Hodinkee
Introducing: Highlights From Chopard's L.U.C 25th Anniversary Collection
It's a silver jubilee.
460 articles found · page 11 of 16
Chopard's road-race chronograph, since 1988. Dunlop-tyre rubber strap, annual anniversary editions.
Val-de-Travers village; home to Bovet (1822), Parmigiani Fleurier (1996), Chopard L.U.C (1996); Qualité Fleurier birthplace.
Wristshot gallery from the Horlogeforum Chopard thread.
The beloved vintage-inspired chronograph gets a new dial color, and it's a serious upgrade from the forest green original.
Hodinkee
It's a silver jubilee.
Revolution
Revolution returns to 3 Michelin Star rated Les Amis, where Chef Sebastien Lepinoy discusses his process with Wei Koh and shares some parallels he’s obversed with the watchmaking of Chopard L.U.C.
SJX Watches
First introduced in 2012 in the L.U.C 8HF, Chopard’s proprietary escapement was notable for being ultra-high frequency, running at twice the speed of a conventional escapement, and also one of the first such escapements to make it to serial production. But whatever the merits, the brand’s past high-frequency watches were a mixed bag in terms of design, and for that reason the brand’s technical accomplishment never gained the recognition it deserved. But now the 8 Hz escapement finally arrives in an appealing package, the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF. Initial thoughts The new Alpine Eagle is an unusual combination of a luxury-sports watch and an interesting movement with a novel escapement that runs at twice the normal speed. Like the standard version of the Alpine Eagle, the Cadence 8HF is finished to an impressively high level on the case and bracelet. That’s especially more impressive given that it’s entirely titanium, instead of steel. The design does come in for some minor criticism – the polished centre links of the bracelet are too narrow – but it is still good looking. And the Cadence 8HF has a cleaned up dial, which adds to the appeal. While impressive technically, the movement isn’t too much to look at, since the finishing is workmanlike and monochromatic. That said, the movement’s aesthetics suit the style (and price) of the watch perfectly. The Cadence 8HF is almost 50% more expensive than the regular model in steel – but it’s worth the stretc...
Revolution
Introducing Chopard’s Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF in Titanium
Revolution
Introducing Chopard’s Mille Miglia GTS Luftgekühlt Edition
Deployant
Five years after its initial debut, the Chopard L.U.C GMT One is back, this time in ceramised titanium and with a monochrome makeover.
Revolution
With the Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution in hand, Wei gives the rundown of a great revelation that the already impressive COSC & Geneva Seal watch has, an enigmatic stop-seconds function, making it one of only six tourbillons in existence from major watchmakers that feature.
SJX Watches
Twenty-five years ago Chopard debuted the L.U.C line alongside its then-new Fleurier manufacture. Namely after the initials of its founder, the L.U.C range is primarily composed of classically-styled watches with notably fine in-house movements. To mark the 25th anniversary of L.U.C, Chopard has unveiled a classically-styled watch with notably fine in-house movement, the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25. Though the Quattro Spirit 25 is the brand’s first-ever jump hour wristwatch, it is powered by the longstanding eight-day, hand-wind movement that’s almost as old as the L.U.C line itself. Initial thoughts In the hand, the Quattro Spirit 25 instantly feels like a high quality watch. As with most L.U.C watches, the fit and finish is top class. But as is also typical for many L.U.C watches, the design is good, but not quite great. To be fair, the Quattro Spirit 25 is largely appealing, save for the shape of the lugs. Though moderately sized, the watch feels relatively tall, in part due to the smallish diameter of 40 mm. The convex, vertical case dials and short lugs also contribute to the perception of size. On the subject of the lugs, they are the only major element of the watch I would change. They short, narrow, and don’t quite match the elegant style of the watch. The dial, on the other hand, is best described as functional elegance. Bright white and expansive, the dial is clean and perhaps a bit too stark, but it is strongly legible. At the same time, the quality of the en...
Revolution
The Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution is the thinnest COSC & Geneva Seal stop-seconds tourbillon available today. Here’s why this matters.
Revolution
Wei Koh sits down with us for a very special video about how Bandit and the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono saved his sanity during what has no doubt been a trying season for us all.
