Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph Review

amanico · 2023-09-14T14:56:13Z

Explore amanico's hands-on review of the Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph, comparing it to the PuristS Edition. Discover insights on design, movement, and collector perspectives.

amanico

WPS member · Chopard forum

39 replies13519 views8 photos

Amanico's hands-on review of the Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph offers a unique perspective, drawing direct comparisons to the exclusive L.U.C 1963 Chronograph PuristS Edition. This article delves into the nuances of Chopard's latest offering, highlighting its design evolution and technical refinements. Readers will gain insight into how Chopard balances heritage with innovation, particularly through the lens of a collector deeply familiar with its special editions.

The LUC 1963 Heritage Chronograph certainly looks familiar to many of our dear members and / or readers, here.

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

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

Key Points from the Discussion

Chopard's design language has significantly improved over the years, with the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph showcasing refined Arabic numerals and consistent font. While the proportions are generally good, a slightly smaller diameter would be preferred by some collectors.
Beyond the PuristS Edition, a gold version of the 1963 Chrono was also released, sharing the same case and movement but featuring a date indicator, a detail appreciated by some for its practicality despite aesthetic preferences.
The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph incorporates both hacking seconds and a zero-reset function, activated by pulling the crown and depressing the 4 o'clock button. It's speculated whether this is an upgrade from the PuristS version's movement.
Replacing the minute markers with Roman numerals, similar to the WPS edition, could make the dial appear less expansive and better suit the 42mm case, addressing concerns that minute markers might render a dressy watch too casual.
The movements of these Chopard chronographs are noted for their 'glorious glow.' A collector might consider requesting Chopard to add the distinctive beehive detail near the crown on the case back, a charming feature from the PuristS edition.
While 42mm is considered large for a 'classy' watch by some, the dial maintains proportionality, and the movement is consistently praised for its aesthetic beauty. The crown's unusually large size is also a notable design element.

The Discussion

patrick_y

Sep 14, 2023

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!

patrick_y

Sep 14, 2023

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.

mdg

Sep 14, 2023

...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...

patrick_y

Sep 14, 2023

Yes. At only 25 pieces, these will FLY OFF THE SHELVES!

Clueless_Collector

Sep 14, 2023

Also, this version has both hacking seconds as well as zero-reset. First need to pull the crown (hack) and depress the 4 o'clock button. I supposed it's the same for the Purist version or it's an upgraded movement? PS: I was told one of the previous WPS owner Thomas Mao did not even get allocated one (Purist version) and told the local boutique....guess what, they found him one last year or early this early and had a small delivery celebration at the boutique.

p.boxster

Sep 14, 2023

…like the Purists Edition. And don’t forget the gold version of the 1963 Chrono which was issued together with the Purists Edition, also limited to 50 pieces. This one has a date indicator - which some don’t like for esthatical reasons - but I really appreciate: Same case and movement.

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Chopard forum with 39 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →

Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph Review

Key Points from the Discussion

Continue the conversation

More from this Forum