By Harlan Chapman-Green
If you remember last year, we revealed to you a hands-on with the Chopard L.U.C. XP last year, which took on a new almost hipster-ish vibe with its blue colouring and exciting materials. For Baselworld in 2018, Chopard unveils a continuation of this blue theme. However, it’s in the guise of a different watch in the L.U.C. collection, the Quattro.
What is the Quattro, and where did the name come from? Chopard has been tied in with Porsche for some time now, so it couldn’t be anything to do with the venerable Audi Quattro. I’ll tell you, it comes from the number of barrels the watch has: four. These four barrels in the watch give it exceptional power, meaning a long power reserve of 9 days. It’s also got a smoother delivery of all this power, as the barrels act as brakes to each other, meaning that this watch also has a COSC chronometer rating. Add to that a beautiful movement with Geneva Seal approved finishing and you can start to appreciate why we here at WristReview consider some of these L.U.C. watches equal to if not superior to Patek Philippe pieces.
The movement, however, hasn’t changed much for this new variant. It’s the dial that’s been given the most attention. The most striking change to it is the inclusion of blued steel hands and indices, these contrast the 18K polished rose gold of the case but match the blue strap. You’ll also see that the dial has changed a little as well, instead of classy Roman numerals the more relaxed numbers and pointed markers take place. I’m glad to see, however, that the Chopard signature Dauphine hands are kept and left to sparkle in all their glory. Joining them is the power reserve at the top of the dial highlighting the full nine days, and at the bottom is a subdial which combines both running seconds and a classy rotary date indicator.
Unfortunately, there will only be fifty examples of this particular watch made, but I’m hoping there are more similar versions to come. Perhaps, we could even see this Quattro technology twinned with more complications in the future. The retail price is €23,300. For more info, visit Chopard online.
