Patek Philippe 5127J vs. Chopard L.U. Chopard XP Tonneau Luxury Watch Comparison

http://www.thewatchbox.com Dress watches for men are back in a big way. Luxury watches of a formal persuasion never really went away, but it was easy to miss them in the mid-2000s heyday of the mega watch. But when the rubble of the Big Bang era finally settled, timeless models such as the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5127J and Chopard L.U.C. XP Tonneau stood tall over the carnage. Classical cool is back, and these two are leading the retro-revolution. Patek Philippe's Calatrava ranks among haute horlogerie's all-time greats. One of the first designs launched by Patek's Stern family dynasty, the Calatrava created the template for modern men's dress watches. This Patek Philippe Calatrava 5127J is a Calatrava for the modern man. It incorporates the critical elements of Henri Stern's original while adding a tapered set of crown guards that visually extend the 37mm case without adding actual girth. Dauphine hands, stick indexes, and smooth integrated lugs provide a firm link to ancestral Calatrava models. Inside the case, an automatic Caliber 315 movement beats at 21,600 VpH and bears the Geneva Hallmark. Discontinued by Patek Philippe in 2009, the independently-issued Geneva Seal attests to the finishing quality of any movement bearing it. As a discontinued Patek Philippe model with the now-discontinued Geneva Seal, this 5127J represents an outstanding long-term investment. Chopard is a relative newcomer to this league of haut-de-gamme luxury watches, but it has mounted a li