10 May 2015 | Baume et Mercier , When Watches meet Cars ,

Carroll Shelby is an icon of American car racing. He was the man behind the legendary Cobra , a mixture of a light English-made chassis and an American big-block Ford V8 .

One of the first successful examples of a partnership between a chassis and an engine maker in car racing. Carroll passed away in 2012 but the two companies he created (plus a Foundation ) are still up and running, and collaborate on a regular basis with Ford to create high performance Mustangs , the last being the Shelby GT350 (while we wait for the GT500 to be released), featuring the Cobra logo on its spindle grille.

2015 marks two anniversaries: in 1965 the Shelby Cobra 427 was launched, and in 1830 Baume et Mercier was founded. Anniversaries, in car making as well as in watchmaking, are important and these two brands decided to celebrate them with a partnership and two new timepieces.

Baume et Mercier has therefore made the Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition , two special versions of its Capeland cronograph, one in stainless steel , the other in 18K Gold . In both cases the watch's dial has exactly the same Guardsman Blue color used on Carroll 's cars, dominated by the two unmistakable vertical stripes found on a Mustang Shelby GT350 's hood.

The central hour and minutes' hands resemble the Cobra 's steering wheel, the minute and chrono hour registers resemble the car's dashboard with the addition of red tipped hands, and the central chrono hand features a skeletonized Cobra logo. The 44mm wide case is polished and satin-finished , and the alligator leather strap has a rubber inlay on the inside, to make it easy to use even in summer.

The stainless steel Baume et Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition will be made in 1965 pieces and will retail at 3900 €, a competitive price if we consider the overall finishes of a Capeland and its customization over the standard version. Carroll Shelby 's signature is printed on the see-through case back.

The Baume et Mercier 18K Red Gold Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition is even more prestigious, not just because it sports a 18K Gold case, but because it's a Flyback chrono. Made in just 98 pieces , featuring a two-register lay-out, it will retail for 17800 €.

The brand has partnered with a car representative that is as classic as Baume et Mercier , the aim perhaps being of giving its most classic chrono, the Capeland , a bolder personality.

(Photo credit: courtesy of Baume et Mercier, Ford Motor Company)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter

TWITTER @Gaetano Cimmino

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