1 of 25 Chopard LUC QF for Revolution

Wei Koh & crew know what makes a beautiful watch. Nowhere has this been more evident than their three collaborations with Chopard, of which this recent scientific dial is the third entry as an LE of 25 examples. This is the best of Revolution’s eye, Chopard’s high-end Qualité Fleurier movement (more on that later), and heavy dose of vintage appeal for good measure. All of these tasty ingredients were then interpreted through a philosophy which was to avoid being an explicit dress or sport watch, but a perfectly balanced hybrid of the two categories in steel.

This was all built upon Chopard’s calibre 96.09-L, a very thin 22k gold micro-rotor which has been submitted for Qualité Fleurier certification. That standard, created in 2004 by Chopard, Parmigiani Fleurier, and Bovet, is one of the most demanding around. Not only must 100% Swiss provenance be proven for all watch head and movement components, but then it must meet demanding decoration standards and quality testing of materials used. Mechanically, the watch must then pass COSC, Chronofiable, and the Fleuritest tests. The little QF after LUC means quite a lot. Perhaps most importantly to me, however, is the simple fact that the movement is one of extreme beauty.

The rigor and beauty which that movement possesses shines through on its exterior. The case is 39mm steel, but with just a svelte 8.9mm rise and soldered sharp, hand-polished lugs. The dial sports a circular black brushing pattern with printed ‘scientific’ sector tracks, Arabic numerals, and syringe hands. The rather vintage-leaning aesthetic is then complimented with a brown calfskin strap for a wrist presence that feels paradoxically both manufactured yesterday and five decades ago. That’s no bad thing to my eye.

This example shows little to no wear, as one would expect of a watch manufactured this year. It’s been fixed to a wrist once or twice, that’s about it. It comes with its full set from a well-regarded American retailer.

Find this LUC QF Revolution Edition here from Belmont Watches for 22000 USD.