Chopard is best known as a jewelry house, but with the introduction of the 16/1860 it firmly established itself among haute horlogerie manufactures; while creating one most extraordinary wrist watches of the modern era.

It was quite a bold move for a jewelry house to establish a bonafide watch manufacture just a few years after the quartz crisis decimated the Swiss watch industry. In 1996, Chopard released its first in-house caliber, the 1/96, together with its flagship model: the ref. 16/1860. The watch as well as the caliber received high praise upon their release and have come to be known as one of the finest wrist watches of the modern era.

This 16/1860/2 has an 18K white gold case with svelte lines and high polished looks. She measures 36.5 mm in diameter: just perfect for a contemporary dress watch. The ivory dial, made by Metalem, is the epitome of elegance; with its finely guilloché engraved center, raised hour ring, distinctive diamond-shaped indices, bold dauphine hands, and chique Chopard logo placed in a discreet cartouche. A decentral seconds register at 6 o’clock provides the otherwise classic dial with some visual heft, while the date window at the 6 o’clock position shows the competitors how a tastefully placed date function should be executed.

This wonderful and historically significant dress watch comes as a full set, dating back the sale (in the Netherlands) to 2007. However, the chronometer bulletin reads 1999, so it almost spend a decade before finding an owner. This gentleman, who has exquisite taste and purchased this 1860, is the one who sold us this specimen. The case is worn by a green leather strap with 18k white gold Chopard buckle and comes with the additional closed caseback.