Chopard L.U.C Full Strike 'Día de los Muertos'

Chopard is honouring Mexican culture with an exceptional interpretation of its L.U.C Full Strike timepiece dedicated to All Souls’ Day. This one-of-a-kind model is enhanced by the Artistic Crafts of the Manufacture thanks to miniature marquetry work done by hand. Above and beyond its aesthetic prowess, this model is equipped with L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L, through which Chopard Manufacture has been demonstrating its perfect mastery of the minute repeater mechanism since 2016. The purity and clarity of its sapphire gongs with their sound that is unique in the world were hailed in 2017 by the “Aiguille d'Or” best-in-show prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The successful combination of the queen of horological complications with such an original design is acknowledged by the prestigious Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark.

It's become a yearly tradition for Chopard Manufacture to draw inspiration from the ‘Día de los Muertos’ and from its imaginary universe that is unique in the world to reinvent one of its emblematic timepieces in a special edition whose aesthetics explore the ‘vanitas’ theme. For this 11th variation, the Maison merges the depiction of the calavera with its minute repeater watch. A joyful popular celebration brimming with life and noise, ‘Día de los Muertos’ is perfectly reflected in the L.U.C Full Strike model: the music of this festival is echoed by the melody of a minute repeater unique in its kind. This veritable connoisseurs’ timepiece combines tradition and innovation, while testifying to the Manufacture's dedication to the art of watchmaking and to celebrating the world's cultures.

A bold design nurtured by an exceptional demonstration of the art of marquetry

Harmoniously proportioned at 42.5 by 11.55 millimetres and responsibly crafted in ethical gold, this new L.U.C Full Strike model is also visually appealing thanks to the detail of its bezel hand-engraved in a graphic pattern inspired by Mexican culture. The highlight of this creation is however first and foremost its dial: a veritable work of art representing a feat of miniaturisation.

After more than 100 hours of painstaking work devoted to selecting, preparing and assembling the materials, the Manufacture's master dial-maker has brought to life the traditional Mexican calavera motif in a marquetry pattern composed of fine, subtly coloured stones. Blending form and function, the blackened hammers and power-reserve indicators ingeniously form the shape of the eye sockets. The rest of the skull is a skilful composition of miniature inlays – measuring just a few millimetres square and 0.4 millimetres thick – in milk opal; pink opal; orange and red carnelian; orange and red aventurine; golden obsidian and black jade, punctuated by solid gold details. The outlines of this resolutely cheerful calavera are surrounded by a guilloché gold surface. The L.U.C 08-01-L movement combines the richness of these aesthetic details with the musicality of a crystal-clear sound that is unique in the world.

A crystal-clear sound that is unique in the world

Equally sophisticated inside and out, this L.U.C Full Strike watch beats to the rhythm of an exceptional movement developed by Chopard Manufacture in 2016. The L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L is a mechanical minute repeater movement which strikes the hours, quarters and minutes with timeless, crystal-clear notes. The glass protecting its dial, along with its gongs providing an audible indication of time, form a single whole. Machined in one piece from a block of sapphire, without any welding, screws or glue, it gives the L.U.C Full Strike watch a unique sound intensity. This as yet unmatched construction with its inalterable acoustics is the object of one of the many patents filed by Chopard during the 15,000 or so hours required to develop L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L: a feat acknowledged in 2017 by the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève which awarded the ”Aiguille d’Or” best-in-show prize to the rose gold L.U.C Full Strike watch.

A patented strikework-pusher disengagement system

Minute repeaters are naturally exposed to the risk of breakage when mishandled. In order to provide the owner of a L.U.C Full Strike timepiece with a perfect wearing experience, its movement has been the subject of numerous developments that secure its operation. Reactivating a striking mechanism (strikework) while a sequence is already in progress can lead to breakage of certain components. To counter this risk, L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L is equipped with a disengagement system for the strikework pusher. When the watch is striking, this pusher can be activated at will without affecting the movement, from which it is disconnected. Chopard has registered a patent for this ingenious feature.

