Get Your Motor Running with Shelby Cobra 427 Anniversary Watches
Is there any American car more legendary than the Shelby Cobra? Back in the swinging 60s the Cobra 427 inspired both dreams and hit songs with its bold, racy looks and performance. Now Shelby Cobra American LLC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the car’s historic win at the 1965 FIA International Championship with 50 special edition Cobras and a pair of coordinating luxury Swiss watches from Baume & Mercier.
For the baby boomer who in his younger days lusted for a Cobra of his own but never succeeded in acquiring one, this anniversary is a dream come true—provided said boomer spent the intervening 50 years accumulating a large amount of cash. The coveted convertibles will each have special gold 50th Anniversary badging and logos with a choice of aluminum or fiberglass bodies. The tab for these beauties will start at $120,000 and go up to $250,000.
If you can’t quite afford a real 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra you can still pick up one of the limited edition run of watches commemorating the occasion from Baume & Mercier. These memorable timepieces, the result of a fitting partnership between Shelby Cobra American LLC and the Swiss luxury watchmaker, were unveiled last weekend at the Spring Mountain Race Track in Las Vegas.
The Capeland Shelby Cobra watches get their inspiration from a vintage 1948 timepiece currently on display in the Baume & Mercier museum. Features include chronograph and tachymeter functions, retro accents and specially designed hands bearing the Cobra logo. The watches will come packaged with a custom brochure and an exclusive miniature of the 427 Cobra.
Stainless steel models with a polished satin finished 44mm case are available in a limited edition of 1965 units with each selling for $4,450. This impressive exterior is powered by a Swiss-made self-winding 25 jewel La Joux-Perret 8120 movement. The Shelby Guardsman Blue dial with Superluminova Blue emission is set off by a blue alligator strap lined in racing red.
Only 98 pieces (for the number of the Shelby Cobra racing car) will be made of the ultra-exclusive 18K 5N rose-gold Flyback version, which comes with a Swiss-made self-winding Dubois-Depraz movement and the personal signature of Carroll Shelby engraved on the transparent sapphire case back. This model is almost as rare as the actual Anniversary model Cobra 427 and sells for $19,950. Both versions will be in stores this June and should go quickly.
If you can’t afford the real thing at least this watch and the tiny replica car can remind you of your teen fantasies for less than you would have paid for the original auto back in 1965. Each is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Carroll Shelby and honors the power, performance and elegance of his automobiles. Hey little Cobra!
