Chopard LUC Time Traveller One Black In Ceramized Titanium

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This is a bit of a headache. Over the years, I’ve come to love Chopard more and more, from its relatively more affordable “car lovers’ watch” Mille Miglia collection to its competitive high-end LUC line of watches, all the way to its haute horlogerie creations that give a dull Historical names run for their money in performance. Frankly, I really like this Chopard LUC Time Traveler One Black Ceramic Titanium – if not for the price, it seems a little ambitious even compared to the competition inside.

The world timer is great. This look, in which the city scale and the two-tone 24-hour scale surround the stunningly small central dial, is often associated with Patek Philippe, although it is not a Patek Philippe design, but Louis Cottier with his calibre 1931. This elegant solution The scheme attracted Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and countless others over the next few decades to use the feature to cater to a rapidly globalizing world. Even the design of the two crowns is believed to have been his around 1950.

Still, it retains every bit of its appeal, like a two- or three-sub-dial chronograph, despite the use of the world’s timepiece dial by countless small and large watchmakers over the decades. As such, Chopard LUC Time Traveler One Black is a crisp, monochromatic rendition of this formula, made with Chopard’s own small details that have become beautifully rounded over time, in Chopard and Supreme The unique characteristics of Chopard LUC watches are found on the level.

Highlights of Chopard LUC Time Traveler 1 Black
Let’s see how the Chopard LUC has done right with impressive consistency of late, including in this “Time Voyager One”. First off, the “Chrysler Building” hands – I’m not sure if anyone shares the name, but these fantastic hands always remind me of the Chrysler Building, for some reason. A beautiful design is useless without high-quality execution, especially on luxury watches. The hands are polished on both sides and have a protruding ridge along the center, which requires two large angled flats and a triangular cross-section. This means you almost always have at least one side of each hand reflecting and thus protruding on the dial, ensuring excellent legibility – another thing Chopard has an impressive hit between its designs is correct.

Second, a custom font style is used for every script on the dial, right down to the tiny SWISS MADE text flanking the 6 o’clock hour markers. The 24-hour clock, city names and company logos are all consistent, and you don’t have to struggle to find the same expensive watch, but you can’t apply a novel font so evenly. Typography is grossly underrated in watch design in general, but that’s another discussion. This approach reminds me of the Patek Philippe 5212A-001 (hands on here), although I find it a little tried and lovely. In my opinion, Chopard is more mature in a pleasing way, like the handwriting of a 50-something architect versus the handwriting of a skilled 8-year-old.

Third, the overall quality of execution and attention to detail (a caveat to be discussed shortly), right down to the pin buckle and its beveled edges and laser-etched markings, in titanium, to match the case. Again, if a detailed and neat clasp was given at this price point, we wouldn’t stress it – but no price range guarantees that nuance will match the case and dial (I’m looking at you and you Shiny belt buckle, Panerai). The sapphire crystal front is in the top 1% of crystals I’ve seen or photographed on any watch. Obviously, I found myself pressing my finger on it to see if it was still there – happened dozens of times, and I really didn’t want to believe that there was still a crystal in front of that dial. well done.

Fourth, abrasion resistance is good, thanks to the 12.09mm overall case thickness and the lightness of the titanium case and pin buckle (no thick folding clasp digging deep into the wrist). The strap could be a little more flexible and the edges less sharp. Fifth, the overall function and feel of the movement inside the Chopard LUC 01.05-L is great. As I spin the city disc, every new setting delivers a pleasant click, so nice and easy that I often find myself turning the disc 360° just to feel that luxurious touch (yes, that) . The power reserve is 60 hours, complemented by quiet running full-size rotors, matching the modern stable 4 Hz operating frequency. The decor is nice, although I’m far from a fan of the “smoky” dark grey exhibition caseback. Maybe the vignette effect would be fun, but this full-screen tease where I can barely see anything even in direct sunlight is more frustrating than stunning. Oh, and if you want to brag, the Chopard LUC Time Traveler One Black watch is a 291-part movement and 39 jewels – a fairly high component count that implies a rather complicated movement to drive the hours, minutes, seconds, Date and 24 hour display.

