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Chopard L.U.C. Oval watch, 1970s. In 18k white gold — view 1 of 4
View 1 of 4 · Image: Setdart Auction House / Invaluable · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Chopard L.U.C. Oval watch, 1970s. In 18k white gold

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
CHOPARD (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
silver, gold
Dimensions
26 mm x 17 mm (excluding the crown)
Lot
Lot 758AFC46C2
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 16, 30th November - Fine Watches & Fountain Pens, Setdart Auction House (2026), via Invaluable
Catalogue title (original)
CHOPARD L.U.C. Oval watch, 1970s. In 18k white gold. (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Invaluable auction listings (lot Lot 758AFC46C2), this is a wristwatch by CHOPARD, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver, gold. Recorded dimensions: 26 mm x 17 mm (excluding the crown). The record is illustrated with 4 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

Lot description — Setdart Auction House

CHOPARD L.U.C. Oval watch, 1970s. Vertical oval case with an elliptical outline in 18k gold, oval bezel set with brilliant-cut stones. Screw-down case back with security screws in 18k white gold. Silver-plated, fluted crown signed “L.U.C.” at 3 o’clock. Multicolored opal doublet dial, faceted and silver-plated Dauphine hands. Flat sapphire crystal. 18k white gold bracelet with an open structure, articulated with gemstone settings arranged in ornamental sections and featuring a box clasp. Swiss FEF 6640 manual-winding base movement, customized by L.U.C Chopard. It works. Measurements: 26 mm x 17 mm (excluding the crown). In the watch descriptions, when a watch is listed as “it works,” it means the watch is functioning. Since collector’s watches typically have delicate and complex mechanisms, the buyer is responsible for any general servicing, inspection, battery replacement, adjustment, or repair that may be necessary.

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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