SJX Watches
Unveiled five years ago, the L.U.C Perpetual Twin is Chopard’s most affordable perpetual calendar, but finely executed as is typical of L.U.C, the brand’s line of mechanical watches powered by top-class in-house movements. Featuring details absent in similarly-priced peers, such a micro-rotor movement and oversized date, the Perpetual Twin has since been iterated into several versions, but the winner is now clear: the L.U.C Perpetual Twin CronotempVs Edition, a collaboration between the watchmaker and eponymous collectors club based in Spain. The CronotempVs edition has a striking palette: dial with an uncommon, grained-gold finish with black sub-dials and indices, giving it a strong, high-contrast look that suits the largish steel case. Initial thoughts Chopard’s prowess in watchmaking is indisputable – its top-of-the-line creations rival even the work put out by best independent watchmakers – but the brand is often overlooked, especially since prevailing fads mean most turn to bigger names or “safer” choices. And it doesn’t help that Chopard generates most of its revenue from cheerful ladies’ watches and jewellery. The L.U.C line stands out for its movements with sophisticated construction and finishing, even for the simplest, entry-level models – demonstrated by the double-chronometer wristwatch unveiled earlier this year. But it still receives a lukewarm reception from the broader market. That’s in part due to the designs, which are often satis...
Deployant
Chopard presents the latest iteration of its world time reference, the L.U.C Time Traveler One Black, the first worldtimer ever made in ceramised titanium.
Time+Tide
“Environmentally friendly” isn’t a phrase that immediately comes to mind when you think of the watch industry. Craftsmanship, passion and heritage might be more likely answers in a word association game with your psychologist. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t parts of the industry that are genuinely doing their bit. Chopard is well-known for … ContinuedThe post 5 of the best environmentally friendly watches on the market right now appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The L.U.C collection, as we know it today, is the fruit of Manufacture Chopard’s longstanding endeavors in fine watchmaking. Its existence began in 1996 with the introduction of the L.U.C 1860, a time-and-date-only watch that many deemed to be a magnum opus of classical watch design. The seminal timepiece was driven by the Geneva SealRead More
Time+Tide
Bold proclamation from the outset. If this watch had been launched during Watches & Wonders this year it would have been my pick of the fair. But let’s take a step back. In 2018, our friends at Revolution made a stellar limited-edition collaboration with Chopard L.U.C: the L.U.C 1860 x The Rake x Revolution. The … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Chopard with The Rake & Revolution present the L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution, the ultimate expression of complicated elegance
Quill & Pad
“Dress watches” were initially just “watches.” While their popularity may have dwindled over the years as more casual and sporty watches have taken off, many brands have stayed faithful to the concept of the dress watch as Martin Green highlights here with five beautiful new examples.
Revolution
Wei sits down with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele with a couple of their latest novelties on hand, discussing Chopard’s 25th anniversary and their watches launched at Watches & Wonders 2021.
Revolution
How do you make a steel sports watch happy? Add some dancing diamonds according to Chopard.
Deployant
Compared to other brands, the L.U.C QF Jubilee does not shy from the competition, for its pedigree movement and finishing as well as technical competence. The 25 pieces rarity is also an attractive proposition.
SJX Watches
Named after Chopard founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the L.U.C line is all about haute horlogerie, encompassing both complications and fine finishing. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, the brand is releasing the L.U.C QF Jubilee, a doubly-certified chronometer with a steel case, offering a finely finished movement at a relatively accessible price. Initial Thoughts The L.U.C QF Jubilee is an attractive watch that straddles the line between vintage and modern design. It is 39 mm wide and a hair under 9 mm thick, making it the perfect size for a classically-styled dress watch. The vintage inspiration extends to the shape of the lugs and the proportions of the mirror-polished case – both the bezel and case back are domed and sandwich a thin case middle, giving it proportions reminiscent of watches from the first half of the 20th century. Despite being a dress watch, the QF Jubilee is surprisingly practical – the hands are filled with Super-LumiNova, as are the indices. While the sector-style design and syringe hands are vintage-inspired, the blue-on-silver colours and lume are concessions to modernity. But the best thing about the watch is the movement, which is an in-house automatic with a sophisticated construction and refined finishing. Even though the calibre is not decorated to the top grade of L.U.C finishing (those have the Poincon de Geneve), it is good enough to be better than almost all watches at this price range. The vinta...
Deployant
Chopard released a slew of L.U.C watches this year, as it is the 25th Anniversary of the series. Here are our picks for the top 4 of the LU.C novelties.
Revolution
L.U.C Chopard’s 2021 watches are all mostly familiar faces, but in executions that are all very decidedly contemporary, rather than classically elegant.
