Chopard is Bringing Back The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator in a 40 mm Size

The Heritage Regulator is particularly interesting because Chopard is reviving a concept from the L.U.C collection – one that hasn’t been revisited for a long time – in a reworked form. The 43-millimetre rose gold model from 2015 has been transformed into a 40-millimetre white gold watch. Chopard has retained the tried-and-tested calibre, but has rearranged the dial and reduced the size of the case. The redesign therefore clearly focuses on more balanced proportions and a clearer display.

A return to mark the 30th anniversary

This new edition marks the 30th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture, which was founded in Fleurier in 1996. However, the year 1963 in the model name refers to a different chapter in the company’s history: it was then that Karl Scheufele III took over the Maison Chopard, thereby laying the foundations for the Scheufele family’s era, which continues to this day.

Chopard first introduced the Regulator concept within the L.U.C collection in 2006 as a Concept Watch. Nine years later, the L.U.C Regulator was launched in a series, already fitted with the hand-wound L.U.C 98.02-L calibre, which is now being used once again. Reference 161993-1001 is the direct successor to this model, but differs in its smaller white gold case and redesigned dial.

Six displays with a clear hierarchy

Historical regulators served as reference clocks in workshops and observatories. The hours, minutes and seconds were arranged on separate axes so that the hands did not obscure one another and timepieces could be set as precisely as possible. The minute hand was given the longest travel and thus the largest scale. Chopard has adopted this layout: the long minute hand, crafted from rhodium-plated white gold, rotates centrally over a scale at the edge of the dial, whilst the hours are displayed in their own circle at 3 o’clock.

Added to this are a 24-hour GMT display at 9 o’clock, the power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, and the small seconds and date at 6 o’clock. At first glance, having six displays on a single dial might suggest a slight clutter of information. However, the layout works well because the individual displays do not compete for the same attention. The central minute hand and the outer scale form the first level. The hours and second time zone are balanced horizontally; the power reserve, seconds and date are arranged along the vertical axis. To read the local time, one simply needs to shift one’s gaze between the central minute hand and the hour display at 3 o’clock. The GMT, power reserve and date recede visually into the background.

The surfaces also reinforce this hierarchy. The silver-coloured main dial features a satin-finished sunburst pattern, whilst the centres of the subsidiary dials have an opalescent finish and are bordered by fine circular lines. Finally, the blue printed scales and markings lend the dial a uniform appearance. All the hands are made of rhodium-plated white gold. The minutes are indicated by a central Dauphine hand, whilst triangular hands are used for the other displays.

You can find out more about the 30th anniversary of the manufacture and the resulting Chopard L.U.C 1860 here in our article.

A smaller diameter and reworked details

Compared with the 2015 L.U.C Regulator, the diameter of the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator has been reduced from 43 to 40 millimetres, whilst the thickness has increased slightly from 9.78 to 10.30 millimetres. The new watch is therefore not thinner, but takes up significantly less space on the wrist and appears much more harmonious in its proportions.

The date display has now been moved to the 6 o’clock position within the small seconds sub-dial, rather than being positioned diagonally between the hour and seconds displays, as it was in 2015. The understated finish combines a satin-finished case middle with a polished bezel and a polished caseback, whose viewing window offers a glimpse of the movement. A grey alligator leather strap with a white gold pin buckle complements the understated colour scheme.

Nine days’ power reserve from a 4.90-millimetre-high movement

With the L.U.C 98.02-L, Chopard uses the same calibre as in the predecessor model of the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator, whose technical specifications remain exceptional even today. The hand-wound movement, just 4.90 millimetres high, operates at 4 hertz, comprises 244 components and 39 jewels, and offers a power reserve of 216 hours, or nine days.

This is made possible by the Quattro technology, which features four mainspring barrels arranged in pairs one above the other and connected in series. Rather than storing the required energy in a single, correspondingly large mainspring barrel, Chopard distributes it across four mainsprings. This keeps the calibre slim and enables it to power the regulator, with its additional displays, for more than a week.

The L.U.C 98.02-L calibre holds both a COSC chronometer certificate and the Poinçon de Genève. Whilst the COSC test assesses the movement’s accuracy, the Poinçon de Genève also sets out requirements regarding origin, construction and hand-finished detailing. Furthermore, the fully assembled watch is checked for, amongst other things, its functions, water resistance and the specified power reserve.

Price and availability

The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator is being released in a numbered edition of just 25 pieces and is available exclusively through Chopard boutiques. The price for the US market is listed as US$50,900; a confirmed price in euros is not currently available.

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