Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition
Celebrating the most demanding Swiss watch industry certification, with a tribute to the first-ever QF watch.
In the world of fine watchmaking, certifications have always played a reassuring role for clients regarding the quality of their beloved watches. Of course, COSC, the standard for chronometric certification, which is primarily focused on the precision of the watch, is the first to come to mind. But many other initiatives have surfaced over the years. Certifications like Master Chronometer, Omega’s Laboratoire de Précision or the Poinçon de Genève – and then there are some proprietary initiatives, such as the Patek Seal. One of the most demanding, if not the most stringent certification for Swiss watches is, without a doubt, Qualité Fleurier. Created more than 20 years ago, the first watch to receive this stamp of approval was a Chopard L.U.C, equipped with the equally important calibre 96. Today, Chopard, the sole remaining user of this certification, celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first L.U.C Qualité Fleurier with an exquisite limited edition.
The Qualité Fleurier certification
Many of the existing certifications and institutions – the ISO 3159 standard, the COSC, the Geneva Observatory, the Observatoire de Besançon, the Glashütte Observatory, the Japan Chronometer Inspection Institute – focus primarily on the precision of the movement. Recently, we’ve seen the emergence of numerous new quality labels (Master Chronometer, Superlative Chronometer, Laboratoire de Précision), adding far more stringent criteria to the control process as well as certifying watches and not only movements, with tests including magnetic resistance, water-resistance and some including the provenance of the watch/movement.
In addition to these, some certifications also require excellence in finishing and specify that the parts must be manufactured in Switzerland or certain parts of the country. This is the case, for instance, with the Poinçon de Genève. And then, there’s the final one, the most demanding certification in current use: Qualité Fleurier. The history of Qualité Fleurier certification began more than 20 years ago when four independent Haute Horlogerie Manufactures (Chopard, Bovet, Parmigiani and Vaucher Manufacture) based in Fleurier joined forces, supported by local authorities to create the Fleurier Quality Foundation, an independent certification body – even though today only Chopard continues to use this certification.
The initial goal was to promote objective testing of Swiss finished timepieces according to the highest craftsmanship standards. Since its creation in 2001, Qualité Fleurier certification has subjected the timepieces it endorses to the most demanding and rigorous series of tests in Swiss watchmaking to recognise their aesthetic and technical quality, shock resistance, precision and durability: those performed by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the daunting Chronofiable tests and the renowned Fleuritest.
The Qualité Fleurier certification process requires passing the COSC tests, which are the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing. It is then subjected to the demanding Chronofiable testing protocol to assess its reliability: three weeks of ageing tests in hot, cold and damp conditions, push and pull operations on the winding stem, as well as exposure to magnetic fields and numerous impacts. Finally, it is put to the test in its final configuration using the Fleuritest simulator. Specifically developed to guarantee QF certification, this instrument reproduces the conditions of normal wrist wear over 24 hours, alternating between passive, active, and even very active (sports-related) phases. At the end of these protocols, the rate variation of each assembled timepiece must be between 0 and +5 seconds per day.
But the Qualité Fleurier certification also encompasses other criteria, such as the requirement that the watch head (strap/bracelet and clasp excluded) be 100% manufactured in Switzerland, as well as requirements regarding the finishing and decoration of the movement. “A decoration must necessarily be visible on the maximum thickness of the plate or on the visible part of the bridge, as well as in the main recesses. No visible burrs must be present and the functional zones of the steel parts must be polished. The shaped parts must be bevelled, polished, and where technically possible have lines drawn out with file strokes,” indicates the Fleurier Quality Foundation.
The L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition
The first Chopard model to receive this certification was the L.U.C Qualité Fleurier, introduced in 2005 – the watch you can see below with a black-and-white “tuxedo” dial – and since then, only limited-edition watches from the L.U.C collection have managed to pass the certification’s test. The first model of 2005 was an elegant dress watch inspired by a 1950s Chopard timepiece, featuring a sector-type dial and a 39.5mm gold case with highly distinctive, individually soldered lugs. In 20 years, only a few Chopard watches have received this stamp of excellence, such as the L.U.C Tech Qualité Fleurier (2009), the L.U.C Tourbillon QF Fairmined (2014), the L.U.C Qualité Fleurier Chronometer (2014), the L.U.C XPS Twist QF Fairmined (2017), the 2021 L.U.C. QF Jubilee (2021) or the L.U.C Qualité Fleurier in Lucent Steel (2024).
