Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Chopard 18ct Yellow Gold Four Time Zone Watch Ref 2030, 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Chopard (maker)
- Date
- 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- yellow gold
- Dimensions
- Case 45 mm
- Stock no.
- W-1076
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-1076)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Chopard 18ct Yellow Gold Four Time Zone Watch Ref 2030 (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-1076), this is a wristwatch by Chopard, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 45 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
When two zones aren’t enough… This timepiece is curated from Carlo Biagioli’s private collection. This is what we believe to be a special order piece by Chopard that dates to the 1970s. The watch features four dials and independently settable manual wind movements that allows you to monitor four time zones of your choice. The case measures an impressive 45mm wide and 35mm high and is made in 18kt yellow gold. The case has two L.U.C. (Louis-Ulysse Chopard) stamped winding crowns on each side, each one dedicated to setting and wind one of the four watches in the piece. The of the champagne coloured dials each has painted black Roman numerals and black hands. The dials are labeled: EASTERN, MOUNTAIN, CENTRAL and PACIFIC which are USA time zones making us believe that this was ordered by an American client. The watch is fitted with a leather strap and the original Chopard plated buckle. The watch has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications: - Chopard four time zone watch - 45x35mm 18ct yellow gold case - Dates to 1970s - Four dials with individual movements - Cal 1520 Felsa movements - Original Chopard buckle on leather strap - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch Read the interview about Carlo and his life as a collector here
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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