Chopard

Mr Scheufele is extremely keen on haute horlogerie. So he has this idea of making Chopard one for the high-end brands with truly spectacular movements and no less spectacular dials. The L.U.C. family of watches is born in 1996. The new movement, 1.96, received the highest praise from the collectors and connoisseurs but is very expensive to produce and perhaps not easy to sell because Chopard is not associated with high horology. It is still early ‘00 - the independents are struggling. The watch market is nothing like today. So the great movement is downgraded to cal 4.96 and we no longer see the high-class 1.96 produced, let alone more movements in the same vein. However, a few years later Mr Scheufele pursues his dream of making the watches of the highest possible class by acquiring the name of Ferdinand Berthoud and opening the manufacture under they name in 2015. Just one glimpse on their timepiece makes me want to sell my whole set and buy one. So, to answer your question why Chopard isn’t more popular among collectors: what was started with the LUC 1860 and the cal 1.96 did not lead anywhere in terms of simple watches in the top notch range. So the short period of glory was not enough to change the perception of Chopard as the House of Happy Diamonds. 

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