Chopard’s Zagato Lab One leads a new wave of Motorsport timepieces

February 18th 2026

At 43.2g, you’ll forget you’re wearing Chopard’s watch collaboration with Zagato, says Simon de Burton 

Limited to just 19 pieces, the Lab One Concept borrows from the automotive world with a tubular ‘chassis’

February 18, 2026

We’ve previously mentioned on this page that Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has an obsession with classic cars, so it was no surprise to find him unveiling a watch at January’s Rétromobile show in Paris.

The Zagato Lab One Concept was born from a long-standing partnership with the historic coachbuilder which grew out of a friendship between Scheufele and Andrea Zagato, the grandson of Carrozzeria Zagato’s founder, Ugo. The two men met as competitors in the Mille Miglia, which led to Chopard becoming the sponsor of Scuderia Zagato and to creating two previous Zagato watches – one in 2013 and the second in 2019 to mark Zagato’s centenary. But this new model is way more radical than both.

Opinion

Escaping the winter blues

Sitting in my little office down by the sea in the south of England, it occurred to me that this is becoming a very interesting winter. I have been watching…

26th January 2009

By Rob Widdows

Conceived with the input of Zagato’s design chief Norihiko Harada, the Lab One Concept takes inspiration from the coachbuilder’s reputation for achieving lightness through the use of tubular frames that make for extreme rigidity with minimum weight.

Made from ceramicised titanium, the 42mm case features ingenious articulated strap lugs in the form of miniaturised chassis tubes and houses a 207-part hand-wound movement supported by a network of further tubes surrounding the ceramicised titanium dial.

This results in a watch weighing just 43.2g.Its lightness makes it totally unobtrusive to wear – but when an owner glances down to double-check they haven’t lost their watch, they’ll see the 60-second tourbillon whirling in its aluminium carriage supported by a bridge based on the spokes of a car steering wheel.

Other subtle automotive tropes include a main plate subtly embossed with Zagato’s ‘Z’ logo in repeat and a ‘fuel gauge’ power reserve indicator to show how much of the hand-wound movement’s 80 hours of autonomy remains, while the crown takes the form of a tiny gearbox cog engraved with the steering-wheel logo.

“It was difficult to construct a watch case in a similar way to a Zagato car,” said Scheufele. “The tubular ‘chassis’ was inspired by Zagato’s road and racing models and the titanium movement was developed for it. The result is the lightest watch we have ever made. I wore the prototype for six weeks and it is as though you do not even have a watch on your wrist.”

Just 19 will be made, the number being chosen to commemorate Zagato’s founding on April 19, 1919. And with Chopard insisting that the price will only be revealed on application, you can bet they won’t be cheap.

Chopard Zagato Lab One Concept, £POA. chopard.com

Tudor, already a sponsor of Racing Bulls, has enhanced its motor sport credentials through a three-year deal with the HERO-ERA rally organisation and in its role as Dakar Rally timekeeper. Following January’s Saudi edition, the winner of each category was presented with a Ranger watch engraved with their team number – but you can get the look without the agony as regular versions of the Ranger can now be had. Choose from dials in black or Dune White, above, 36mm or 39mm case sizes and nylon straps or steel bracelets.

Tudor Ranger, from £2700. tudorwatch.com

This carves another notch on the bedpost commemorating watch brands that Aston Martin has snuggled up with. It started with Jaeger-LeCoultre in the early 2000s, moved briefly to Richard Mille, then to TAG Heuer, Girard-Perregaux and, most recently, Timex – which we reported only last month. Breitling promises a multi-year partnership which kicks off with this Navitimer chronograph dedicated to the F1 team. It’s limited to 1959 examples and features a titanium case, a carbon-fibre dial and a strap based on a racing harness.

Breitling Navitimer B01 Aston Martin F1, £8900. breitling.com