Category Archives: Chopard

luc perpetual t spirit chinese zodiac closeup caseback

L.U.C PERPETUAL T SPIRIT OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC

ASTRAL THEME

Exemplary style and a top-quality mechanism give this unique piece all the attractions needed by watch collectors.

As the festive season draws near, several watchmaking brands are continuing the tradition of creating collectors’ items to show off their artistry and craftsmanship and focusing on the theme of Chinese astrology. The L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of the Chinese Zodiac by Chopard is one of them. The 43mm-wide, fully hand-engraved rose gold case is decorated with the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in chronological order. No less than 210 hours of work went into creating this truly exceptional display. The bezel is also engraved with Chinese motifs. Other, more geometric designs elegantly enhance the dial, along with the hour and minute hands. This is the setting for the time information, including a perpetual date feature. There is a large double-counter for the date, along with the day of the week, the month and the leap years, as well as a 24-hour indicator.

luc perpetual t spirit chinese zodiac closeup casebackPrice on request chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard mille miglia classic chronograph racing stripes closeup dial and caseback

MILLE MIGLIA CHRONOGRAPH RACING STRIPES EDITION

THE ESSENCE OF THE COMPETITION

Chopard continues to forge links between cars and watchmaking with a new limited edition released for the 70th anniversary of Porsche.

The name Porsche is closely connected to a passion for competition and for luxury sports cars. Chopard wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the German carmakers with a limited edition of just 50 numbered watches. While the Porsche 911 is the German firm’s flagship model, for the Swiss watchmakers, the Mille Miglia chronograph is the ideal timepiece to link watchmaking and sports cars. So it was quite logical to choose this model for the occasion. The brushed and silvered dial features a blue stripe like the kind seen on a racing car chassis. The extra-large figures on the dial also resemble the numbers on a sports car bonnet and doors.

chopard mille miglia classic chronograph racing stripes closeup dial and casebackThe model will only be available in the United States. It is worn with a leather strap with a rubber inside lining inspired by the tread on 1960s Dunlop racing car tyres.

Price: 5,430 EUR chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard gpmh 2018 caseback

GRAND PRIX DE MONACO HISTORIQUE 2018 RACE EDITION

THE TASTE OF VICTORY

As the streets of Monaco are transformed into a motor-racing track, Chopard has produced two limited-edition chronographs with a level of elegance that all gentlemen drivers are sure to love.

Since 2002, Chopard has sponsored the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco. The event is organised every two years in tandem with the legendary Formula 1 race and is now a highlight in the calendar for all fans of classic sports cars. This is a chance to admire perfectly preserved vintage cars racing in a unique atmosphere. The brand was the partner and official timekeeper for the 11th race in May and launched a watch epitomising the spirit of the race. Two versions of the Grand Prix De Monaco Historique 2018 Race Edition chronograph are available. 100 watches have been made of the model combining rose gold, steel and titanium. The other watch comes in 250 pieces and is made of steel and titanium. The various materials elegantly embellish the 44.5mm-wide case, the crown, bezel and the piston-shaped monopushers.

chopard gpmh 2018 casebackThe watch design might evoke the past, but the calibre inside driving the time elements and the date display at 3 o’clock is very contemporary. The self-winding movement is also certified by the COSC, guaranteeing accuracy.

Price: 6,800 EUR (steel and titanium) – 10,300 EUR (pink gold, steel and titanium) chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard mille miglia gts power control grigio speziale movement

MILLE MIGLIA GTS POWER CONTROL GRIGIO SPECIALE

CUT OUT FOR SPORT

Grey is the epitome of a neutral colour, providing elegant and peaceful strength. This sense of balance can be found in the brand’s new limited edition. Start her up!

