In 2019, Chopard debuted the L.U.C. Flying T Twin watch, which housed the calibre 96.24-L, the model’s first automated flying tourbillon. Now, we see a follow-up to the unique, this time in a white-gold case with strong gold dial executed in blue with honeycomb guilloché. Not simply an aesthetic triumph, the Flying T Twin options an ultra-thin stop-seconds tourbillon and a motion that’s each COSC-certified and bears the Geneva Seal. Restricted to 50 items, this watch is a testomony to the Scheufele household’s funding in Chopard’s L.U.C division.
For anybody unfamiliar, L.U.C is the initials of founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard and is the designation given to watches produced on the model’s high-end manufacture in Fleurier that opened in 1996. Whereas I love the newer releases, I personally have a deep love for among the earliest L.U.C items Chopard launched. I’d place the primary two Chopard L.U.C calibers (the 1.96 and 1.98 Quattro) amongst choices from the best watchmakers on the market. So, whereas I discover this new Flying T Twin to be well-sized for the up to date purchaser at 40mm, I can’t assist however be much more drawn to the limited-edition mannequin Chopard did with Revolution within the 36.5mm case. Why?
As a result of the 96.24-L is predicated on, and is identical dimension as, the primary L.U.C Calibre 1.96, which measures 27.4mm-wide and three.3mm-thick. My private style will all the time prioritize a motion that matches snugly in its case slightly than sizing up the case to suit shopper tastes. However…Chopard is a enterprise, and I perceive why they’d select to not restrict a six-figure providing to a 36.5mm case in 2021.
Now again to the watch we’re truly discussing.
Launched in 2019, the L.U.C Calibre 96.24-L was Chopard’s first automated flying tourbillon. The “flying” refers to the truth that there is no such thing as a higher bridge supporting the tourbillon in place (equivalent to you’d discover in a manual-wind tourbillon like this one) and, on account of it being a one-minute tourbillon, it serves as a seconds counter as properly. It’s also COSC-certified (not widespread for tourbillons) and is a stop-seconds tourbillon, which isn’t one thing I’ve seen aside from a handful of occasions by manufacturers like A. Lange & Söhne, Gronefeld, Moritz Grossmann, and one or two others. The lion’s share of tourbillons on the market is not going to cease while you pull out the crown to set the time, sacrificing the sort of accuracy one would have with any watch with a hacking seconds perform.
The 96.24-L bears the Geneva Seal, so we all know that the ending on the motion is great. The “twin” a part of the T Twin designation refers to the truth that this motion has two stacked barrels, because of Chopard’s patented Twin know-how. This permits the modestly sized motion to attain a formidable 65-hour energy reserve. Identical to the Michel Parmigiani-designed authentic L.U.C Calibre 1.96, the 96.24-L has that fantastically completed 22k-gold micro-rotor serving because the visible centerpiece on the caseback.
Whereas the tourbillon and motion will initially garner probably the most consideration, the dial warrants reward of its personal. Since its inception, Chopard L.U.C has been making dials out of strong gold for choose items by partnering with Metalem, who’s among the many high dial makers on the market (they make Philippe Dufour’s dials). The dial for this Flying T Twin is completed in a strong gold that’s galvanized with a purpose to obtain the blue colour. Sadly, a lot of the guilloché we see executed these days is stamped by a machine, which is definitely not the case right here.
The dial of this L.U.C (like many earlier than it) is completed utilizing guillochage, AKA hand-done engine turning. The intricate, non-uniform honeycomb sample right here is drop-dead beautiful, as is the very finely executed round sample across the dial’s exterior circumference.
Performed in “Fairmined” 18k white gold, the case of the Flying T Twin measures 40mm-wide and seven.7mm-thick and has 30m of water resistance. The place the primary mannequin in 2019 got here in a rose-gold case with a grey ruthenium galvanized gold dial, this new iteration opts for white gold with the aforementioned blue galvanized gold dial. Chopard makes use of “100% moral gold,” which is a authentic and admirable transfer towards sustainability and human rights.
The Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin is a formidable piece of horology from a model that has earned its place alongside the older names. Restricted to 50 items, value is upon request, however I think about it’s someplace in step with the $118,500 value of the unique, which is appreciable however in no way egregious in relation to the competitors. You’ll be able to be taught extra at chopard.com.
English 