The extraordinarily elegant Chopard LUC 1860 with a salmon-colored dial

The Chopard LUC 1860 in Lucent Metal with a guilloché salmon dial was launched throughout Watches and Wonders final 12 months and left fairly an impression on us. However there’s extra to this timepiece than its class, its compact dimensions or its mixture of supplies and colours – salmon over metal is by far one in all our favourite mixtures right here at MONOCHROME. It is a watch of historic significance, each mechanically and in design, which is why we selected this Chopard LUC for our newest video overview.

Chopard, and specifically the LUC assortment (named after the model’s founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard), are recognized for his or her lovely, elegant watches with impeccable execution. However most significantly, this assortment, launched in 1996, secured the model a spot on the high-end watchmaking map. With the LUC assortment, Chopard turned a part of the elite of Geneva’s haute horlogerie, together with a number of the area’s most revered manufacturers. And all of it got here right down to a single motion, the long-lasting Caliber 96, which is principally the identical because the watch we will take a look at right this moment. And what’s extra, the watch that initially housed it was very comparable in design and proportions to this good-looking, extraordinarily elegant Chopard LUC 1860 with Salmon dial… Numerous causes to delve deeper into the small print.

Because of this, and earlier than we speak about what’s objectively a really lovely watch, we have to delve into historical past and take a look at the rise of Chopard as a prime producer. Because of this, I invite you to look at our video overview that explains the beginning of the LUC assortment and its first motion, the Caliber 96, but additionally to take an in depth take a look at this detailed article a part of the Collector’s Nook column: We draw the historical past of the origins of this motion and the primary watches geared up with it. With this motion and this assortment, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, the co-president of Chopard, had an bold plan: to remodel Chopard from a model recognized primarily for jewellery into an actual watchmaker. And he undoubtedly succeeded.

What ought to I say about this watch? It might effectively be one of the crucial elegant and interesting costume watches we have seen in current reminiscence. Right here, Chopard has determined to return to the roots of this assortment with a case with a diameter of 36.5 mm and a slim profile of 8.2 mm. Restrained, elegant, virtually old school, however in an enthralling method – and but with a fantastic presence on the wrist. And after a number of LUC watches constituted of treasured metals, right here it’s constituted of metal, particularly Lucent Metal A223 – an ethically sourced proprietary alloy with larger shine and scratch resistance.

Beneath the sapphire crystal caseback is the LUC 96.40 caliber, a barely modernized model of the motion that began all of it in 1996. It’s wound by a stable 22-carat gold rotor adorned with a guilloché sample. Additionally it is licensed by the Geneva Seal, that means that the ornament is finished to very exacting requirements and the precision is licensed by the COSC as a chronometer.

However I invite you to look at the video, which comprises all the small print about what’s objectively a surprising (and likewise fairly costly) watch. For extra data, take a look at our helpful article right here in addition to our in-depth take a look at the historical past of LUC and the Caliber 96.