Hands-On: The Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One Khaki

Chopard came out of Watches and Wonders this year swinging by simply introducing a new colored dial in the L.U.C. 1860, and perhaps it was a great indicator that sometimes, a show-stealer need not be a new mechanical innovation, but rather a refinement of an already great watch. But I would be remiss not to also talk about another release I loved seeing from the brand this year—also really just a new colorway in a limited run of 250 pieces—that I think has not gotten nearly enough love. The Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One ref. 168574-3013, in ceramicized titanium with a khaki green dial, marks a decade since the Time Traveler One’s original introduction back in 2016. While the overall design of the worldtimer hasn’t really changed, the brand hasn’t held back in its use of different colors and metal variations for the model, leading to a varied back catalog for this single watch.

This new version, with its combination of matte grey, green, and yellow, stands out quite a bit in Chopard’s L.U.C lineup. It’s the only L.U.C currently in production with a travel complication, and its understated, slightly rugged look literally contrasts with the generally polished, dressy executions of the other L.U.C models. That industrial vibe is thanks to the all-matte, sandblasted dark grey look of the ceramicized grade 5 titanium used for the 42mm by 12.09mm case, including both crowns—the one at 2 o’clock sets the local time and the date, while the crown at 4 o’clock adjusts the city disc on the periphery of the dial. If you’re not sure what ceramicized titanium is exactly, it’s essentially a specific titanium alloy that is then fired at high heat, forming a ceramic crust naturally from the case metal itself without any additional coating process—I go a little more in-depth on the process here. In the context of Chopard, it’s a unique material to achieve a very specific aesthetic, which the brand uses sparingly. Water resistance is rated to 50 meters.

That case is paired with a jam-packed dial in khaki green, with concentric rings containing all different kinds of information for the worldtime display. Let’s break it down—the outermost ring contains all 24 cities on a rotating disc, and bright yellow arrows indicate the time on specific cities when daylight saving time is in effect. Inside the city ring is a twenty-four-hour disc, visually separated by black and off-white to indicate day/night. The disc is linked to the minute and hour hands, and the current time on the twenty-four-hour disc matches the local time at the twelve o’clock position, where the city that you’re currently in should be adjusted to via the crown at four o’clock. The ring inside that shows a snailed khaki minutes track printed in white, with printed and lumed hour markers and numerals at twelve, three, six, and nine. The final ring is for the pointer date, with a short yellow-infilled arrow hand that travels around the ring over the course of the month. The center of the dial is printed with “L.U. CHOPARD” and “Chronometer” to show off the COSC-certified nature of the caliber inside. On the front of the watch, my favorite element is the handset, with Chopard’s take on dauphine hands working extremely well in this matte grey execution.

Yes, the dial is incredibly busy, and it sometimes feels a bit weird to see such a short handset proportional to the overall size of the dial in a 42mm watch. If it’s your first time handling the watch, you might be confused when the hour hand actually points to the numerals inside the date ring, until you realize that there’s no such thing as 27 o’clock. A dateless version of this worldtimer might be more legible overall, but I think there’s a certain charm to the rings upon rings that draws me back to the watch. Once I spent a few more minutes with the watch, reading the right time simply was not an issue, mostly because your eyes sort of glaze over so much information and just start focusing on the handset with the shapes of the hour markers framing their relative position. Whether that’s intentional or not, I’ll probably never know, but it was certainly an unintended effect of so much printing on the front.

On the back, the ceramicized titanium caseback houses a smoked sapphire crystal, which allows you to (sort of) see the COSC-certified L.U.C Caliber 01.05-L inside. It’s a self-winding, full-rotor movement with worldtime functionality and a power reserve of 60 hours, beating away at 28,800 VpH (4 Hz). While the caliber is decorated with attractive striping and polished anglage that even shines through a tinted caseback, Chopard has spoiled me so much with its microrotor Cal. 96 movements that a full-rotor L.U.C caliber just doesn’t possess quite the same magic. But my biggest dislike is around that tinted exhibition caseback. I totally understand wanting that dark look to match the case, but honestly I wish it was either a fully transparent sapphire crystal or a solid caseback, not the in-between option here. The L.U.C Time Traveler has also lacked the Poinçon de Genève since its introduction ten years ago and sits next to the line’s entry-level, time-only watches as one of the few options in the L.U.C collection not to feature the Geneva Seal.

With the nits having been picked, I find the Time Traveler incredibly alluring on the wrist, and I think it’s specifically that matte, industrial aesthetic that really works well with such a display of information reminiscent of an instrument gauge. It is low-key almost to a fault, but I love it whenever a brand best known for elegant, dressy offerings steps out and does something a little bit off-book like this. Though on paper, a diameter of 42mm might make this seem like a large watch, a combination of shorter lugs, an incredibly busy dial with many concentric rings, and an ultralight titanium case paired with a rubber strap makes for a very nice wearing experience. It’s a watch I could see myself owning one day, and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to wear this on my 6.5″ wrist.

There are, of course, many great worldtimer options from other brands that lean on the sportier side to consider when looking for a great travel watch. Here’s the frame of reference: this Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One is priced at $20,300. That dollar amount is right above Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Polaris Geographic, priced at $19,100, a traveler’s watch in steel that offers a significantly more legible dial, but at the cost of a true worldtimer’s ability to read the time of any city at a glance. At this price, I think Chopard’s ceramicized titanium gets a leg up for the watch nerds, but JLC arguably has better brand recognition along with improved water resistance (100 meters). At around half the price of the Time Traveler One is the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer, which steps up both the water resistance (150 meters) and the dimensions (43mm diameter and 14.1mm thickness), but offers a captivating laser-engraved depiction of Earth and a more legible layout despite maintaining a city ring and a date.

Last but not least is the NOMOS Glashütte Club Sport Worldtimer, priced at $5,190. Comparing a typical Nomos dress watch to a Chopard may very well be comparing apples to oranges, but I think there’s a bit of validity to bringing this watch specifically into the equation. It’s a sporty and 100-meter water-resistant worldtimer—sans date on the Nomos—though the biggest compromise on the Club Sport is the need to do a little bit of math to compute the times of the cities on the ring (based on the + or – markings on the dial compared to your local city). With the Time Traveler One almost four times the price, you may find yourself scratching the itch with the Club Sport Worldtimer if you’re just looking for a watch to wear when traveling.

Despite these comparisons, the Chopard Time Traveler One still stands out as a unique proposition, combining a ceramicized titanium finish with its maximalist display of information. What this Time Traveler loses in elegance compared to the rest of Chopard’s L.U.C line, it gains back in a laid-back, easy-wearing attitude that I think actually fits perfectly with the complication itself. It’s a wonderful balance of high/low that I’ve seen, with great in-house watchmaking from the brand’s Fleurier workshop that speaks softly on your wrist when you’re far from home. And that might be the most important part of all for a travel watch.

For more, visit Chopard.