So, what about the watch that is meant to complement this car and its hardly rivaled experience? The Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition is dressed into an ambitiously sized, 44-millimeter-wide, perfectly round stainless steel case. The classical styling is further enforced by the piston pushers and the graciously curved lugs, while the alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces make for a more restrained, blended aesthetic. Apart from the large diameter, the case’s design is one that looks at home in most all circumstances – ideal for everyday wear and not just for tearing about on empty mountain passes on Sunday mornings, where no one can see you wear it.

What adds some extra flair and automotive-vibe to the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra is the sporty dial with its two highlighted sub-dials dedicated to the chronograph minutes and hours at 3 and 6 o’clock, respectively. Legibility actually is rather good – as far as black dials and shiny hands go – especially since Baume & Mercier thoughtfully installed properly sized hour and minute hands that are easy to read. Anti-reflective coating on the domed front crystal could, and should be better though – “luxurious sheen” should come from polished case and dial elements, not a crystal full of glare and reflections. Apart from the sub-dial colorway and its red or yellow accents, the central chronograph seconds hand stands out, enforcing the Shelby Cobra connection.

The counterweight of the, again, properly sized needle hand is shaped like the Cobra found in one of the two types of Shelby logos. It is nicely executed with delicate skeletonization and prominent overall sizing, making it one of the visual highlights of the dial. While the dial is not short of different types of texts and numerals, it actually is legible and well-balanced, thanks to an intelligent selection and variety of font styles, sizes, and colors. A yellow tachymeter scale on the periphery of the dial – thank goodness not on the bezel! – slim but large hour indices, and branding all make for a classical, but not uninteresting dial.

The movement inside is the Valjoux 7753, a slightly modified version of the evergreen 7750. A notable difference is the date corrector pusher set into the side of the case at the 10 o’clock position – arguably not the most elegant or modern of solutions in movement design. Shown off by the see-through caseback, quality of movement decoration gives away a higher grade of this cam actuated chronograph, while the black winding rotor contrasts sharply against the silvery shine of the rhodium plated bridges underneath. The Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition offers 48 hours of power reserve, which is neither anything unexpected, nor anything to write home about.

Last year, Baume & Mercier started off their partnership with Shelby Cobra with a blue-silver dialed model that goes beautifully with the trademark white stripes on blue design of the Cobra – there also was a gold model for those few with way too much money to burn. For 2016, we are seeing the addition of two new and rather handsome-looking references: both come with a black dial and two silver sub-dials, with the difference between the two being the either classical stainless steel (Reference Capeland 10282) or black ADLC coated steel case (Reference Capeland 10281) variants. The former comes on a black alligator strap with a cool and sporty racing yellow sidewall and lining, while the black ADLC piece is fitted with a black rubber strap – both options coming with a double folding clasp.

So, with all these technicalities noted, how does the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition perform when it comes to grasping that incredible tension and thrill of the car it is supposed to match? While, unsurprisingly, it will not make earth-shattering sounds or produce internal-organ-crunching G-forces as the Superformance Shelby Cobra does, it works well in a few crucial ways. First, it is a classical, sporty chronograph that matches the vibe of the car (if we can put it that way).

Second, it is a watch that the average Superformance owner can wear with pride on a day-to-day basis, at work or during times for leisure, while saving themselves from the embarrassment of looking like those poor souls who wear ostentatious car-branded merchandise everywhere they go. Last, the sporty and bold aesthetics, topped off with that prominent cobra in the center of the dial, are more than sufficient to remind him (or her) of the incredible fire-breathing machine they have waiting in the garage for them and the next weekend or track day to blast through.

If you want super loud and very in-your-face car-watch co-branded timepieces, there certainly is no shortage of those. The Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition is not exactly one of them; and given the car and its admittedly more mature customer base, as well as the general styling cues of Baume & Mercier, that is probably a good thing. It would have been smart of the brand to offer both a 44-millimeter and perhaps a smaller, 42- or 40-millimeter-wide alternative for those vintage car enthusiasts who prefer to wear more traditionally sized watches, but other than that, it is difficult to find any major shortcoming in these collaboration pieces.

Price for one of the 1,963 pieces of the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition watches is $4,550 for the Capeland 10281 with the black ADLC side, and $4,450 for the Capeland 10282, untreated stainless steel version. Price for the Superformance Shelby Cobra 289 FIA in this spec is $138,240. baume-et-mercier.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Baume & Mercier
>Model: Capeland Shelby Cobra Limited Edition
>Price: $4,450-$4,550
>Size: 44mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: The Shelby Cobra owner, of course! And the one who likes cars and versatile, but still a bit more under-the-radar chronographs.
>Best characteristic of watch: Constantly reminds you of the awesome car you have driven (and may own).
>Worst characteristic of watch: Wish a smaller version was also made available. Anti-reflective coating on the front could be better.