Watches and Wonders 2023: Hands on Review on the Chopard LUC 1963 Heritage Chronograph.
amanico
Indeed, in 2014, the PuristS Team worked in collaboration with Chopard on a project, a manual winding, no date, chronograph. in a decent size, in steel. Chopard agreed, and we had the... L.U.C 1963 Chronograph PuristS Edition, limited to 50 Pieces, issued in 2015.
This year, Chopard surprises us with the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph. It is so close to The PuristS Chronograph that I wonder if it was an homage to our beloved timepiece.
Indeed, the case has the same shape and size ( 42 mm diameter / 11, 50 mm high ), the difference lying in the fact that the case uses the " lucent steel ", which is an alloy of " 85% recycled materials, developed by Chopard for its anti-allergenic virtues, its robustness and its incomparable brilliance " to quote the Brand. The side case is round, not flat, another precious detail...
The crown is the same, with a generous diameter of 8 mm, as well as the pushers.
The movement is also identical. It is the Cal LUC 03-07, beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, made of 300 parts, 45 jewels, with a good 60 hours power reserve and traditionally decorated ( Geneva stripes on the bridges, circular grained mainplate ). It is a flyback chronograph AND a Chronometer ( COSC and Geneva Hallmark 
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When you admire it through the sapphire back case, you can notice that the movement is relatively small, for the case. Indeed, with a 28,80 mm diameter, it is not really lost, but it would deserve a 2 mm smaller case, in my opinion, even though the ring around the movement misleads the observer.
Another detail I like a lot is the bezel, which I find delicious in its shape and proportions. Which leads us to the dial....
The dial plate is made in brass, whose green color is obtained by PVD treatment and receives a sunburst finish. The aesthetic outcome is superb, and even better in real life than in the photos.
And the curious thing is that when you see the front, you cannot imagine that the dial is that small. Indeed, as it is often the case, with such a movement diameter, the subdials are centered. Here, they are not, and the whole dial design is harmonious.
Less powerful than the PuristS Edition, the LUC 1963 Heritage Chronograph is more elegant and refined. The big difference, color apart, is that the roman hour markers let their place to minute markers, an evocation of an old dashboard, probably. The more subtle difference can be found in the small seconds and chronograph hours subdials.
One detail I regret is that on this LUC 1963 Heritage Chronograph, the hands of the chronograph ( minutes / hours / Seconds ) are not chromatically different from the hands of the Time, while it was the case on The PuristS ( Red for the Chronograph hands / silver for the Time hands. )
The bad news? It is limited to 25 pieces, so it may be sold out as I am typing this article. The price is 32, 500 USD ( 35, 000 Euros ).
All in all, the only real thing I regret is the case size, for the reasons I mentioned ( case and movement sizes ratio ), but it is far from being a deal breaker, as it is a superb offer from Chopard.
Looking forward to reading you comments and thoughts,
Best.
Nicolas
Comments:
patrick_y September 14th, 2023-15:08
Fantastic watch! I think I'm okay with the case size being so big. Dial looks mostly proportionate. That movement is gorgeous! Just a gorgeous movement! Bravo! The crown is also unusually large!
amanico September 14th, 2023-15:24
I really like this crown. It is very pleasant to use.
patrick_y September 14th, 2023-15:25
Sadly, it won't sell well... LUC is just not as well known as the big brands like Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. Breguet doesn't even sell well these days.
amanico September 14th, 2023-15:31
With such a small LE, I think Chopard won't have issues selling them.
patrick_y September 14th, 2023-16:43
Ahh, you're right! Yes. At only 25 pieces, these will FLY OFF THE SHELVES!
mdg September 14th, 2023-15:34
I would prefer 40mm... ...42 is kind of large for a 'classy' watch, even though I have a large-ish wrist. And you have a good point about the color of the chrono hands. I really like the gold and silver combo in the movement...
amanico September 14th, 2023-15:36
Agreed. 40 mm would have been better, I mean better proportions.
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