Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Chopard · Mille Miglia
Chopard Mille Miglia 39 mm Skeletonised Grade
Reference 51738OR.98
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Chopard
- Collection
- Mille Miglia
- Model
- Chopard Mille Miglia 39 mm Skeletonised Grade
- Reference number
- 51738OR.98
- Year / era
- 1955 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 24A — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1955 – 1970
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Chopard Mille Miglia 39 mm Skeletonised Grade sits within Chopard's Mille Miglia line, introduced in 1955. It carries the house codes established since 1860 — grade 5 titanium case, skeletonised dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Chopard
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1860
- Founder
- Louis-Ulysse Chopard
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Alpine Eagle, Happy Sport, L.U.C, Mille Miglia, Happy Diamonds, Imperiale
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Composite and ceramic case materials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Chopard Alpine Eagle 44 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic (1953) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 42 mm Slate Sapphire (1950) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 44 mm Black 18k (1952) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 38 mm Blue Sapphire (2000)
Brand history
Chopard has spent more than 166 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Alpine Eagle, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis-Ulysse Chopard established Chopard in 1860, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Chopard calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1860
Louis-Ulysse Chopard founds Chopard in Switzerland.
1899
Chopard earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Chopard to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Chopard enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Chopard continues to produce Alpine Eagle, Happy Sport, L.U.C and other icons in limited numbers.