Introduced in 2006 and rightfully sustained up to this day, the Chopard L.U.C XP and XPS collections reflect the watchmaker’s decision to bring its higher-end, more craftsmanship-focused L.U.C collection to a somewhat more competitive price point. World timers and two-handers near the $10,000 mark are joined by a three-hand ultra-thin watch with a green dial in 2024 with the Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green watch.
To refresh your memory, L.U.C stands for Louis-Ulysse Chopard (1836-1915) while “XP “stands for extra-plat or extra-thin and the “S” refers to the presence of a seconds display. Measuring 7.20mm thick, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green may be dress-watch-thin, but with its 40mm diameter, robust (for the genre) proportions, and light brown strap, you’ll take it out of its box more as a daily wearer rather than a special-occasion watch that sits unwound for weeks. Now, a jet black strap would certainly change the mood in a pinch.
Chopard explains its inspiration for the sector dial as something that “sits between the Art Deco and Bauhaus movements, with the concentric circles typical of the former and the functionality of the latter.” It is fascinating how a few concentric circles and markings can give a distinctive 1930s mood to what actually is a thoroughly modern watch. Chopard truly makes the design its own by the use of what I like to call the “Chrysler building hands.” I’m not one for nicknames given to watches and features, it’s just that they never fail to remind me of the first man-made structure to be taller than 1,000 feet. Speaking of feet, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green watch is rated water resistant to 100 feet (30 meters).
It’s not easy to add depth to extra-thin watches — “ultra-thin” would be a stretch for any three-hand watch thicker than 5mm — and so, Chopard operates with a recessed subsidiary seconds display with a beveled edge and its own concentric brushed surface. The greater dial is sunburst-finished, which highlights how different basic surface decorations can co-exist peacefully if done right. The aforementioned rhodium-plated, dauphine-style hands are strongly faceted, as is the tiny sub-seconds hand, for better legibility and a sense of proper craftsmanship. This really should be a given at this price point, alas, it is not.
The caseback reveals a variation of the movement that launched Chopard into the realm of proper in-house manufactures back in 1996, as alluded to in its name: Calibre 96.12-L. Although machine-finished, as is everything at this price point, it is a beautiful-looking watch movement that we have encountered and reviewed many times over the years here on aBlogtoWatch. Just 3.30mm thick, it uses a solid 22k ethical gold micro-rotor to replenish two stacked barrels that feed an impressive (for an ultra-thin movement) 65-hour power reserve to a modern 4Hz operating frequency. Chopard doubles down on the performance of this caliber by submitting it to COSC chronometer certification. A hand-engraved Louis-Ulysse Chopard caseback completes the rear view.
The L.U.C XP and XPS collections remain a strong proposition from Chopard for those who are after a proper in-house movement — as well as case and dial, since Chopard quietly acquired its own case and dial manufactures to become fully independent — in a package that really doesn’t look like it will go out of style any time soon. The Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green watch is priced at $11,800 USD. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
