In-house movements, Urushi lacquers and Poinçon de Genève distinction ramp up exceptional designs with a gravitas that is fitting for this 153-year-old brand.
A newly renovated boutique in Geneva, exciting additions to the coveted L.U.C. and Classic Racing collections, as well as the twentieth anniversary of Happy Sport, give Chopard a lot to talk about regarding its latest models. And while these topics of conversation might seem somewhat diverse at first glance, the tie that binds is the company’s commitment to watchmaking that reveals itself through its attention to the finer points.
Whether it’s in choosing a renowned architect to articulate the boutique space, bestowing Happy Sport with a mechanical movement or commemorating the Year of the Snake with a hand-painted L.U.C. dial, the details say it all.
Year of the Snake
The L.U.C. XP dial is the canvas, urushi lacquer is the medium and a trained urushi master is the artist, all converging in the L.U.C. XP Urushi Snake celebrating, of course, the Year of the Snake. The hand-decorated watch dial depicts a flowering bush, a symbol of good luck, with a golden snake coiled around it. Urushi lacquer is a precious commodity derived from the sap of the Urushi tree, mainly found in Japan and China, that is harvested in small quantities just once per year.
The mechanical self-winding L.U.C. Calibre 96.17-L features Twin Technology (two stacked barrels), an off-center micro-rotor and a power reserve of 65 hours. The 39.5 mm case is 18-karat rose gold with a see-through case back, and the dial has gilt hour and minute hands that perfectly complement the exquisite lacquer work. The hand-sewn alligator strap features an 18-karat rose gold pin buckle.
More L.U.C.
With a long-established relationship with competitive motor sports, Chopard is once again showcasing this association in a watch: the L.U.C. Engine One H, which combines authentic automobile design codes with watchmaking. The finishes on its Chopard Manufacture hand-wound tourbillon movement are reminiscent of those typically found on engines, and its horizontal layout reflects the design of a race car cockpit.
Designed and built by the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, Switzerland, the L.U.C. 04.02-L movement features details reminiscent of the openwork design of a race car air intake. But the homage does not end there. Engine block cylinder heads inspired the grooves engraved on the dial-side bridges. While the hours and minutes are indicated by central hands, the power reserve is read on the left, at 9 o’clock, recalling a fuel gauge. The small seconds appear on the right, at 3 o’clock. Both the inner and outer sides of the alligator strap, with its five rows of overstitching, echo the aesthetic of automobile upholstery from the 1960s and 1970s.
The 44.5 mm titanium case features glare-proof sapphire crystals on the front and the case back. The hours and minutes hands are coated with SuperLuminova, and the power reserve hand is enhanced with red SuperLuminova. The hand-sewn black strap is lined with embossed brown alligator leather.
Limited Edition L.U.C.
Chopard’s flagship boutique on the Rue Du Rhône in Geneva was recently renovated to reflect the global design concept developed by French architect Thierry W. Despont, first launched in 2007 with the opening of a flagship store on Madison Avenue. Upon the inauguration of the Swiss boutique, Chopard presented a new, limited edition design of the L.U.C. XPS watch that complies with the strict criteria of the Poinçon de Genève, or Geneva Seal.
Produced in a 25-piece series, and exclusively available from the boutique, the L.U.C. Poinçon de Genève has a 39.5 mm platinum case engraved with the “Poinçon de Genève” logo on the solid back. The mechanical self-winding L.U.C. 96.01-L movement keeps it running with Twin Technology, a power reserve of 65 hours and COSC certification. The blue sunburst satin-brushed dial, also featuring the Poinçon de Genève logo, complements the matte blue alligator strap.
Mysterious Beauty
The new Imperiale Chrono All Black is a hot—and sporty—new addition to the Imperiale collection first introduced in the 1990s and redesigned in 2010. Its monochromatic look is interrupted by a diamond-set bezel that serves as a dynamic counterpoint to the otherwise sporty look.
Like other members of the Imperiale Collection, the Chrono All Black features Roman numerals on the arabesque-motif dial, and the open-worked hands are reminiscent of the daggers sovereigns used in combat. The small seconds subdial is at 3 o’clock, and the chronograph 30-minute counter and 12-hour counter are at 9 and 6 o’clock respectively. The date window is at 4:30. The 40 mm steel with DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating houses a self-winding mechanical movement that has a power reserve of 42 hours.
Happy Turns 20
It was in 1993 that Artistic Director and Co-President of Chopard, Caroline Scheufele, created the Happy Sport watch, which has been reinterpreted over the years in a variety of lovely ways. In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of its creation, a new rendition is being introduced—this time with a mechanical, self-winding movement.
The Happy Sport Medium Automatic has a guilloche silver-toned dial with rhodium-plated hands and hour markers. Seven moving diamonds float above the dial—the sparkling signature of the Happy Sport collection. The watch’s steel case is 36 mm, and it has a see-through case back offering a view of the movement. An alligator strap with a steel pin buckle completes the sporty chic look.
Superfast
Chopard’s Classic Racing collection pays tribute to the automobile world in its spirit and style, and three new Superfast models are being introduced to the family, each with Chopard movements from the Fleurier workshops. The dials have silver-brushed vertical lines against a black background reminiscent of the cooling vents on air-cooled racing engines. The inner bezel ring has numerals that recall the appearance of the markers on sports car speedometers.
Each of the three watches—Superfast Automatic, Superfast Power Control and Superfast Chrono—features a natural rubber strap with smooth “treads,” rubber-coated pushers, and Allen screws on the bezel inspired by those on car wheel rims. And even the movements give a nod to racing: all the bridges are open-worked with thin parallel lines, again reminiscent of cooling vents.
The 41 mm steel Superfast Automatic uses a self-winding Chopard Calibre 01.01-M with 60 hours of power reserve and COSC certification to keep it running. The Superfast Power Control model uses a variation of this movement—the Chopard 01.02-M—housed in a 45 mm steel case. It features hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, a date window at 3 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. Finally, the Superfast Chrono is run by the Chopard Calibre 03.05-M powering hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, date display between 4 and 5 o’clock, and a chronograph with sweep seconds hand and minute and hour counters at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively. The 45 mm case has a tachymeter scale engraved on the bezel.