01.06.2026

Why the Chopard L.U.C XPS Prussian Blue might be the 2026 best dress watch nobody is talking about

Forget other hype watches. The Chopard L.U.C XPS Prussian Blue is pure horological class.

This article was made in collaboration with Chopard.

 

Words: Victor Goh

 

There are watches you wear because they say something true about you. Like the way a well-cut blazer falls across the shoulder without demanding a word of explanation.

The Chopard L.U.C XPS Prussian Blue is that kind of watch.

I had it on for a business lunch at the Club InterContinental at InterContinental Kuala Lumpur by recently. Champagne on the table, good company across from me, conversation drifting between strategy and laughter the way the best afternoons tend to. And I kept catching myself glancing at the wrist. Not to check the time. Simply because the dial kept doing something remarkable under the light.

The colour itself carries history. Prussian Blue was discovered by accident in early 18th-century Berlin (then the capital of Prussia) by a colour merchant who stumbled upon the pigment while working with iron compounds. It became one of the first synthetic colours ever produced, and it spread from artists' palettes to the uniforms of Prussian soldiers, saturating an entire era with its particular depth. Chopard's choice of this hue is no coincidence: the Canton of Neuchâtel, where Chopard established its Fleurier Manufacture thirty years ago, shared a unique historical bond with the Kingdom of Prussia. The colour on this dial is provenance.

And on the wrist, that sunburst satin finish earns its place. It shift between midnight depth and cool luminosity depending on the angle, never performing for you, always rewarding attention. There is a difference, and it matters.

What struck me equally was the fit. At 40mm and just 7.2mm thin, the L.U.C XPS tapers over the wrist with a naturalness that larger, sportier pieces simply cannot replicate. It doesn't sit on you. It settles with you. Button a cuff over it, and the slim profile disappears beneath the shirt sleeve, only to emerge again with quiet authority.

The dial draws its geometry from the sector-style layouts of the 1930s, with twin concentric rings separating hours from minutes, rhodium-plated dauphine hands catching the light with every movement, a small seconds subdial anchoring the composition at six o'clock. No date. Pure three-hand simplicity. It is a blueprint of subtlety. Elegance arrived at not by addition, but by knowing precisely what to leave out.

The case is rendered in Lucent Steel, Chopard's proprietary alloy produced with an 80% recycling rate, offering brilliance comparable to gold alongside fully hypoallergenic properties. Polished surfaces alternate with vertically brushed flanks. Bright without being loud. Considered in every transition.

Beneath the sapphire caseback, the manufacture calibre L.U.C 96.12-L carries both COSC chronometer certification and the Poinçon de Genève - a dual distinction demanding enough in steel to warrant its own recognition. A 22-karat ethical gold micro-rotor winds twin stacked barrels through Chopard's Twin Technology, delivering 65 hours of power reserve from a movement standing just 3.3mm tall. This is technical achievement felt rather than announced. A kind of confidence of a calibre with nothing left to prove.

At USD 13,600 (RM 52,980), the L.U.C XPS Prussian Blue makes a case that is difficult to dismiss. In-house movement, in-house alloy, double horological certification, a 7.2mm profile, and a dial that carries three centuries of colour history. In a segment where thin and refined typically commands a significant premium, Chopard has priced this one to be worn.

Blue blazer, marble table, espresso, a conversation worth having. The L.U.C XPS Prussian Blue belongs to all of it. Not as an accessory. As a declaration that some things are worth doing with intention. That refinement is not performance. That the right watch, on the right afternoon, makes everything feel more considered.

That's the thing about a dial this beautiful. It just hits different under the light.

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Reference: 168629-3002

Case: Lucent Steel — 40mm diameter, 7.2mm thick

Dial: Prussian Blue sunburst satin finish — sector-style layout — small seconds at 6 o’clock

Movement: L.U.C Calibre 96.12-L — automatic — 22k gold micro-rotor — 65h power reserve — COSC certified

Strap: Brown calfskin leather with ecru stitching — Lucent Steel pin buckle

Water Resistance: 30 metres

Price: EUR 12,900 / USD 13,600 / RM 52,980

 

For further information, please visit Chopard.com.

 

Venue: Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

Photographer: Raymond Lai

About the Author

Victor Goh

Watch & Features Editor

With a wrist perpetually graced by precision and a gaze fixed on horological haute couture, Victor Goh curates timepieces the way a sommelier selects vintage wine - bold, refined, and never predictable. His editorial instincts are as sharp as the crease on his pinstripe trousers, ensuring every GC watch feature ticks with class, clarity, and character.

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