Cons of Now Chopard LUC Time Traveler 1 Black
I’ve already mentioned that the straps, especially those close to the case, could use a little extra flexibility, and it could have a softer edge for better wearing comfort. The titanium case, which I laud for its light weight and comfort, can, and, I think, should be more refined at this price point. Its blocky lugs and versatile finish make the aesthetics too basic for my tastes. Suffice to say, it draws attention to the beautifully crafted dials and hands—really outstanding—but I can’t help but wish there were a little more of those lugs.

The surface is “ceramicized” and is said to be very durable – in fact, the Chopard LUC Time Traveler One Black showed no wear after two weeks of continuous wear, which is more than enough for a regular titanium watch, Tinkerbell, in my experience. In a way – and I’ll stop bashing this one – the buckles allow the case to have wide sloping sides on either side. A similar thing might happen with lugs, while still allowing “ceramicization” to be applied. That said, I’m sure some people will find the blocky case a plus – a masculine design so to speak, which again brings attention to the dial and, in fact, goes well with the monochromatic theme.

I think the general feeling associated with worldtimer watches is that you get “a lot of watches” because of the visual and mechanical complexity. However, I feel that Chopard offers strong in-house competition for the LUC Time Traveller One Black in the form of the Alpine Eagle, which is “more noteworthy” in terms of value. It offers the most spectacular case and bracelet material in its class (well above that) in an incredible white Lucent Steel A223. The case, bezel, and bracelet are all at a level that surpasses the Time Traveler One, and it undeniably sacrifices a low-key, stealthy monochromatic look in favor of the best of habits (case and bracelet) again in this segment. The eagle eye dial is also very neat, plus you get a similar caseback aesthetic (no Côtes de Genève) since the Time Traveler uses the same 0.01 caliber for its base. No matter how I look at it, the Alpine Eagle looks like a watch and is 50% more expensive than the Time Traveler One Black. Let me know below if you agree.

Essentially, the Chopard LUC Time Traveller One Black is a great-looking watch and a great everyday watch for someone—one that you buy and wear for years. The movement, almost two decades old, with a “ceramicized” titanium case, an all-encompassing sense of sturdy quality, and a timeless monochromatic design ensure that the Time Voyager 1 will age gracefully. Not what can be said about most luxury watches today.

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon

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The ability to combine high-end watchmaking craftsmanship with other types of craftsmanship, whether it is inlay, engraving, hand-painting, music box making or enamel art, is a major feature of the famous American brand copy Jacob & Co.. Continuing this tradition, the company has added an incredible novelty to its watch collection-the Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon watch.

In this high-end watch, the unusual Astronomia mechanism is intertwined with a flexible dragon pattern made by hand lacquering and hand engraving in 18 carat rose gold. The miniature sculpture of the dragon consists of four parts (head, body, tail, and water around the dragon), which must be connected in an invisible seam. Considering that the image of the mythological creature is made of gold and therefore heavy, and the screws connecting the various parts of the dragon are very small, this task is indeed daunting. Not to mention that the watchmaker needs to be very careful not to damage the characters during the assembly process and bring them safely to the final stage, where the designer hand-completes the smallest details: scales, teeth, tongue and eyes.

Since the launch of the Astronomia series in 2014, a mandatory attribute of the models of the product line includes a huge sapphire glass case. Thanks to the transparency of the case, all the glory of the dual-axis tourbillon mechanism can be seen from different sides. The complex concept of the monolithic case design gives rise to the illusion that the complicated functions under the sapphire dome are floating in the air.

Replacing the individual metal parts used in previous models of this series with sapphire glass elements helps to achieve this effect. In particular, we are talking about case rings and lugs. The production of the “mythical” case (50 x 25.45 mm) took more than 1,000 hours in total!

This proud representative of the Jacobs company’s top timepiece is equipped with a manual winding movement and a 60-hour power reserve device. In addition to the hours and minutes, it also supports the operation of a two-axis tourbillon. The rotation speed of the latter is 60 seconds on one axis and 2.5 minutes on the second axis. In this model, the famous manufacturer retains the concept of the four-axis turntable module, fixing all functions and pure decorative elements at its end. In addition to the sub-dial and tourbillon frame, a 1-carat Jacob Cut® diamond and a lacquered magnesium alloy ball that symbolize the earth can also be seen under the dragon’s body. Both elements rotate around their axis at a speed of two revolutions per minute.

