ASTRO-LOGICAL!

When arts and crafts meet quality watchmaking, Chopard approaches the sublime with a unique piece reserved for seasoned collectors.

As the Chinese New Year draws near, many watchmakers are unveiling timepieces displaying the astrological signs for the coming year. Chopard’s L.U.C Perpetual T – Spirit of the Chinese Zodiac includes all the signs of the zodiac in chronological order. They all figure on the body of a 43mm-wide case made of rose gold with a black patina. To achieve this result, the champlevé engraving technique was used to cut into the material with great care. It took 200 hours of work to finish this piece, which is unique in more than one way!

The L.U.C Perpetual T – Spirit of the Chinese Zodiac comes with an elegant hand-sewn alligator leather strap. For all the exemplary finishes and its high-quality watchmaking movement, the watch has, of course, been given the Geneva Seal.

Price: € 231,480 chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

PRESTIGE AND TRADITION

As is the case for major wines, you can always be sure that the L.U.C Héritage Grand Cru will be a great vintage. The timepiece concentrates all the know-how of the watchmakers, Chopard.

Barrel-shaped watches are becoming rarer. So, they are much sought after by connoisseurs, as “grands crus” are by wine lovers. Both the watches and the wines have a very elegant appearance. But there is no need to lay down the L.U.C Héritage Grand Cru for years to come, since it is definitely ready to be enjoyed right away and without moderation! The aesthetic appearance of this timepiece pays homage to the vintage pocket watches that made the name of Chopard. On a white, wonderfully pure dial, like porcelain, the golden, dauphine-style hour and minute hands make their way around black Roman numerals. A second hand at 6 o’clock and a discreet date help balance the features housed in a rose gold case with graceful curves. This rounded shape makes the watch very comfortable to wear, particularly since it is no more than 7.75mm thick.

Following in the footsteps of the L.U.C Tonneau, released in 2001, this new model comes with a self-winding mechanism. The micro-rotor drives two superimposed barrels, which provide 65 hours of power reserve. Certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the L.U.C Héritage Grand Cru also has the prestigious Geneva Seal, a guarantee of high quality. The L.U.C 97.01-L calibre has some of the most up-to-date finishes, as can be seen through the crystal glass on the case back.

This highly refined chronometer has all the charms needed to attract the modern gentleman. The model’s refined appearance is delicately enhanced by a hand-sewn brown alligator strap with a rose gold buckle.

Price: CHF22,300 chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

AND LET THE CRYSTAL RING OUT!

Chopard’s first minute repeater watch really makes itself heard! This timepiece rings out loud and clear, for a long time – and on crystal, no less!

To make a worthy celebration for the 20^th anniversary of the Chopard manufacture, the Geneva-based firm had to think big. And so it has launched the L.U.C Full Strike, which, unlike the Strike One – a watch released in 2006 and that chimed once on the hour – the L.U.C Full Strike chimes on the hour, quarters of an hour and minutes, and all with sapphire crystal gongs.

The case is made of 8ct Fairmined rose gold, and includes a monopusher, at the centre of the crown, which can be used to set the watch’s minute repeater. The dial is open-worked, unveiling all the mechanical beauty striking and chiming at the heart of the L.U.C. Full Strike.

Price upon request chopard.com

By Isabelle Guignet

A TITANIC ALLIANCE

Partnering with Porsche Motorsport since 2014, Chopard turns this unprecedented alliance to its advantage, presenting two limited edition Superfast muscle models mirroring the world of motorsports.

Modern and vintage race cars are closely tied with watchmaker Chopard, as it has been the official timekeeper of Porsche Motorsport for some three years, a partnership inked in 2014 that drove the brand’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Spurred on by the endurance race, Chopard has produced two limited edition timepieces in tribute to the Porsche model 919 Hybrid. And only 100 of the Superfast Power Control Porsche 919 HF Edition and 919 of the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition are available.

The Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition boasts a souped-up 45mm steel case and silver grey face, featuring engraved tachometer hash marks on the bezel and large vertical banding on the watch face. Colour-coded features make it easy to read, with black metallic hands in the middle and second hand at 6 o’clock for time, as well as bright red hands for chronograph mode (second counter in the centre, minute counter at 3 o’clock and hour counter at 9 o’clock). Powered by the Chopard calibre 03.05-M and a COSC-certified automatic movement, this block-busting timepiece proves its muscle with a 60-hour power reserve.

Prices available upon request chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

AN IDEAL TIMEPIECE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS

The first watch in the L.U.C collection to integrate a world time complication, this timepiece reads like an exclusive invitation to travel.

