Automobile and horology have always been synonymous together; it is as though both of them shares an invisible but closely knotted bond since the day both of them crossed path. The L.U. Chopard, with a great provenance from the racing world, is no stranger to that too. And the Engine One Tourbillon is a culmination of L.U.C’s relationship with the world of motorcars and motor racing.
The L.U. Chopard Engine One Tourbillon in its full glory.
Chopard shares a close relationship with the world of motor racing; a quick glance into their collection is a testament to that. Most watches in the “Classic Racing” collection may come across as something that is rather sporty and edgy. On the other hand, most watches in the L.U.C. collection may come across as something that is traditional and subtle. In a nutshell, both collection juxtaposes each other. This makes the Engine One Tourbillon a rather interesting prospect, since it infuses the DNA of both the Classic Racing collection and the L.U.C. collection together.
The Engine One Tourbillon, as the namesake suggests, is a watch that derived its design cues and inspiration from an engine. First and foremost, the dial resembles a valve cover from a engine. The fact that the valve cover is exposed (and the way it looks) sort of reminds us of the engine cover of a modern Chevy Corvette.
The main star of the timepiece- the Tourbillon. This one is a little special; it looks rather modern actually.
The tourbillon on the Engine One is pretty modern looking actually. It seems as though it came out from some Sci-Fi films, such as ‘Transformers” or “Interstellar”. This is thanks to the shape of the tourbillon cage and the tourbillon bridge, in which L.U.C. have introduced a breath of fresh air into the traditional complication. This is rather refreshing, and we like the idea behind it. Since the watch is partaking a modern stance, the tourbillon in the watch should adopt a more modern approach as well. If not, there would be a mismatch which would be seemingly odd in appearance.
The tourbillon is housed in L.U.C’s in-house Calibre 1TRM, a hand-wound movement which features a 60-hour power reserve. One interesting thing is that the movement is mounted on silent blocks, in which it is able to absorb reasonable amount of shocks and impact that the watch receives. Furthermore, the movement is COSC- certified, a testament to the accuracy and the craftsmanship of the watchmakers at L.U.C.
The Engine One Tourbillon is well-finished, as per other L.U.C. pieces. The attention to detail is amazing.
Another interesting feature of the Engine One is the power reserve indicator. Since the watch is inspired by automobiles, the power indicator follows a similar design cue as well. The indicator follows the design of a fuel gauge, which adds a really nice touch to the timepiece. The engravings on the gauge are impeccable as well. The attention to little details here is immense, just like many other L.U.C. pieces.
In our opinion, the Engine One Tourbillon would be a conversational piece, thanks to its unique facade.
The numerals that are featured on the sapphire crystal are rather special too. The numerals and indices are actually engraved beneath the crystal, before it is being tinted. The numerals look similar as well, as the watch derived some of its DNA from the L.U.C. line (well, it is from the L.U.C. collection after all). The effects does look really amazing; the numerals and indices seem as though they are floating on the crystal three-dimensionally.
A wristshot of the Engine One Tourbillon. It looks quite fitting on the wrist, thanks to the wonderful proportions of the case.
The L.U.C. Engine One Tourbillon is a rather nice dress watch, as well as a great conversational piece\. There are honestly not many dress watches out there that are as unique as the Engine One Tourbillon. This variant comes with a 44.4mm by 35.4mm 18k Rose Gold casing, which is rather fitting and very comfortable on the wrist. There are, however, other variants available too (in Titanium). They are all in limited production though; there are only 100 rose gold pieces available. In our opinion, the titanium version is sportier, but we prefer the slightly dressier look of the rose gold version. Either ways, you will be fine since they are really excellent timepieces to behold.
