Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist QF Fairmined

The L.U.C XPS Twist QF Fairmined by Chopard is a watch that shows a lot of thought “out of the box.” The designers have succeeded in creating something totally different to anything else on the market by means of an unusual stamped sunburst effect, with a spiral pattern that justifies the name chosen for the watch, Twist. But the word also refers to another neat touch: the movement has been rotated clockwise by 30 degrees so that the crown is at 4 o’clock, and the small seconds subdial is at 7 o’clock. This twist totally changes the watch’s looks, adding a quirky touch to what would otherwise be a conventional minimalist timepiece. In this configuration it becomes a cross between a dress watch and a Japanese Zen garden.

Raw gold nuggets

Chopard say that the dial texture was inspired by the look of raw gold nuggets extracted from mines. It certainly creates an interesting contrast with the rose gold case, which has a differentiated finish, polished on bezel and caseback, satin-brushed on the caseband. The watch is made of Fairmined gold, part of Chopard’s commitment to ethical mining, in which the miners and the environment are given the respect they deserve. The case is very slim at 7.2 mm case, and its 40mm diameter make it a watch suitable for most wrist sizes. It has the standard 3 atm water resistance. The CITES-certified alligator strap is hand-sewn, black with a cognac-coloured lining. It has a rose gold pin buckle.

Self-winding movement

The L.U.C XPS Twist QF Fairmined has a self-winding movement, L.U.C Calibre 96.09-L, with two mainspring barrels, wound by a 22-carat gold micro-rotor in 22-carat gold and providing a 65-hour power reserve. The balance runs at 4 Hertz, 28,800 vibrations per hour. The calibre’s precision is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). After this, Chopard conducts further tests on the complete watch, as part of the Fleurier Quality Foundation certification process, claimed to be the most demanding in the watch industry. One of the requirements is that the entire watch and all its components have to be made in Switzerland. Movement finish is great as can be seen from the photos below.