Felix Scholz
The Capeland Shelby Cobra was a surprise?hit for Baume & Mercier last year, and at SIHH 2016 they've unveiled two new novelties continuing their partnership with Carroll Shelby Inc. The Shelby Cobra 1963 and the Shelby Cobra 1963 Competition are, like last year's original, inspired by the golden age of motorsports.Instead of classic Shelby blue, this year Baume & Mercier have opted for a darker palette a black dial with subtle racing stripe bisecting the lower half of the dial, accented with bright yellow and green highlights. It's an attractive design, and B&M tell us the inspiration for these colour choices is a Roadster that won the 1963 Sebring 12 hour race (which also explains the 1963' moniker on these models). Along with the dashboard inspired subdials and the cobra-fied counter-weight on the yellow-tipped chronograph hand, the caseback is marked with a 15' – the number of the Sebring conquering car. Behind the sapphire caseback is a Valjoux 7753 with a PVD rotor.The 1963 Competition is an interesting variant it comes on a rubber strap and the middle case has been given a black DLC finish. It's quite a sporty look for the fairly classic pebble?case shape of the Capeland, and I'm not entirely convinced that all the elements work together as well as the ‘regular’ 1963, which maintains a dressier appearance, sprinkled with a little dapper thanks to the pop of yellow on the leather strap.The Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 and 1963 Competition watches are both limited to 1963 pieces each.
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