he new creative collaboration between Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (Chopard Co-President), the Chopard design team, Andrea Michele Zagato (Zagato President) and Norihiko Harada (Zagato Chief Designer) combines iconic codes from both Maisons to introduce a true concept watch showcasing the watchmaking prowess of the Manufacture’s workshops founded in Fleurier in 1996 with the avant-garde spirit of the Italian coachbuilder.

Much as a concept car represents innovation in the automotive world, Chopard introduced its first concept watch in 2020 with the Mille Miglia Lab One model, offering enhanced performance and a futuristic aesthetic influenced by racing cars. Today, the Zagato Lab One Concept model is a horological tribute to the automotive designer.

It magnifies the Tubular architecture characteristic of the car chassis developed by the famous bodywork specialist. The movement is thus supported by a framework of tubes: a principle used in racing cars to optimise rigidity and reduce weight. This design distributes mechanical stress in the event of impacts and improves structural safety. It is a first for Chopard, which has transposed these technologies from motorsport to the field of watchmaking.

Instead of lugs, the tubular open loops ensure that the watch sits perfectly on the wrist. They feature a pivoting function whose amplitude is controlled by an adjustment system (approximately 45 degrees on each side). The crown on the side of the case is derived from automotive differential gears and personalised with an engraved steering wheel that has become emblematic of Chopard’s Classic Racing codes.

The time display is the result of an aesthetic quest combining contemporary style and legibility: the movement mainplate, which serves as the dial, is adorned with Zagato’s unmistakable recurrent “Z” motif, featuring chamfers enhanced by a rhodium-plated finish. The likewise rhodium-plated Chopard and Zagato logos are displayed in positive relief. The watch face is topped by a ‘glass box’ sapphire crystal fitted flush with the caseband, accentuating the dial’s legibility. For the sake of symmetry, the caseback adopts a similar principle to extend the caseband while offering a full view of the movement and highlighting every mechanical detail.

The 42 mm diameter case along with the movement bridges and mainplate are made from ceramicised titanium. This ultra- resistant metal is obtained by a process of oxidising titanium through electro-plasma technology: a treatment endowing it with a hardness of 1000 Vickers as well as shock and scratch resistance comparable to that of ceramic. Its lightness enables the workshops to offer this timepiece weighing just 43.20 grams – including the strap. A material developed for use in aerospace and automobile construction, ceramicised titanium also features an anthracite grey colour that does not fade over time – a welcome feature in a watch designed for the most extreme conditions.

While the aesthetics of the timepiece evoke the sleek lines of Zagato iconic cars, its horological “engine” reflects the same quest for performance, most notably through the use of ceramicised titanium. Like the case, the bridges and mainplate of the calibre are crafted from this cutting-edge material, whose lightness and resistance reinforce the timepiece’s technical identity. From the very first discussions about this project, one thing was certain: this model would incorporate an evolution of Chopard Manufacture’s Engine One Tourbillon calibre, introduced in 2010 and representing a true aesthetic hybrid between automotive mechanics and Haute Horlogerie. This new mechanical “speed machine” retains the distinctive fuel gauge of its predecessor, displaying the power reserve and accentuating the analogy between a dashboard and the watch dial. L.U.C Calibre 04.04-L is nonetheless distinguished by its round shape, breaking with the vertical and horizontal configurations of its predecessors (including the 2010 L.U.C Engine One timepiece with its L.U.C Calibre 04.01-L).

Previously crafted in nickel silver, the bridges and baseplate of this new movement are now made of ceramicised titanium. Drawing on from solutions tried and tested by Chopard Manufacture, the calibre incorporates a shock-absorbing system based on silent blocks and specially redesigned for this model. Just as in a car engine, these elastomer elements dampen vibrations and absorb impacts.

Four lever arms inserted into the caseband ensure optimal stability and increased mechanical protection for the calibre. At the heart of the movement, a 60-second tourbillon topped by a small seconds dial is combined with a Variner® balance and a hairspring with a Phillips terminal curve, all housed in an aluminium carriage contributing to the Zagato Lab One Concept model’s exceptional lightness. This meticulous pursuit of perfectly homogeneous materials has one ultimate goal: to reduce weight, echoing the quest for lightness in the world of motor racing.

A passion for mechanics and performance are the foundational ties binding Chopard to the world of motor racing, particularly through the Mille Miglia collection. Since 1988, the Maison has served as official partner to the eponymous Italian race. It was on the route of this legendary rally that Karl-Friedrich Scheufele – himself a classic- car enthusiast and collector – met Andrea Michele Zagato, President of the famous Italian coachbuilding company that bears his name, and whose bodywork expertise is widely represented among the cars competing in the event.

As a result of this shared passion, Chopard and Zagato have already signed two creative partnerships: the first in 2013 with the Mille Miglia Zagato Chronograph timepiece; followed in 2019 by the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Zagato 100th Anniversary Edition commemorating the coachbuilder’s founding date. This exclusive 19-piece third limited edition again references the history of the prestigious Italian firm and specifically its birth on 19 April 1919. “The third opus of our collaboration with Zagato represents the shared values of our family businesses: bold design in the service of technical performance, a perpetual quest for precision and a passion for motor racing”, notes Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.

Zagato, a family business founded in Milan, has embodied the art of exceptional coachbuilding since its inception. Established by Ugo Zagato in 1919, the Atelier pioneered the application of aeronautical techniques to racing cars, combining lightweight aluminium bodies with tubular chassis. This approach unlocked streamlined forms optimised for aerodynamics, giving rise to timeless and highly collectible designs. Zagato’s design philosophy is rooted in function, where every curve serves both beauty and performance. Its bold, handcrafted, and fully bespoke creations have shaped the Atelier’s distinctive identity, enhancing legendary models with disruptive lines and refined finishes.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

CASE

• Anthracite-coloured beadblasted ceramicised titanium
• Diameter 42mm
• Thickness 11.15mm
• Water resistance 50 meters
• Anthracite beadblasted ceramicised titanium crown with notched profile and engraved steering wheel motif 7.4mm
• Self-locking handle type lugs in ceramicised titanium Sapphire crystal ‘glass box’ glare-proofed on both sides

MOVEMENT

• Mechanical hand-wound movement L.U.C 04.04-L
• Number of components 207
• Total diameter 30.60mm
• Number of jewels 29
• Frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz)
• Power reserve 60 hours
• 60-second tourbillon
• Anthracite-coloured ceramicised titanium bridges and mainplate Hairspringwith Phillips terminal curve
• Variner® balance
• Chronometer-certified by the COSC

INDICATIONS AND HADS

• Anthracite-coloured ceramicised titanium mainplate adorned with Zagato “Z” motifs in positive relief; rhodium-plated and polished Chopard and Zagato logos; rhodium-plated and polished chamfers
• Rhodium-plated openworked hours and minutes hands, shaped to evoke racing-car steering wheels with pierced spokes
• Rhodium-plated baton-style hands for the small seconds and power-reserve indicator Power-reserve indicator in the form of a fuel gauge
• Ceramicised titanium tourbillon bridge, shaped like the spokes of a racing-car steering wheel

FUNCTIONS

• Central display of the hours and minutes
• Small seconds at 6 o’clock
• Tourbillon at 6 o’clock
• Power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock
• Stop-seconds function strap and buckle
• Two strap options: technical fabric with hook-and-loop fastener and anthracite- coloured ceramicised titanium loop; or calfskin leather with engraved pin buckle