Shelby Racer
Limited edition, 9,999 pieces
Reference 96K118 · Stainless steel 40.5 mm · NP20 quartz at 262 kHz
Six Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes were built. Six, in total. In 1965 they were enough to bring America a world title no American manufacturer had ever won — and none has won since. This mirror-silver dial is the car's aluminium bodywork; the counters are the gauges on its dashboard.
Start in 1965Six cars and one world title
The Daytona Coupe was born for one reason only: the open Cobra was fast, but on the long straights of the European circuits it lost to the Ferraris because of the air. It needed a closed body. Six examples were built — a number that makes you smile today, because it is fewer than the cars that drive past a dealership in a single morning.
With those six cars, in 1965, Shelby American won the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers: the first American constructor ever to win a world title. The championship was closed on 4 July 1965, ahead of Ferrari. To this day it remains the only FIA world title ever won by an American manufacturer: sixty years, and nobody has done it again.
A commemorative watch usually recalls some victory or other. This one recalls the victory: the one that was never repeated.
That season, on one page
- Car
- Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
- Examples built
- 6
- Title
- International Championship for GT Manufacturers, FIA
- Year
- 1965
- Championship closed
- 4 July 1965
Six cars. One world title. One date: 4 July 1965.
What this edition celebratesThe dashboard, laid on the dial
Bulova did not draw three counters and then look for a car they might resemble. It worked the other way round: the mirror-silver dial takes up the aluminium bodywork of the Daytona Coupe, and the chronograph counters are drawn on the gauges of its dashboard. The Shelby logo sits in the lower counter.
Move the slider: on one side the instruments of a racing car, on the other the counters of the watch. Halfway across, they overlap.
Circle I
Circle II
Circle III
The instruments of a racing car: graduations over 270 degrees and a single needle.
The chronograph counters: same centre, same radius, the same scale.
Halfway across they sit inside one another: it is the same drawing, not a resemblance.
The hand does not tick: it sweeps
Inside works the NP20, Bulova's high-precision quartz, oscillating at 262 kHz. The frequency is what you can actually see: the seconds hand does not step once a second as in an ordinary quartz watch, it sweeps. Put the watch on your wrist knowing nothing about it and you will think it is mechanical.
The case is stainless steel, 40.5 mm, with a mirror polish, and the lugs are 22 mm. Over the dial sits anti-reflective sapphire crystal: sapphire is the material that does not scratch in ordinary use, the anti-reflective coating is what lets you read the time against the light. Water resistance is 100 metres, and there are 173 grams on the wrist: this is a chronograph you can feel, the way you can hear an air intake.
The chronograph works with six hands. The luminescent accents are white, so by day you do not notice them and in the dark they are there.
In profile: 40.5 mm, 22 mm lugs, mirror polish.
The part only you get to see
The case back is commemorative: it carries the Daytona Coupe, and it is the only part of the watch that is not made for other people. It lies against your wrist all day and you look at it twice: when you take the watch off in the evening, and when you hand it to someone who has asked what it is.
The bracelet is stainless steel with a dual finish — polished and brushed alternating, which is how you say two racing stripes without painting them. The clasp is a push-button deployant: it opens with two fingers and never opens by accident.
The edition is limited to 9,999 pieces. It is not a small number made for effect: it is a number you can still find, and to us that is a merit, not a flaw.
Commemorative case back: the Daytona Coupe, on the wrist side.
What arrives besides the watch
The packaging is a dedicated Shelby box, and there is more than the chronograph inside it. These are the two things that make the difference between a commemorative watch and an object that tells you something.
The silver-plated 1/24 scale model
The box contains a Daytona Coupe in 1/24 scale, silver plated. It explains the watch better than any spec sheet: put the dial next to the bodywork and the grey is the same.
The second strap, in brown leather
A padded brown leather strap comes with the watch, racing style. The lugs are 22 mm: the change takes a minute, and the watch becomes something else — steel is the working week, leather is Sunday.
A watch like this has to be held
The 173 grams, the 40.5 mm, the hand that sweeps: three things a photograph cannot tell you. With us the watch goes on your wrist, you turn it over to look at the case back, and we change the strap on the bench while you watch.
We are at Via San Vincenzo 110r in Genoa, and at Pegli, Via Martiri della Libertà 23-25r. If you would rather write, our WhatsApp is +39 010 6981030: at the other end there is the shop, not a contact form.
If you have read this far, it is already on your wrist
List price, VAT included. Limited edition of 9,999 pieces worldwide: the number is set by the brand, not by us.
- Reference96K118
- CaseStainless steel 40.5 mm, mirror polish
- MovementBulova NP20 quartz, 262 kHz
- DialMirror silver, three counters, Shelby logo
- CrystalAnti-reflective sapphire
- Case backCommemorative
- Water resistance100 metres
- Lugs22 mm
- Weight173 g
- In the boxDual-finish steel bracelet, brown leather strap, 1/24 scale model
- EditionLimited, 9,999 pieces
We answer ourselves
WhatsApp +39 010 6981030. At the other end of the message there is the shop.
You can see it
Via San Vincenzo 110r, Genoa. And at Pegli, Via Martiri della Libertà 23-25r.
We prepare it
Bracelet sized, the strap you prefer already fitted, the box ready to be given.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bulova SHELBY Racer 96K118?
It is the chronograph Bulova dedicates to the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, in a limited edition of 9,999 pieces. Stainless steel case of 40.5 mm with a mirror polish, mirror-silver dial recalling the car's aluminium bodywork, counters drawn on the gauges of its dashboard with the Shelby logo in the lower counter, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, commemorative case back, 100 metres water resistance and a Bulova NP20 high-precision quartz movement running at 262 kHz.
How much does it cost, and how many were made?
The list price is 1.290,00 €, VAT included. The edition is limited to 9,999 pieces worldwide. Current price and availability are on the product page; if you would rather ask in person, our WhatsApp is +39 010 6981030.
Why does the hand sweep instead of ticking?
Because the movement is the Bulova NP20 high-precision quartz, oscillating at 262 kHz. At that frequency the seconds hand does not advance in one-second steps: it sweeps continuously, as in a mechanical movement. The chronograph works with six hands in all.
What is in the box?
The packaging is a dedicated Shelby box and it contains a silver-plated 1/24 scale model of the Daytona Coupe. The watch comes on the dual-finish steel bracelet with a push-button deployant clasp, plus a second strap in padded brown leather. The lugs are 22 mm, so the change needs no special tools.
What is the story behind the Daytona Coupe?
Six Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes were built. In 1965 Shelby American won the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers with those cars: it was the first American constructor to win a world title, and it remains the only FIA world title ever won by an American manufacturer. The championship was closed on 4 July 1965, beating Ferrari.
Can it be worn in water?
The stated water resistance is 100 metres: it takes rain, hands under the tap, a swim. As on every chronograph, the pushers are not to be pressed under water, and the crown must always be screwed down or fully closed before the watch gets wet.
Where can it be seen in Genoa?
At Via San Vincenzo 110r, in the centre of Genoa, and at Pegli in Via Martiri della Libertà 23-25r. It is worth letting us know first on WhatsApp at +39 010 6981030: that way we have it ready to try, with the strap you want to see already fitted.
The images of the Bulova SHELBY® Racer Chronograph 96K118 are brand material, used to present the product. SHELBY®, Bulova and the other names mentioned belong to their respective owners.
Gioiellerie Cicala · Via San Vincenzo 110r, Genoa · Pegli, Via Martiri della Libertà 23-25r
