Chopard

MTF
[PuristS]
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Chopard Hand Wind Chronograph: My Current Fav

Dear forumners,

Since the announcement of an upcoming Get Together in Singapore with the theme: "Current Favourite watch on one wrist and a cheaper watch on the other wrist", I have been choosing a "current favourite".

Its not that easy to choose just One.

This is the current holder of the title: Chopard Vintage Chronograph, a handwind Lemania movement in the Mille Miglia line-up.

I like the classic look and round pushers.

They pushers are adjusted to give a nice 'break' on activation albeit with a firm effort. There is imperceptible seconds hand 'jump' start and everything returns to zero crisply.

I must admit that I was sold on the watch before I knew what movement sat inside.

Hey!  It's a Chopard mens' watch made after 1996 and that is good enough for me.  Why?

Because I know that Mr Karl-Friedrich Scheufele took an active role as Co-President of Chopard with responsibility for the watch division and after that date, Chopard watch quality really rose up the scale and became Superfast....  (racing pun intended).

Later, I found a Lemania 1874 handwind chronograph movement inside. Asking around, I soon found out from erudite watch friends that this was a 'desirable' movement. It also explained the limited edition of 250 pieces because they don't make them like they used to.

Beating at 3Hz or 21,600 beats per hour, the watch murmurs quietly on my wrist. If I wish to be geeky and watch the oscillating organ, the hairspring pumps like a miniature heart on 'Speed'. It's hard not to make medical metaphors because I am a physician and there are Tachymetre and Pulsograph scales on the dial.  This could be a doctor's watch....it is !

Coming back to the dial; it is an unusual iridescent grey colour. At first, I was perturbed but there is such an affinity between the rose gold case and the dial that I think it must be ordained in horological heaven for this combination.

Since wearing a few times, my initial reticence has morphed into quiet appreciation and later my watch-buddies' enthusiastic paroxysms of praise has bolstered that into a jaunty pride. This dial really takes a mature eye to appreciate. It does not hit you with an instant Boom Boom Pow but rather interposes between your heart and your brain to mediate the eventual love that transpires.

The quality of finish and attention to detail is sublime.

Look at the simple brand logo: CHOPARD. No mention of 'chronographe' or any superfluous information like Hours, Minutes, Seconds Elapsed.

Look at those hour markers. Little jewels of round gold appliques filled with SuperLuminova.

Look at the gold bezels on each sub-dial and the minute-track.

Look at the missing date display (Yes, I know that phrase is an oxymoron but you get my drift)

Look at the spear hands with tips reaching their scale markers; I hate hands that don't reach the parts I want to reach.....

I would prefer the Time and Chronograph display hands to be of different colours.

It is understandable that for a 'Vintage' design, they cannot use bright primary colours like a rainbow for the hands so I accept the discrete vintage look.

If it were a contemporary chronograph, there should be two colours of hands.

Finally, the buckle that is so important. Why?

Because I would hate to lose my current Fav watch and this amazing piece of technology ensures it's continued location on my wrist.  It's so good at it's job that I'm thinking of calling it an 'App'.

Pros:

Elegant Grey Dial - Rose Gold Combination Aesthetic.

Respected specialised handwind chronograph movement.

Good Chronograph Function and Pusher Action .

12-hour time elapsed totaliser is usable in the real world.

(A 30-minute chronograph is as useful as a trapdoor in a rowboat.)

Cons:

Chopard does not have an in-house handwind chronograph movement for PuristS to oogle.

Regards,

MTF

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