SJX Watches
A watchmaker with many excellent movements – and some exceptional calibres – Chopard is instead better known for its jewellery watches or auto-racing chronographs. Now Chopard keeps at its, and has just added to its list of excellent movements with the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25. Conceived to mark the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C line – made up of the brand’s high horology offerings and named after Louis-Ulysse Chopard – the Quattro Spirit is its first jump hour. Dressed up with a fired enamel dial, it is powered by an impressive and refined eight-day movement. Initial thoughts An instinctively appealing watch, the Quattro Spirit is good looking and size well; most notably, the movement is interesting. While jumping hours isn’t particularly complicated, the leap of the digital display on a mechanical watch is still an intriguing sight. Add to that four barrels that supply a run time of eight days, the cal. L.U.C 98.06-L becomes even more compelling. Assembling one stack of twin barrels Notably, even with the long power reserve, the watch remains relatively compact, just 40 mm wide and 10.3 mm tall. That’s thanks to a clever optimisation of space, with the movement relying on twin stacked barrels, with each stack containing two mainsprings connected in series. Priced at a bit under US$45,000, the Quattro Spirit costs substantially more than other L.U.C watches with the same eight-day base movement without the jumping hours. In fact, the addition of the jump ...
Revolution
Chopard introduces L.U.C jumping-hour complication with Grand Feu enamel dial in rose gold case, limited to 100 pieces.
Deployant
Detailed review of the new Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen, featuring the combination traditional Chinese timekeeping and Swiss horology.
Quill & Pad
Martin Green doesn't usually like large-diameter watches, but he felt that the 44 mm Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono looked (and more importantly felt) profoundly better than he expected. Martin thought it large but not overly so, and that wearing comfort was exceptional for a watch this size. See for yourself right here!
Deployant
Chopard ushers in the upcoming (Feb 12) Chinese New Year with the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Ox. We bring you this review.
SJX Watches
While the L.U.C XP is best known as Chopard’s pared-back, formal-dress wristwatch, it also forms the base for an interesting collection of limited-edition timepieces decorated in urushi and maki-e, forms of traditional Japanese lacquer – an East Asian take on the metiers d’art often found in Swiss watchmaking. The latest addition to the line its most unusual to date, being not just a decorative expression but also a new, albeit simple, complication. Decorated in lacquer and gold dust, the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen has a mechanism displaying traditional Chinese time of 12-hour days, with each hour represented by an animal of the Chinese Zodiac. Initial thoughts Watches inspired by Chinese culture are common – and increasing given the strength of demand for watches in China – but they oftentimes have an over-the-top aesthetic. Chopard, on the other hand, incorporated the Chinese motifs elegantly, resulting in an appealing watch. At a distance, the Spirit of Shí Chen has a simple, geometric style, but up close the dial reveals its decorative details. The deep-black lacquer dial – sprinkled with gold dust that evoke the cosmos – gives the watch a clean, restrained appearance, save for the elaborate, solid-gold frame and shí chen indicator. An ancient way of telling time is uncommon in a modern watch, making the shí chen indicator the highlight – appropriately enough it is rendered in gold powder and fine detail, with a gold-dusted background tha...
SJX Watches
As it was with independent watchmaking, 2020 was a surprisingly good year for the establishment brands. Even though there were practically no in-person launches of new products – with the notable exception being Watches & Wonders in Shanghai – mainstream watchmakers did still debut notable timepieces. Here’s my take on the standouts of the year, starting with the might FB 2RE from Ferdinand Berthoud, a niche name that is nonetheless a subsidiary of Chopard (and the pet project of its co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele). Magnificent both in mechanics and decoration, the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2RE is the watch of the year. Clearly developed a no-expense spared wristwatch, the FB 2RE is at heart a time-only watch constructed for chronometric perfection. It’s equipped with both a a remontoir d’egalite as well as chain and fusee in order to ensure a constant output of energy from the barrel, as well as a constant delivery of energy into the escapement. Both of its key feature are put on show in the symmetrical and architecturally expansive movement, which has all of its key components sitting above the main plate. The FB-RE.FC movement Located just below the balance wheel, the remontoir is particularly fine, made up of slender steel components that are clearly artisanal in manufacture and finish. The quality of finishing extends to the rest of the movement, which is impeccably decorated in every single aspect. In fact, the quality of the movement is com...
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