Perfectly secured sound

When the minute repeater slide is not fully depressed, the striking sequence may be incomplete and the audible time indication inaccurate. For this reason, L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L is equipped with a separate barrel dedicated to the strikework. It stores enough energy for 12 complete soundings of the longest time, i.e. the 32 strokes heard at 12:59 pm (12 for the hours, three two-tone sequences for the quarters, 14 times for the remaining minutes). The strikework will not be activated if the barrel has insufficient energy for the entire set of strikes required. Moreover, the constant intensity of each strike on the gongs is guaranteed by this separate barrel. Finally, in a supremely refined touch, the time units not struck are skipped. This means the L.U.C Full Strike timepiece does not make a silent pause between the hours and quarters, nor between the quarters and minutes. On the contrary, it sounds them smoothly in direct succession, whatever the time. The movement’s strikework power reserve is indicated by the longer hand at 2 o'clock, appearing on the graduated counter topped by a bell. In the same space, on an adjacent scale, a slightly shorter hand indicates the movement's power reserve, which is 60 hours.

The Poinçon de Genève: a guarantee of authenticity

The L.U.C Full Strike testifies to the finest craftsmanship cultivated by Chopard. Several hundred made-to-measure tools are involved in reworking and hand-trimming each rough-cut component, before manually decorating it using traditional skills – even if it is destined to remain concealed beneath a bridge. This creation is successively enhanced by chamfering, satin-brushing, polishing, circular graining and Côtes de Genève patterns. The prestigious Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark to which Chopard has been loyal for many years attests to this degree of artisanal skill and meticulous care. This aesthetic and technical certification is validated by an independent body and governed by a law instated by the Canton of Geneva. It imposes peerless criteria of excellence encompassing the case and movement, including their structure, appearance and precision.

The L.U.C collection: horological excellence

In 1997, Chopard Manufacture launched the first watch to emerge from its watchmaking workshops: the L.U.C 1860, equipped with the L.U.C 96.01-L movement. Since then, through the L.U.C collection, it has acquired comprehensive mastery of all the major horological complications. Between Fleurier and Geneva, Chopard Manufacture devises, develops, produces, assembles, decorates and certifies all its timepieces. Thanks to Karl-Friedrich Scheufele's commitment to watchmaking tradition combined with technical innovation, the Manufacture maintains a high level of finishing by preserving numerous Artistic Crafts.

Technical specifications

Chopard L.U.C Full Strike ‘Día de los Muertos’ Hand-engraved

Reference: 161947-0001

Unique, one-off piece

Case

• Material: Ethical 18-carat yellow gold
• Diameter: 42.50 mm
• Thickness: 11.55 mm
• Crown in 18-carat yellow gold engraved with a calavera: 8.80 mm
• Vertical satin-brushed sides
• Bezel in hand-engraved ethical 18-carat yellow gold
• Glare-proofed sapphire crystal
• Hand-engraved polished back
• Exhibition back

Dial and hands

• Dial in 18-carat yellow gold featuring a calavera motif hand-crafted with fine stone marquetry
• Hand-guilloché pattern framing the motif
• Gilded Dauphine fusée-type hours and minutes hands
• Gilded baton-type hands for the movement power-reserve and strikework power-reserve indicator
• Railway-type minute track engraved on the sapphire crystal

Movement

• Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 08.01-L
• Number of parts: 533
• Diameter: 37.20 mm
• Thickness: 7.97 mm
• Number of jewels 63
• Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
• Power reserve 60 hours
• Mainplate and bridges in non-treated nickel silver
• Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
• Minute repeater
• Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire crystal and gongs
• Chopard-patented variable-inertia balance
• Chopard-patented clutch-lever device serving to block the strikework so as to avoid losing power reserve while information is being picked up
• Chopard-patented dedicated ratchet-driving mechanism serving to avoid pauses during chiming
• Chopard-patented strikework activation device serving to press the pusher whether or not the mechanism is striking, and to do so in normal, slow, continuous or fast mode
• Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
• Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark

Functions/Indications

• Minute repeater striking on monobloc sapphire crystal gongs (Chopard-patented system)
• Central display of the hours and minutes
• Concentric displays of the watch movement and strikework power reserves at 2 o’clock

Strap and buckle

• Strap in hand-sewn burgundy alligator leather with cognac-toned lining
• Hand-engraved folding clasp in ethical 18-carat yellow gold

MSRP: Price on request

For more information, please visit chopard.com