With the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale, Chopard has concentrated all the spirit of its collection, named after the Italian vintage car race between Brescia and Rome. The brand has played the monochrome card to highlight a style turned towards competition. The dial displays all the essential elements. The oversized 12 and 6 are the only figures, and the hour and minute hands point towards hour markers. All the matt black elements are coated in Super-LumiNova® for greater readability, even in the dark. At 3 o’clock there is a date counter with a bright-red outline. The same colour can be found on the hand of the power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock and on the tip of the second hand. These design elements give the watch a strong personality and will bring style to your wrist on all occasions.

chopard mille miglia gts power control grigio speziale movementPrice: 7,560 EUR chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard luc xp esprit de fleurier peony caseback

L.U.C XP ESPRIT DE FLEURIER PEONY

A BLACK AND WHITE BOUQUET

True to the traditions of the land of its birth, Chopard pays homage to its Swiss roots by creating a bouquet of stylised black and white peonies and highlighting two regional arts, paper-cutting, inspired by such techniques as poya, and Fleurier engraving.

For the past few years, Chopard has placed its romantic soul on the dial of its watches, an intense feeling shown in an artistically interpreted bouquet of peony flowers. The limited edition L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier Peony is no exception to this exclusive rule since each of the eight precious pieces combines two craft techniques from the tradition of Switzerland, the brand’s birthplace: paper-cutting, inspired by poya techniques, and Fleurier engraving.

chopard luc xp esprit de fleurier peony casebackPrice on request chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

chopard mille miglia 2018 race edition caseback

MILLE MIGLIA 2018 RACE EDITION

STYLE AND PANACHE

Chopard has been associated with one of the world’s top car races for 30 years now. To celebrate this lasting partnership, the brand has released a new limited edition.

Year after year, the Mille Miglia, the famous car race between Brescia and Rome, has kept alive all the specific elements that make up its charm. Meanwhile, its watchmaking partner has achieved the feat of commemorating each year’s event with a new, highly distinctive limited edition watch for the pleasure of collectors. You can have fun comparing the 2017 watch with the new Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition by playing a game of spot the differences. The first difference is the width of the case, which has shed 2mm and now displays an ideal 42mm to house the chronograph functions. The dial still has all its sparkle, but the colour now comes in a darker hue. Similarly, the layout of the sub-dials has also changed. Chopard has opted for a classic tricompax style. The hour markers now come with Arabic numerals. Most of them overlap the round totalisers and are only partially visible. The date counter has been moved from 3 o’clock to 4.30. The monopushers used for split-time measurements have been slightly redesigned. The screwed caseback has been replaced by a sapphire glass, providing a chance to admirer the workings of the calibre. As for the strap, this year it combines leather with red piping and rubber lining.

chopard mille miglia 2018 race edition casebackLike all the watches manufactured by Chopard, this limited edition, with 1,000 pieces made of steel and 100 made of pink gold, has been certified by the COSC.

Price: 5,170 EUR chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard luc all in one movment

L.U.C ALL-IN-ONE

PRESTIGE PIECE

The new limited editions of the All-In-One watch, first released in 2010, still have as many complications, but now come with a simpler dial, and hour markers have replaced the Roman numerals.

All In! When the players say this in poker, they are staking all their winnings from the game. Risk-takers may be bluffing, while others are sure they are holding the best hand. With the L.U.C All-In-One watch, Chopard are more in the second category, since this model contains almost all of the manufacture’s watchmaking complications. The calibre L.U.C 05.01-L counts a full 14 of them. To guarantee a display that is both simple and elegant, the brand has opted for a generous case, 46mm wide and 18.5mm thick. So there is still plenty of room for all the time features. The dauphine-style hour and minute hands move above a harmonious composition. The tourbillon, running seconds and the date set up a perfectly symmetrical axis, with counters for the day and a 24-hour display, and the month and leap years on either side.

chopard luc all in one movmentThe L.U.C All-In-One is a limited edition of two series of ten pieces. The first combines a platinum case with a gold dial in a grey-blue guilloché pattern. The second combines rose gold with a grey-green tone. Need it be said that this prestigious watch is certified by the COSC and the Geneva Seal?

Price on request chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

chopard luc heritage grand cru caseback

L.U.C HERITAGE GRAND CRU

INTERPLAY OF CONTRASTS

Dressed in black and white, and adorned with a row of baguette diamonds, the “form” watch designed by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, has everything to win over men – and women!