The figure behind the acronym L.U.C is none other than Louis-Ulysse Chopard, founder of the celebrated watchmaker and jeweller that still bears his name. To pay him tribute, the sophisticated timepieces in this eponymous range all feature complications in the finest Swiss watchmaking tradition. Chopard introduces the L.U.C Time Traveler One, rounding out the collection with the addition of world time. A superb selection for the avid international traveller, this timepiece shows all time zones at a glance.

This watch is powered by a COSC-certified self-winding movement with a 60-hour power reserve.

Vaunting a 42mm case in stainless steel, rose gold or precious platinum, the L.U.C Time Traveler One is the perfect companion for gentlemen travellers.

Prices: £10,540 (stainless steel) – £18,530 (rose gold) – £28,990 (platinum) chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

OUT IN FRONT

For this year’s Mille Miglia, the prestigious race featuring exceptional cars, Chopard has unveiled a limited edition dedicated to the event.

A round-trip: this is the “Red Arrow”, the Mille Miglia, a unique sports car race between Brescia and Rome. And the idea of a round-trip is equally present in the spirit of the watch released this year by the competition’s official timekeeper, Chopard. The Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition combines the present and the past, with its cutting-edge and highly contemporary mechanism and an aesthetic finish evoking the history of the automobile. On the silver dial with “bouchonné” finishing, the chronograph counters are inspired by the dashboards of vintage racing cars. The monopushers of the chronograph instantly recall engine pistons. As for the fluted crown, its design resembles a petrol cap.

A press on the upper monopusher activates the chronometer. The hands of the complication, with their striking red colour, begin to turn. A second press stops the hands. The time elapsed can be read in complete simplicity thanks to the contrast of the relevant colours and materials. Wide stick-shaped hour and minute hands coated in Super-LumiNova® float above this luminous composition.

The generous steel case of the Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition is 44mm wide and houses a mechanism made by Chopard with a chronometer certificate issued by the COSC. This series, limited to 1,000 pieces, is worn with a rubber strap inspired by 1960s Dunlop tyres. And in a final homage to car racing, the case back is engraved with a chequered flag and the Mille Miglia logo in the shape of an arrow.

Price: €6,000 chopard.com

By Dan Diaconu

THE SOFTNESS OF CASHMERE

True to the codes of the L.U.C collection, the XP model features a simple dial housed in a steel case, rounded off by a woven cashmere strap, for unique comfort and softness on your wrist

The initials L.U.C belong to Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the founder of the watchmaking firm of the same name, which is now a prestigious international brand. These three letters alone, separated by two dots, represent mechanical skill and immense elegance. The contemporary collections bear the initials of the founder of Chopard and containinside them technical developments that have won such craftsmanship labels as the Geneva Seal and Fleurier Quality. With the new L.U.C XPmodel presented in Basel, the brand from Geneva has risen to a newchallenge: showing how a watch made of steel can be as beautiful as a piece made of gold and how simplicity can outweigh complexity.

The heart of the L.U.C XP beats at 28 800 vibrations an hour (4Hz), and its Twin® technology, consisting in superimposing two barrels,results in the calibre L.U.C 96.53-L providing a power reserve of 58 hours. This extra-flat self-winding movement features a micro-rotor made of tungsten, a very hard and resistant metal. You can admire its oscillations through the sapphire glass case back.

40mm wide and 7.20mm thick, the steel setting is crowned by a slimbezel, leaving a wider opening for the dial. The latter is coloured silver and decorated with a vertical satin effect. The hour rim is made up of triangular metal indices for the markers and large blue Arabic numerals for the cardinal points. The hours and minutes are displayed by two central hands that are also blue, and with a dauphine-style shape that has been reworked and made more slender like a rocket. The absence of a second hand or second counter means that attention is focused on the Chopard watch’s simple and timeless dial. 

The elegance of the L.U.C XP model can also be seen in its strap. For the first time, woven cashmere wool has made its appearance in the brand’s watch collections. This soft, silky fibre is blue in colour, similar to the colour of jeans. The strap is doubled with brown alligator leather and rounded off by a steel ardillon buckle.

Price: 8 220 CHF chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

Mastering the sky

Our calendar principles are founded on astronomical observations: a year defines the time that the Earth takes to revolve around the sun; a month is the time it takes the moon to turn around the Earth and a day the time for the Earth to rotate around its own axis. Yet, nothing is as straightforward as it seems. The Earth does not actually make a complete orbit around the sun in 365 days but, more precisely, in 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds. This variation, which distinguishes civil time from astronomical time, led Jules Caesar, back in 46 BCE, to initiate adding an extra day every four years – leap years. His Julian calendar was not totally perfect however as the difference between civil time and astronomical time totalled slightly less than four days after 400 years. And, this is why the Gregorian calendar came into being in 1582: it deducts three days every four centuries, simply by replacing three leap years by three ordinary years. These are the famous exceptions of the current Gregorian calendar (1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300).

