Introducing: The Chopard L.U.C Quattro

March 14, 2018

In 2011, Chopard introduced the L.U.C Quattro, which is powered by one of haute horlogerie's most interesting movements. This is the four-barrel L.U.C 1.98. Today, Chopard's debuting a new version of the watch, in a more classically elegant package. Why This Watch Matters Chopard can, at its best, stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the business when it comes to movement manufacturing. The company produces movements in a very wide range of finishes and styles, but the high end L.U.C movements made a huge splash when they first came out in 1996. Timezone's Walt Odets wrote, of the Michel Parmigiani-designed L.U.C 1.96, that it was "...an extraordinary development, particularly from a house often thought of, in recent years, more for jewelry watches than for significant horological craft. From the standpoint of both design and execution, the caliber 1.96 is probably the finest automatic movement being produced in Switzerland today." Initial Thoughts This is the longest power reserve model in the L.U.C collection. The Quattro debuted in 2005, and offered, through the caliber L.U.C 98.01-L, a nine day power reserve C one of the longest in any conventionally sized and conventionally designed wristwatch. A major achievement for Chopard was that despite the very long running time, the watch was (and is) certified by the COSC as a chronometer, and carried the Poin?on de Genve as well (known variously in English as the Geneva Seal or the Geneva Hallmark, the Poin?on de Genve was most recently updated in 2012 and is administered by the independent agency, Timelab). Earlier versions of the Quattro were rather more ornamental than not, with dials sporting a range of finishes, and highly polished Roman numeral markers. The new version is relatively unadorned, but perhaps even more elegant. The Roman numerals have been replaced by diamond shaped, gilded markers, with Arabic numerals at three and nine, and the hands are now blued steel as well (though they retain the distinctive, vaguely Art Deco profile of the original Quattro designs). The subdials for the running seconds and date, and the power reserve, have also been simplified and the watch now has a bit more of an instrument-watch feel C it's got a pronounced marine chronometer vibe in this iteration, which is right in line with the extended power reserve. It's a limited edition in this version, of 50 pieces. This will be a very interesting watch to see in the metal, in a few days, at Baselworld. The Basics Brand: ChopardModel: L.U.C QuattroReference: 161926-5004Diameter: 43mmThickness: 8.84mmCase Material: 18k rose goldDial Color: Vertical satin-brushed silver toneIndexes: Gilded hour markersHands: Blued hours and minutes hands; blued baton hands for the small seconds, date, and power reserveLume: NoneWater Resistance: 50 metersStrap/Bracelet: Blue calfskin leather; polished 18k gold pin buckle The Movement Caliber: L.U.C 98.01-LFunctions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserveDiameter: 28.60mmThickness: 3.70mmPower Reserve: 216 hours (9 days)Winding: ManualFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 39Chronometer Certified Pricing & Availability Price: $24,400Availability: Coming SoonLimited Edition: 50 pieces worldwideFor more click here.