The unique timing device Astronomia was released in a single version, perfectly embodying the motto of Jacobs-“Inspired by the Impossible”.

Jacob & Co. luxury is one of the few brands that often amaze customers with their incredibly beautiful and reliable watches.

Jacob & Co.

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Minute repeater in a sapphire crystal case

The brand has just released three timepieces in its Twin Turbo Furious series, all equipped with a fully transparent sapphire crystal case and a decimal minute repeater, which is the first time in the world of high-end watches

Jacob & Co. has just released three timepieces in its Twin Turbo Furious series, all of which use a fully transparent sapphire crystal case and a decimal minute repeater, which is the first time in the high-end watch industry.

These include the “Bugatti Blue” timepiece, which pays tribute to the iconic manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. Each watch is inspired by the speed and beauty of super sports cars and is limited to six pieces.

Jacob Arabo, founder of Jacob & Co, said: “Even after 35 years, we continue to create groundbreaking and innovative timepieces.” Reached. We are proud to be the first watch brand to achieve this arduous feat. “

The sapphire crystal case allows you to fully understand the complex mechanism of Twin Turbo Furious. It is powered by the manual winding JCFM05 movement and has a 50-hour power reserve. This includes a set of groundbreaking and exclusive complications, such as the decimal minute repeater, dual high-speed tourbillons, single-button chronograph and pit-plate reference indicator.

When it comes to contemporary high-tech watchmaking, the creation of a sapphire crystal case is one of the pinnacles of achievement. The unique shape of the Twin Turbo Furious sapphire crystal case makes it a more challenging project. It took nearly nine months to develop the design. First, sapphire crystals were grown from alumina to produce the case, and then the case was shaped by combining the most advanced digital machinery and meticulous hand polishing. Each case took another six months.

There are many obstacles. Generally, a pentagonal 57 mm x 52 mm shell consists of 88 components. This has been reduced to only a few parts, including the main case, front and rear sapphire crystal covers, and a slider at 8 o’clock, which activates the decimal minute repeater. The only part of the watch that is not made of sapphire crystal is the 18k white gold crank at 3 o’clock, which can be wound and set many complications.

The case has several geometric planes and angles, which makes the processing of the case, especially manual polishing, very difficult. The unique dual bezel design of the watch brings additional challenges. Hand polishing is the most important part of the process because it gives the sapphire crystal its transparency. This is also the most difficult to achieve. Every technique used to polish crystals by hand 1 is integrated into different parts of the case. It is the back cover that is as difficult to complete as the main case, also because of the different angles and planes.

Some compromises were made in the design of the online shop for watch to allow the gong and hammer for the decimal minute repeater. This is the first watch ever to have a minute repeater in a sapphire crystal case. The complexity of putting this complication inside the watch and ensuring high-quality sound makes it a unique achievement.

These new limited edition models have all the exclusive complications and functions that made Twin Turbo Furious a groundbreaking timepiece when it was first released in 2018, including:
● Hours and minutes dial with small seconds at 9 o’clock;
● Single-button chronograph, with a minute counter and a centered small second at 3 o’clock;
● Reference time indicator, the minutes are displayed at 6 o’clock, the second hand is displayed at 12 o’clock, the reference time difference is displayed by the chronograph seconds, and the hands are located on the “pit plate” of the dial training;
● Minute repeater in decimal, telling the time every 10 minutes and minutes;
● Dual three-axis high-speed tourbillon; and
● Power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock.

What separates the three watches is the Neoralithe chapter ring that surrounds the dial of each watch. One is bright red and the other is green. Neoralithe is an artificial material made of resin and developed in Switzerland. As we all know, it can resist ultraviolet and thermal shock or physical shock. It also forms a sharp color contrast with the transparent sapphire crystal case.

This watch designed for Bugatti has a “Bugatti Blue” Neoalithe chapter ring. This color pays homage to Bugatti’s history and French tradition. The sapphire crystal case of Bugatti models also bears the company’s logo on the front.

These watches continue the tradition of Twin Turbo Furious, it is a sports watch inspired by the speed and beauty of high-performance cars, with a new set of complex functions in the world of haute horology. Sapphire crystal is another example of how luxury Jacob & Co. turned the impossible into reality.