“Form” watches have an instant impact – and you either fall in love at once or you move on to a “democratic” timepiece. Whatever the case, they produce an instantaneous reaction. The L.U.C Heritage Grand Cru stands out in the Chopard collections through its shape, midway between the round and the rectangular. It owes its existence to one man, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, the brand’s co-president. A lover of good wines, he designed the watch like a grand cru, “bottled” in a barrel-shaped case. The movement is certified as a chronometer by the COSC, and the Geneva Seal makes it even more precious.

chopard luc heritage grand cru casebackThe curves of the white-gold case, measuring 38.5×38.8mm, are highlighted by a bezel set with 40 baguette diamonds with a total of 3.05 carats. While the angular shape of the gem has often been reserved for men’s wrists, the dimensions of the L.U.C Heritage Grand Cru mean it can be worn by both men and women. The sapphire caseback on this bejewelled display reveals an automatic movement, the calibre L.U.C 97.01-L, running at 28,800 vibrations an hour and equipped with the Twin (double barrel) technology, providing a power reserve of 65 hours.

Price: 41,500 CHF chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

chopard luc quattro with caseback

L.U.C QUATTRO

THE NEW FACE OF A SUPERPOWER

Thanks to four barrels – hence the name “Quattro” – the L.U.C by Chopard provides a power reserve of 9 days and rounds off its super powers with a new design blending silver, gold and blue tones.

The L.U.C collection (based on the initials of the brand’s founder, Louis-Ulysse Chopard) is without doubt the most traditional model made by the Geneva-based watchmaker. But it still has attractions that make it an incredibly contemporary watch. With the new L.U.C Quattro, introduced a few days before the official opening of BaselWorld 2018, Chopard is continuing an aesthetic approach begun with the L.U.C XP and L.U.C XPS models.

This limited edition of just 50 pieces has a dial with a silver disc to provide a delicate, vertical satin effect, and resulting in a subtle interplay of light. Both discreet and dazzling, the dial on the new L.U.C Quattro includes touches of blue scattered over the surface, while the case made of pink gold adds warmth.

chopard luc quattro with casebackThe hours and minutes are shown in the centre with a couple of blued, luminescent, “dauphine-fusée” hands. The hands move around an hour rim made up of facetted hour markers and two applied Arabic numerals that are also blue. The colour is echoed by the small second hand, helping it to stand out – since the sub-dial with a blue rim contains two indications at 6 o’clock – from the gold tone used for the date. At 12 o’clock, a fan-shaped counter shows the remaining power reserve, which runs to some 216 hours, or 9 days.

This impressive level of autonomy is provided by the movement’s four barrels, which is why the model is called Quattro. The calibre, meanwhile, the manual-winding L.U.C 98.01-L, is partially visible through the 43mm-wide case back.

Price on request chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

chopard luc xp urushi year of the dog craftmanship

CHOPARD – L.U.C XP URUSHI YEAR OF THE DOG

FAITHFUL COMPANION

To mark the upcoming Chinese zodiac cycle for 2018, Chopard has unveiled a limited edition celebrating the Year of the Dog. Enough to start the year under the most favourable auspices!

The Chinese New Year is a chance for watchmaking brands and craftsmen to express their skills on dials designed to celebrate the festivities. For the Year of the Dog, beginning on 16 February 2018, Chopard has chosen to highlight the delicate work of the master craftsman Minori Koizumi, who works for the Japanese imperial family. His work celebrates the age-old art of Urushi-e lacquer work, using resin taken from the tree of the same name. Here, the hand-made creation depicts an Akita Inu dog, a breed from the Land of the Rising Sun. The technique used adds relief to the scene. In a snow-filled decor, flowers and a dragonfly bring touches of bright colour. Numerous layers of lacquer of outstanding finesse are combined with the encasement of tiny iridescent particles to produce a finely nuanced picture. The L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dog dial has neither indices nor numerals, but dauphine-type hands made of pink gold.

chopard luc xp urushi year of the dog craftmanship

By Dan Diaconu