Chopard recently celebrated the re-opening of its exclusive hospitality located at 1 Vendôme in the heart of Paris. The small hotel is defined by just 15 rooms and suits, each featuring a unique palette of materials, textures and finishes. The doorway to enter 1, Vendôme is rich blue, jumping out from the historic brick walls that surround it. This entrance served as the inspiration of a new watch celebrating the completion of the locale, and the result is the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Vendôme One, a stunning display of color and texture that will be exclusively available at the brand’s boutique at the same location. Just 8 pieces are planned for production, but it sheds some welcome light on one of the most underrated formal watches in production today.
The latest L.U.C XPS builds on the existing collection with the use of dramatic textures, and even more dramatic colors. The 40mm 18-carat yellow gold case hosts a Bering blue dial, also done in 18-carat gold. The blue and yellow come together in a big way, creating what might be the most extroverted example of a Chopard L.U.C XPS watch to date. Further, the texture at work on the dial, which is echoed on the caseback, featured hand-guilloche with a honeycomb motif. This particular design is a nod to the manufacturer’s history of using the beehive surrounded by bees found engraved on dials and casebacks at the turn of the 20th century.
This honeycomb theme was brought back in the mid ‘90s by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, and has been used in watches bearing the L.U.C signature, which honors the brand’s founder, Louis-Ulysse Chopard. The guilloche itself is dynamic, with the peaks and valleys catching light in interesting ways depending on the angle, matching the big personality of the colors at work. The same pattern, still done by hand, also appears on the hunter style caseback here with an equally dramatic effect.
Chopard is using their own L.U.C 96.01-L micro-rotor caliber, which allows for a total watch thickness of just 7.7mm. The movement is beautifully finished, and can be viewed by opening the caseback with the press of a button nested within the crown. The reveal feels fitting with the rest of the watch, and lends to the excitement of discovery. The movement itself is COSC certified and provides 65 hours of reserve at that accuracy.
This is a dress watch that’s not shy on personality, and it’s a shame so few will be built. However, there are plenty of other beautiful examples of Chopard L.U.C watches containing the same movement (it’s been in production since 1997), and they are often criminally undervalued (as podcast alum, Bilal Khan can attest to). Seriously, if you like what you see here do yourself a favor and start looking into Chopard a bit more seriously, as there is a trove of treasures to be discovered.
The Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Vendôme One is available exclusively from the brand’s Paris boutique. Chopard