a minute indicator, which looks more retro. Despite the good bezel design, Chopard continues to use aluminum inserts-at this price point, many other brands have moved to more durable materials, such as ceramics.
I can see that some people may not be fully integrated into the design of this watch, but in my opinion, Chopard once again combines an interesting racing theme with an exquisite style, so that people can wear it every day. The case of the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS power control and automatic device is 43 mm wide, while the chronograph is 44 mm wide. We finally have 100 meters of water resistance. The rubber strap looks a bit new, in accordance with the spirit of the Chopard Mille Miglia series, with the texture of Dunlop tires in the 1960s. The price of the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control watch is: stainless steel with rubber strap (reference number 168566-3001), stainless steel with steel strap (reference number 158566-3001), and 18k rose gold with rubber strap (Ref.161296- 5001).
