As one who has driven thousands of miles, some in competition, on snow and ice and combinations of both, I can appreciate why the 1970 Monte Carlo Rallye became legendary. What made the notoriously tricky course even tougher was that while there was no snow, it was littered with icy patches that appeared at the most difficult moments. Björn Waldegaard drove and Lars Helmer navigated their Porsche 911 S to victory in this famous contest.

Which has given famed Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux reason to offer the new Monte Carlo Fly-back chronograph shown here. (Explaining Fly-back, Girard-Perregaux says "this special function was originally invented for airplane pilots. The chronograph hands return to zero and immediately start again without stopping when the chronograph is activated. This simply requires one press on the pushpiece thus permitting the user to gain precious time in the utilisation of the chronograph.") Aside from that, the driver and navigator's names are engraved on the back along with a reproduction of the car's registration plate. "Monte-Carlo 1970" appears in red letters on the black face. The steel case is fastened with a black alligator strap and the chronograph is limited to an edition of 250. If you hurry, you may be able to get one in time for the next big retro-rallye. Me, I'll be happy wearing my Heuer Carrera as I have since 1969 when it was the race and rallye driver's watch of choice.