Absolute Symmetry

I like a sense of order in watches. Balance and poise are key elements of design and they have a reassuring effect on my brain. Symmetry is therefore something I look for in every timepiece I come across (that's several hundreds a year, in case you wonder). But that aspiration has never been satisfied as thoroughly as with Chopard's L.U.C régulateurs. It so happens that I remember when the first one came out, somewhere in 2004, and again with a cleaner, less dramatic iteration in 2015. The recent release of an updated version gave me a rush of adrenaline, and led me to a mental exercise of near OCD-esque proportions. 

Portrait first

The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator is a 25-piece series made of white gold, housed in a 40-mm case. That's way less than the previous iteration, which sat at 43mm, and more in line with the classic iterations Chopard released throughout the 00's. Of late, L.U.C have been working on making their watches more desirable, more aligned with today's collectors aspirations for more compact, easy-to-wear sizes. It was not the easiest thing as L.U.C régulateurs are powered by the in-house, eight-day Quattro movement, whose four barrels make it not the smallest nor the thinnest horse in the Chopard stable. But they pulled it off, resorted to using the rounded, handsome 1963 case and as a result, the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator is as easy on the wrist as can be. But that's not what I really wanted you to think about.

Perfect layout

Imagine a specific moment in time, when everything about that watch would be just perfect. It would be fleeting, hard to simulate, and would be all the more beautiful for it. The landscape it would be set in is the following. The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator has 6 indications in total. Hours, minutes and seconds, each in a separate, dedicated location as the régulateur layout dictates. Plus a GMT indicator (on 24 hours), a date at 6 and a power reserve gauge at 12. The one that was offset on the previous series (I'm looking at you, date window, hum-hum) has been put back on the vertical axis.

A fleeting moment in time

Picture this for a minute. The power reserve stands at 4 days, on the 11th of the month, at midnight and 0 seconds on both timezones. This means that all the hands on the silver dial stand perfectly vertical, pointing upwards, as do the date digits. A moment of pure elevation where the dial's orderly layout is echoed by the hands position. Granted, it is a little obsessive to imagine such a situation, for the sake of an neurologically satisfying moment. But the Sheldon Cooper in me yearns for this sheer, absolute, thorough symmetry...with one exception : the GMT adjustment pusher at 8 o'clock. Yes, dear watch lover! Nothing is ever perfect and let's rejoice in that fact. It is the small offsets, the unusual details, the choices that break monotonous patterns that are the salt of life,  in watchmaking as in life.