Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio-Blu 2026 Racing Edition Ref. 168566-3022 distils nearly four decades of partnership with one of the world’s most storied endurance races into a focused, purposeful object. Since 1988, Chopard has served as the Mille Miglia’s World Sponsor and Official Timekeeper, and Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has driven every single edition of the race since 1989 without interruption. That context matters. A brand that actually shows up at the start line in Brescia earns the right to put a fuel gauge on a dial, and Chopard has been cashing that cheque for a very long time.
Asphalt in Brass
The Grigio-Blu dial is where this watch makes its clearest argument. Chopard crafts it from brass with a grained blue-grey surface finish, a texture that quietly references the worn Italian tarmac the competing cars actually navigate. Broad, applied black hour markers sit under a coat of black Super-LumiNova®, and the baton-type hands for hours and minutes share that same treatment, so legibility survives both the paddock at midnight and a restaurant in the evening. A central rhodium-plated chronograph seconds hand carries a red tip, which connects directly to the iconic Mille Miglia arrow logo printed on the dial itself.
The fuel gauge-style power-reserve indicator sits between 8 and 10 o’clock, recessed slightly into the dial plane, and the semi-instantaneous date window at 3 o’clock keeps the layout symmetrical without cluttering it. A black flange with blue-grey transfers adds structural depth, while black and red transfers reinforce the racing identity without resorting to noise.
Calibre 01.08-C
Flip the watch and the exhibition caseback reveals the Chopard calibre 01.08-C, an in-house self-winding movement developed at Chopard‘s Fleurier Ebauches workshops. The movement comprises 251 components spread across a 28.80 mm diameter and 4.95 mm of thickness, running at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) with 40 jewels and delivering a 60-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certification demands 15 days of testing across five positions and three temperature ranges, guaranteeing a daily rate variation of between -4 and +6 seconds.
From a finishing standpoint, the 01.08-C presents bridges adorned with satin decoration, perlage and a open rotor weight with, in my opinion, unnecessary repeated Chopard name – already present on the main bridge. The stop-seconds function enables precise time-setting to the second, which in the context of a race timekeeping instrument feels entirely appropriate rather than performative.
Lucent Steel and Ergonomic Conviction
Chopard builds the 43 mm case entirely in Lucent Steel™, the proprietary alloy introduced in 2019 and now used across all Chopard steel timepieces since 2023. Produced through an advanced remelting process with an 80% recycling rate, Lucent Steel™ achieves a brilliance comparable to gold alongside hypoallergenic properties similar to surgical steel, and its exceptional hardness translates directly into abrasion resistance that suits a working instrument watch. At 11.43 mm thick, the case wears purposefully rather than daintily. Short ergonomic lugs aid wrist conformity, and the screw-down crown carries an engraved steering wheel motif at 7 mm, a detail that rewards attention up close. A Lucent Steel™ bezel receives a black aluminium inlay, and glare-proofed sapphire crystal protects both the dial and the exhibition caseback. Water resistance stands at 100 metres, which covers virtually every environment outside a dive tank.
Verdict
The 2026 Racing Edition ships on a technical black textile strap whose inner rubber lining carries a tyre-tread motif, secured by a deployant buckle, and the caseback engraving ties the piece explicitly to its numbered identity among the 250 examples produced. Chopard prices it at EUR 7,940, making it exclusive to Italy and Chopard boutiques worldwide. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele describes the goal as expressing “what endurance truly means today: reliability, clarity and mechanical precision, combined with a strong, contemporary design,” and nothing in the 2026 Grigio-Blu contradicts that. This is a watch that knows exactly what it is, and that kind of confidence is increasingly rare at any price point.