Talking about design, the connection between the first-ever QF Chopard, the 2024 Lucent Steel model and the present 20th anniversary watch is unmistakable. All share the same overall case shape and dial layout. What we’re looking at is a very fine dress watch, a modern reinterpretation of the initial concept of 2005, with contemporary proportions. Don’t worry, for once this statement doesn’t mean an enlarged case; on the contrary. The L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary, just like the Lucent Steel version of 2024, measures 39mm in diameter – I would have preferred an even smaller case, but for that, you can try the L.U.C 1860 Salmon Dial.
One of the distinctive elements of the first QF watch was its finely sculpted, individually welded lugs, which remain a key feature here. For this commemorative edition, Chopard has opted for 18k ethical yellow gold, with polished surfaces on the bezel and caseback, and contrasting vertically satin-brushed flanks. The watch is thin, at 8.92mm, but not the thinnest made by the brand. The overall watch remains supremely elegant. It is a superb mix of refinement and vintage flair, although the colour scheme here is a bit more polarising.
This mostly has to do with the choice of colour for the dial. Again, the tribute to the original QF model is clear, as this 20th Anniversary Edition relies on the same two-tone sector-type dial, with a sunburst satin-brushed centre, an elegant circular satin-finished chapter ring and a snailed small seconds counter. The brass dial is mainly gold-coloured, with a chocolate-brown hour chapter ring and brown transfers. The gilded hour and minute hands reflect the iconic syringe shape of earlier L.U.C Qualité Fleurier models, and are paired with the sharp, faceted applied markers of the collection. Small inclusions of Super-LumiNova are found next to the hour markers and on the hands, a rare feature in such an elegant watch.
We can’t discuss an L.U.C watch, especially one that’s been certified Qualité Fleurier, without mentioning the all-important movement inside, the calibre L.U.C 96, which we explained in this in-depth article. The calibre L.U.C 96.09-L in this limited edition model is the direct descendant of the iconic L.U.C 96.01-L, a cornerstone of the L.U.C collection since 1996. Conceived together with Michel Parmigiani (founder of the eponymous Parmigiani Fleurier brand, and future member of the QF Foundation), the calibre 96 was completed in 1996. The brief from the Scheufele family for Parmigiani was simple: to make a thin, modern, and highly decorated automatic calibre that would cement Chopard’s place among other top-tier watchmakers in Switzerland. Ever since its launch, this movement has gained as much recognition as the watches equipped with it, if not more.
The calibre L.U.C 96.09-L, just like all other members of this family of engines, is a thin 3.30mm automatic movement wound by a micro-rotor. Yet, despite its thinness, it is a powerful calibre with a 65h power reserve thanks to the use of Chopard’s Twin technology, using two stacked barrels (a distinctive feature of this collection). It is wound by a 22k ethical gold micro-rotor. Manufactured in-house, this specific movement version is meticulously finished with circular graining, bevelling, mirror polishing, and Côtes de Genève, as demanded by Qualité Fleurier certification. And as mentioned above, the movement and the entire watch have been certified by COSC and have passed the Chronofiable testing protocol and the Fleuritest simulator.
Availability & Price
Worn on a supple brown calfskin strap featuring beige topstitching for a vintage look and closed by an ethical 18-carat yellow gold pin buckle, the Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition is a limited edition of 20 pieces only. It will be priced at CHF 29,200, EUR 33,000 or USD 32,300. For more details, please visit www.chopard.com.
2 responses
Nice piece but for that price, I’d want a Geneva Seal version of this caliber. I know they’re available.
To Kevin… the QF is a higher quality movement than the Geneva Seal versions. Qualite Flurier has more stringent decoration requirements than Geneva Seal in addition to accuracy and robustness testing.