It is easy to imagine then that these dating chinks have given watchmakers quite a few nail-biting moments over the years. Dates began to feature on pocket watches fairly early on – well before the minute and second hands. From the end of the 16^th century, astronomical watches principally displayed the date, the day and the month. These calendars were, however, “simple” ones that had to be manually adjusted after each month containing less than 31 days. It was only at the end of the 18^th century that calendars, referred to as “perpetual”, were developed, i.e. which took the varying length of months and the leap-year cycle into account.

Even nowadays, this complication is only favoured by a handful of watchmaking firms. Chopard is one of these and, through its L.U.C movement manufacturing facility in Fleurier, strives to create extremely skilfully-crafted calibres. This L.U.C Lunar One, showcased for the first time in 2005, has since become one of the brand’s great classics. Previously proposed in gold, it is now in platinum and retails in a 100-piece limited edition.

Its perpetual calendar hosts a 1,461-day mechanical memory, i.e. a four-year cycle. It does not take into account, however, the Gregorian calendar exceptions. Its mechanism must be manually adjusted, for the first time in 2100. Likewise, its lunar phase is stunningly accurate. It is not just a simple disc that rotates under the dial but a complex interplay of components that provides an exact depiction of the moon as it appears in the sky. It will take some 122 years before this display is offset by a day vis-à-vis the real moon.

chopard.com

By Fabrice Eschmann

LET’S GO TO THE BEACH!

As summer draws near, Chopard takes us to meet the ocean wildlife with four new sports watches with a main colour – deep blue – poetically evoking the sea world

Spring has not yet ended, but Chopard is already getting ready for summer. The brand from Geneva has unveiled four new watches with a blue theme to join the Happy Sport collection first launched in 1993, with two dressed in steel and two covered in precious stones. The blue colour evokes the ocean wave but also the turquoise waters lapping against fine sand beaches and multi-coloured fish dancing around coral reefs.

Decorated in deep blue with a matt finish, the dial features five mobile diamonds with a harmonious dance that has forged the reputation of the Happy Sport collection. During their gleeful round, the sparkling gems pass over an hour rim made up of rounded and rectangular indices. The centre of the Happy Ocean dial houses two sword-shaped hands with a luminous coating. The minute hand is lined with turquoise or pink, depending on the model chosen. The white Super-LumiNova® used here gives out a blue light for the indices, the dots at the end of the second hand and the hour hand. The minute hand, however, emits a green gleam when the watch is plunged in darkness.

Since Chopard is a synonym of jewellery, the brand based in Geneva has also produced a pair of Happy Ocean watches with precious stones. The white gold case is crowned with a bezel paved with diamonds and sapphires, joined by rubies and topazes, and all in baguette size. The dial, where the five moving diamonds revolve, features a navy blue mother-of-pearl disc.

Price: 7,800 CHF (Steel) – 49,000 CHF (Blue diamonds) – 54,330 CHF (Pink diamonds) chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

CELEBRATING ITS 20^TH WITH A TRIP

The Chopard factory in Fleurier is celebrating its 20^th anniversary with a steel model for stylish globetrotters.

1996 saw visionary co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele open Chopard’s new factory in Fleurier in the Jura municipality of Val-de-Travers. Its foundation brought a new watch collection in tribute to the past using the founder’s initials, Louis-Ulysse Chopard. L.U.C is the epitome of watchmaking as seen by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: clean lines and fantastic functions. For its 20^th anniversary the collection was given a new complication that’s popular among travellers: L.U.C GMT One.

When you think of a second time zone you always think it’s a complication that’s hard to set but that’s not at all true of the L.U.C GMT One. The dial displays are easy to read and two crowns on the 42mm steel case make setting it a breeze: date and local time at 2 and home time at 4.

The black sunburst dial is surrounded by a black ring bearing cone-shaped markers and Arabic numerals coated in white Super-LumiNova. Four hands appear in the centre: dauphine-shape local hour and minute hands, baton-shape orange central seconds and a luminescent tip for home time. Home time appears on a wide two-tone sunken chapter ring similar to the 24-hour indicator: a slate slab displays the time in white between 6.30am and 6.30pm and a black one features “night time” (6.30pm-6.30am) with orange figures. A date display at 6 completes the picture.

The L.U.C GMT One is fuelled by the new L.U.C 01-10-L calibre made by Chopard and certified by the COSC. The powerful self-winding movement provides a 60-hour power reserve which is handy for globetrotters who spend hours flying.

Price: 9,500 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin