Over the past few years, the signature black minimalistic aesthetic of Bamford Watch Department has appeared on watches from Rolex to TAG Heuer, Zenith, and even Casio, garnering dedicated enthusiasts along the way. The latest partner for Bamford is the independent brand Chopard, offering its Mille Miglia Classic chronograph for customization. With a heritage in vintage car racing and stylistic roots in 1950s Italian motorsport, the Mille Miglia series is not the most obvious candidate for an ultra-modern monochromatic reinterpretation, but the end result is distinctive, bold, and instantly eye-catching. Thanks to an intriguing blend of classic and contemporary with superb finishing, the limited Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition is one of the most unique and beautiful aggressive variants of the Mille Miglia line to date.
The sporty 42mm stainless steel case of the Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition retains the same mid-century rounded shape as the Mille Miglia Classic chronograph but replaces the standard polished look with a fully bead-blasted DLC coating in a deep gunmetal gray. While the original's cheerful dolce vita spirit lives on in the wide rounded bezel and simple curved lugs, this warm vintage form takes on a more purposeful and aggressive tone in images thanks to the dark matte finish. Elements like the hefty piston pushers and broad steering wheel motif crown are more functional here, and the dark color and matte finish likely visually downplay this design on the wrist. Like the standard model, the Mille Miglia Bamford Edition features a sapphire display caseback, and water resistance remains at a delicate 50 meters.
In typical Bamford style, the dial of the Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition reinterprets the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph's dial in a strict monochrome style with splashes of bright colors. In initial images, a bright, almost neon orange color is chosen to highlight the outer tachymeter scale, central chronograph seconds hand, and subdials with a vibrant dynamic contrast. The chronograph minutes subdial at 9 o'clock uses this color particularly effectively, breaking the scale into three 10-minute segments of orange, black, and neutral sky gray colors. As with other forms of minimalism, the strength of the monochrome design relies on subtle nuances, and the Mille Miglia Bamford Edition succeeds here by balancing shades and diverse visual textures.
The true black color in initial images is reserved for accents, forming the base for the outer tachymeter ring, wide Mille Miglia sword tube, and azurage surfaces of the subdials. A design incorporating such rich orange, deep black, and pure white colors might seem simplistic or visually overwhelming, so to maintain a more nuanced low-contrast look, the main elements of the Mille Miglia Bamford Edition dial are executed almost exclusively in pale neutral gray.
Everything from the dial text to the lume in the mid-century Italian-style printed Arabic numerals is done in this more subdued tone, with the main dial surface forming an anchoring visual middle in a deep and grainy matte concrete gray color.
The only exception to this balanced and charismatic color scheme is the 4:30 date window, which uses slightly jarring bright white text, noticeably disrupting the overall dial symmetry. Under the new ultra-modern color scheme, the Mille Miglia Bamford Edition dial is still identical to the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph, and the vintage warmth of the rounded text on the dial softens the overall look in initial images, creating a sense of greater proximity.
Like the standard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph model, the Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition is equipped with a modified version of the long-established automatic modular chronograph movement ETA 2894-2. In terms of decoration, this movement is virtually identical to series-produced Mille Miglias, but the use of a smoky gray crystal for the display caseback lends new visual character to the familiar mix of Côtes de Genève and perlage.
The specifications remain unchanged from regular series versions, with chronometer-grade accuracy certified by COSC, particularly thanks to the flat-edged spring balance wheel. The power reserve is somewhat disappointing for this price range, however, at 42 hours at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Chopard outfits the Mille Miglia Bamford Edition with a textured black rubber strap with contrasting orange stitching to match the dial. With its woven surface and bright highlights, this natural addition to the dial in initial images sharply enhances the more modern and aggressive spirit of the Bamford Edition.
The new limited Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition, featuring an impressively nuanced new color scheme and a masculine matte texture, represents a sharp and stylish departure from the traditional aesthetic cues of the line, with a bold and intriguing new personality.
Only 33 pieces of the Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition will be produced, and the watch is available now through official dealers at a price of £6,950. For more detailed information, visit the brand's website.