Chopard Original 1.96: Vintage Movement Review

MrkK's return to his Chopard L.U.C 1.96 offers a timely reflection on the enduring appeal of classic dress watches in a collection increasingly dominated by sportier models. His post serves as a valuable reminder of the L.U.C line's foundational excellence, showcasing the original 1.96's distinctive aesthetics and the caliber that set the standard for Chopard's haute horlogerie ambitions. This piece highlights why this particular reference continues to captivate collectors, even years after its initial release.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I stopped wearing dress watches. In the last few years, Even more, I replaced most of the dress watches in my collection with sports or dive watches. Original LUC 1.96 is one of few remaining ones I still have. After I saw Chopard releases at W&W I went to the safe deposit box and got my 1.96 which I haven’t worn for over 2 years. I thought I will post a few pictures there as a reminder how the LUC line started. I really like monochromatic look of white gold, silver dial, silver indices, and silver hands of this one. My LUC came as an unusual set put together by an AD I bought it from: both tang and deployant buckles, matching set of cufflinks, LUC branded tool set and two Chopard ties with watch motif. I no longer have the ties, but here is the rest.