Watches and Wonders 2022: Chopard marks 25th anniversary of L.U.C. timepiece
Apr 21, 2022
Watchmaker Chopard strikes with a medley of repeaters to mark the 25th anniversary of its flagship timepiece L.U.C
Marking the 25th birthday of the L.U.C watch, Chopard presents a trio of chiming watches that showcases some of the most intricate complications in watchmaking.
Dubbed The Sound of Eternity, the three timepieces, L.U.C Strike Tourbillon, L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire and L.U.C Strike One, each represent a version of the repeater function.
The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire sports a transparent sapphire case with a minute repeater inside. The sapphire built of the timepiece proves to be an acoustic challenge as traditionally, repeaters are crafted in gold or platinum for optimal resonation. However, the watchmaker has revolutionised the complication, crafting the entire timepiece, minus the repeater gongs entirely in sapphire.
A skeletonised dial future adds to the transparency of the sapphire timepiece; measuring 42.55 mm, the clear case ends unobstructed views of the intricate movement, exposing the hammer and gongs when the minute repeater is triggered. This timepiece proves to be one of the most exceptional of the trio- its movement bears the Geneva, the first time the quality hallmark is given to a non-metallic timepiece.
The L.U.C Strike Tourbillon combines two highly sophisticated complications, the minute repeater and the tourbillon inside its 42.5 mm 18-karat rose gold case. The piece’s ruthenium grey dial is finished with hand-guilloche details and has two openings revealing the minute repeater’s hammers and gongs at 10 o’clock and the tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
The L.U.C Strike One represents a new rendition of the repeater for Chopard. Instead of repeating the hour, quarters and minutes on demand, the L.U.C Strike One marks time passing with a chime at every hour. An entirely new movement, the calibre L.U.C 96.32-L, powers the hour, minute, small second hands and the hour repeater.
The 18-karat rose gold piece is also paired with a ruthenium grey dial and decorated with a hand-guilloche honeycomb motif.
The trio of repeaters represents L.U.C’s 25-year heritage and endless possibilities as Chopard redefines its legacy.
