HANDS-ON: The Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualité Fleurier brings style, substance and sustainability to the table
Chopard is one of the great secrets of the watchworld. The brand, which is better known for its feminine jewellery collections, produces some truly phenomenal watches, of a style and quality that rivals the best in the business. Take, for example, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualité Fleurier (QF). It’s a gorgeous dress watch with a much feted movement, a quirky (but not too quirky) design, and some serious integrity in the production process, thanks to Chopard’s ongoing commitment to Fairmined. Let’s start with design. The watch is very nicely sized at 40mm across by 7.7mm tall, with small seconds, date, and a deceptively simple but quite modern design. The hour markers are arrowheads, the hands are stepped and faceted, with quite an architectural feel. These two details, along with the smooth, polished bezel, ensure there’s a lot of pretty reflections to keep you entranced. Also on the entrancing front is the radial brushed polish, which is centred around the sub-seconds dial. Now, you may have noticed that that seconds register isn’t aligned neatly, which is where the ‘Twist’ comes in. The whole movement has been twisted about 15 degrees, resulting in the off-centre seconds dial and the crown at four.…
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Editor’s note: Steel Daytonas have always been hard watches to get your hands on, and the latest Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN is no exception. And aside from the whole hype/status thing, it’s easy to see why. First released in 2016, it just looks the business. In case you’ve been living under a Rolex-shaped rock for the last few years, here’s our review of what might still be the hottest sports Rolex around … The story in a second The latest and greatest steel Daytona is here, and everyone loves it. The only problem? Getting your hands on it. It’s hard to know where to start with a review of the most coveted watch of the year (and we suspect for many years to come). More specifically, it’s hard to be objective, to provide a meaningful review of a timepiece that has been so intensely speculated upon and scrutinised. For many people, the Daytona is the ideal, iconic watch design, and this new 116500LN is a near perfect blend of old and new. The backstory The history of the Daytona is long and complex, and not the topic of this review. Suffice to say that if you’re reading this, you’re familiar with the watch itself,…
Watches inspired by military designs are a perennial favourite. Largely, that’s down to the fact that these watches generally possess an overarching purpose. These watches have been designed, first and foremost, as functional objects. The Longines Heritage Military, for example, is a no-frills whistle that tells the time, and tells it quickly, clearly and simply. Of course, that purity of purpose typically flows down to a purity of design, and the Heritage Military — with its clear railroad minute track and simple Arabic numerals, its large, easy to manipulate crown and decorative-yet-functional hands — is exemplary. However, that’s not to say that Longines hasn’t added some contemporary design flourish to their historically inspired piece. Look at the dial. It’s a near-perfect facsimile of a decades-old dial that bears the signs and the patina of a life well-lived. However, this dial is brand new. It’s also unique. As a result of the production process, each pattern of flecks and marks on the dial is individual to the watch, which is pretty cool. Longines Heritage Military Australian pricing Longines Heritage Military, $2775
Editor’s note: The TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition could very easily have been an over-the-top affair, but somehow, this big squarer watch with go-faster stripes manages to be much like its most famous wearer: cool. The story in a second: Two stripes are all it takes to amp up the legacy and motorsports heritage of the Monaco. I’m willing to put the success of the Monaco down to two things: the Steve McQueen link, and the square shape. I’m sure there are numerous other factors, like the Calibre 11, at play. But really, it’s the fact that this watch is so distinctive, and was worn by someone so cool that the Monaco has stayed strong throughout the decades. The latest brightly striped Gulf Special Edition takes both these factors to the next level. The dial Typically with in-depth reviews, I start with the case, as it provides the foundational framework of the watch. But today I’m going with the dial, because this watch is all about the dial, and not just because of those stripes. The square Monaco dial is already pretty distinctive, due to its shape and those matching, rounded-off registers. This version takes as a base the…
Editor’s note: We originally ran Andy’s interview with John a few years back, but seeing a spectacular Longines Weems that was awarded to a Submarine School captain in 1943 reminded us of just how cool this guy and his collection is – well worth a second look. John, AKA @barnfindwatches, is a family man and a certifiable watchaholic. In his spare time, he runs the sales organisation for a small software company in Los Angeles, meaning he travels all around the US, meeting with customers and seeing places in the country that few would ever (voluntarily) go. How do you unwind? Although I like to play basketball or run with the dog (which I need to do far, far more), mostly I live and breathe watches in my free time. Nightly, I browse the internet researching watches, mostly scouring eBay and IG. It is a bit embarrassing to think about the hours I have spent throughout the years on the internet. In fact, eBay just thanked me for 20 years of customer loyalty (I originally joined AuctionWeb in ’97, which became eBay later that year)! I feel like I have earned my PhD in watches, having spent the last quarter…