Chopard

I've been looking for 2-3 years for a nice LUC 1.96 , preferably one with baguette diamonds:


or simple black/white dial with gold markers...


They all seem so difficult to find ... any idea where they are all lurking?



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This message has been edited by Kong on 2011-07-26 06:07:13

Hi Keltzar

To source, please visit our collector marketplace.

Perhaps this particular model is more treasured .

You can approach the boutique to ask.

Kong

Thanks Kong, hope you have been well...
I have been to the retailers and the boutique several times over the last 2-3 years. Some of the sales people were not familiar with the older models... some just simply did not know what it is. The new LUC models are nice, but a bit too "fashionable" i think.... I don't get the sense they will reach "classic" status... one day they will look more dated to their time in history in comparison to the 1.96

Hope you are well too, Kelvin.

Which one you are looking for?  1860-2 ( with sapphire caseback) or the 1860-1 (half-hunter case)?

The 1860-2, should still have some pieces.

Kong

hi Kong

I'm open to both options, its a question of affordability...
my preference is the one with baguette diamond markers ...
if not, then the white dial..
both in yellow gold.

I spent about 3 years looking for a preowned L.U.C. 1.96. It was the only Chopard model that I liked enough to want to own, and the movement arguably looked nicer than a Lange. I was toying with the idea of purchasing a new one, and I had made several inquiries. One day in June 2005, very coincidentally, I checked the Purists "collectors market" (or whatever it was called 7 years ago) and saw a 1.96 that had JUST been listed a few minutes earlier! The watch had exactly the dial color that I wanted (copper/salmon), and I thought the price was quite low. I went crazy! I tracked down the seller's work phone -- called him, emailed him, PM'd him, etc., saying, "I'll take it at your price, please hold it for me!" A few days later, it was mine, complete with all boxes and papers. The seller told me he had a TON of other buyers who wanted it -- some for more money than he was asking, if I remember correctly -- and that he had some regrets selling it. For the next few years, I'd continue to check the sales fora on the Purists and on other websites, just to see if any other 1.96s appear, but I'd really never see them.

One interesting sidenote ... when the watch arrived, I noticed that the date wheel had black numerals with a white background. I thought this was very strange, since I knew Chopard made a date wheel with copper/salmon background specifically to match my dial color. I contacted Chopard about changing the date wheel, and they said, "Oh, we have no idea why we would've put a white date wheel on that watch -- just send it to us and we'll change it for free." Now THAT'S service! [Pics below.]

Good luck in your hunt! I truly hope you find the watch you seek.

Hi!
Thanks for sharing your stories and your thoughts. From what I can gauge, my 3-yr long search will go on for sometime more ...

AGree with you about the 1.96 ... and, the one I saw the one time which I would have bought if the condition was better, was one with baguette diamond markers.

I got a JLC Master date this year which will have to keep me happy until then I suppose..

One of the things that really interested me about the 1.96 were all of the uncontested "expert opinions" that its movement was finished to a level that was at least on par with Lange and PP (but for a fraction of the price), and it had a beautiful, classic dial to match. I was amazed to see the movement in person -- it is truly captivating, and the micro-rotor is especially pleasing to the eye. I was always a bit surprised that more people didn't buy new 1.96s back when everyone was talking about them. At the time, people were speculating (and I agree) that most folks think "jewelry" (not horology) when they hear "Chopard," which means they're more dismissive of Chopard watches vs. many other brands. Even if that's true, the 1.96 is a standout -- a "sleeper," it seems.

That is the same sentiment i have. Thanks to the direction they took
for some decades, a lot of people forgot that Chopard started out as a
watch company before jewellery.

I think the prices have of their LUC series has been rising in recent
years. Certainly on-par with many equivalent JLCs now.

to find-for-sale model! 

They must be out there but nobody is selling this rare model.......

Being white gold case, it has an unusual micro-rotor material -- platinum.

 

Lucky you!

MTF

... when you helped me in my quest. I was debating the Series 1 (half-hunter) vs. the Series 2. Thanks again Melvyn

I remember writing a long e-mail.  So, it was YOU! 

I lost all my e-mail before the computer crash of 2008.

Well, then you know the choice was the rigth one.  I bet you would not sell it now....right?

 

Regards,

MTF

And no, it's definitely a keeper! I don't wear it too often, but when I do, I'm as pleased with it as I was on the day it first arrived. Thanks again for your help those many years ago, Melvyn.

You might want to try watch auctions from the large auction houses. Every few months they have a watch auction and there's a mix of discontinued and current model Chopard watches.

 

Thanks for the suggestion of auction houses. I'm signed up for 1-2 but they need a lot of work to even follow. Sigh.

My preference is yellow gold, and I'm not too fussed whether series 1 or 2 ...

more waiting, I suppose... but I may get distracted along the way :X

 

I have seen a few in YG in market from time to time, but I am a white metal guy, so the quest doesn't end....  I hope to bump into one soon!
1.96 is a very special movement and I agree that one of the, if not the, best automatic movement out there.

Good luck!

Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-07-30 04:39:42

This is the very first series (I believe it called Series 1) with the hinged back and no bees. I used to own one with salmon dial pictured in the post above, but once the white dial became available couple of years ago I decided to swap them. The hinged back adds some to the thickness of the watch, but it does not bother me at all. The dial is actualy has somwhat "pearl" look because of the way the light reflects from guillche. 

 

An here is the group picture.

Likewise, it always bring smile to my face too!

Thanks for sharing.

Later will post the Basel 2011 collection, would appreciate your inputs.

Thanks for sharing the pics.

Kong

This watch is a keeper for most collections, so you will rarely ever find one for sale.