To mark the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C collection, Chopard is presenting a trio of new striking and chiming watches. These timepieces have undergone a process of adjustment and analysis under the aegis of Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and led by virtuoso cellist and violinist Gautier and Renaud Capuçon. The two brothers are brilliant musicians who have instilled their sensitivity, nuance and emotion into the acoustic fine-tuning of the L.U.C Strike One, L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire and L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon models.
Press Release information with Commentary in italics.
New: Chopard L.U.C Sound of Eternity trio of striking watches
The retail prices for the new watches are as follows:
- L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon SGD 556,000
- L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire SGD 658,500
- L.U.C Strike One SGD 92,200
All inclusive of GST.
Commentary and important notes
The trio of watches were originally scheduled to be released in January 2022, but the launch event, which was to be held in Fleurier and Evian to experience the trio of striking watches. The original embargo was set for March 30, but by now, we would have already handled and photographed the watches. But the launch got postponed to September due to travel concerns in the January pandemic, though the watches are released today.
The base for the trio of striking watches is the 2016 L.U.C Full Strike, the maison’s first minute repeater. We covered the Full Strike in our detailed review, and was very impressed with it. Among the many innovations presented in the Full Strike, four of which have been patented, the most radical is that the sound is generated by a hammer striking sapphire gongs, which are separate from the movement and an integral part of the glass topping the dial. The Full Strike is the winner of the “Aiguille d’Or” best-in-show award at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. This was preceded by by the Strike One in 2012, perhaps the first toe in the water for Chopard to experiment with striking watches.
From this rich base of these two superlative movements, we derive the three novelties presented today. First, the Full Strike Tourbillon, where a tourbillon escapement is added to the base minute repeater, creating a grand complication of sorts. However, it is much more complicated than just an escapement change, as the adding of the tourbillon necessitates a reworking and rearrangement of many of the components on the base minute repeater. The result is a movement with 568 parts, an addition of more than 35 to the original.
Second is the Full Strike, but entirely made in sapphire- the entire case, crown and dial of this new L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire model are cut from blocks of sapphire.
And finally, to round up the the collection, is the new Strike One, whose movement is now updated with the sapphire gong and crystal combo first shown in the Full Strike. The original Strike One had the more conventional arrangements of hammers striking a metal gong attached to the case by a metal block. We find the dial to be particularly attractive in this new Strike One, with the beehive motif.
The other significant advance of this trio of new striking watches is the collaboration between Chopard and Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele had invited the two prodigious violinist brothers to participate in elaborating the new series of chiming watches. Aided and abetted by the engineers of Chopard Manufacture, the two virtuoso brothers drew on their artistic sensitivity to fine-tune the sound produced by the Chopard-patented sapphire gong/crystal technology. This approach was approved by the Applied Acoustics Laboratory of the Geneva engineering school HEPIA, headed by Professor Romain Boulandet, who created an analytical programme that goes beyond the purely measurable criteria of acoustics (sound intensity, tonal richness, damping factor, etc.) to enter another dimension, that of the sound as perceived by the listener. Purer, longer and more harmonious than that of traditional metal repeater mechanism, the sound produced by Chopard’s sapphire gongs includes that other living vibration – namely of passion.
We remain super keen to experience the sounds of these new watches and to photograph and record them for you. And it looks like we will only get our chance in the event currently scheduled in September in Fleurier. We will bring you our detailed reports then.
Press Release information
Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon
The L.U.C Haute Horlogerie collection has been enriched with a new technical prodigy, as this L.U.C Full Strike model adds a tourbillon with a sapphire bridge to the monobloc sapphire minute repeater inherent to the L.U.C Full Strike series. This 42.5 mm timepiece in ethical 18-carat rose gold is equipped with the new chronometer-certified L.U.C 08.02-L movement. The extremely accomplished level of finishing, both on the movement and the case, has earned it the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. Its dial, in ruthenium grey-coloured hand-guilloché rose gold, opens to reveal the two complications that make this 20-piece limited edition so sophisticated. Endorsed by virtuoso brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, its acoustic richness achieves an exceptional level of quality, while perfect homogeneity makes it an unparalleled timepiece combining a stunning conceptual challenge with supremely accomplished execution.
For the first time in the history of the Full Strike, the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon model has an almost entirely solid dial. Instead of broadly revealing the watch’s internal mechanisms, it reserves its openings for the two horological complications that make this piece so special. The first cut-out between 9 and 11 o’clock, highlights the two mirror-polished steel hammers whose striking generates the chime. The other, at 6 o’clock, reveals the tourbillon of the L.U.C 08.02-L calibre. Thanks to a cross-through sapphire crystal tourbillon bridge, nothing obscures the view of the spiral-shaped carriage bridge. The final touch, made possible by the use of sapphire with its multiple properties, lies in the four rounded notches. This L.U.C signature tourbillon bridge is derived from a design by the founder of the Maison, Louis-Ulysse Chopard.
The dial is made from a base plate in solid gold and this material remains visible along the openings, featuring mirror-polished edges. It also features a hand-guilloché radiating floral pattern belonging to the collection’s aesthetic repertoire that is then ruthenium grey-coloured by means of a galvanic treatment. It is complemented by applied Roman numeral hour-markers and hands, all of which are gilded in a rose gold matching the case. The latter, like all Chopard’s watch and jewellery creations since 2018, is crafted from ethical gold.
Chopard Manufacture watchmakers have placed the tourbillon of the L.U.C 08.02-L calibre at 6 o’clock, beneath the seconds hand. Its high-quality steel carriage picks up the distinctive spiral design – a signature of L.U.C tourbillons. This regulator further enhances the precision of the movement, a subject to which Chopard’s Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, takes a resolutely uncompromising approach. It combats the adverse effects of gravity on the balance-spring and escapement by placing them in a variety of spatial positions. The tourbillon placed on the Chopard Manufacture minute repeater mechanism thereby contributes to the extreme precision of L.U.C Calibre 08.02-L as well as to the obtention of chronometer certification from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute.
The L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is not a mere modification of the L.U.C Full Strike. Moving from a calibre comprising 533 components to one with 568 is not an addition, but a revolution. The decision to include a tourbillon regulator required a complete development process that involved rethinking interactions and layouts. With such a delicate complication subject to as many parameters as the minute repeater, the Chopard Manufacture workshops had to ensure that this tourbillon would not in any way modify the acoustic qualities of the chime. This equilibrium is preserved by the sapphire gongs that are all-of-a-piece with the watch glass, which acts as a resonator. Moreover, the fact that the minute repeater has its own barrel naturally eliminates any energy-related interference, while the presence of the tourbillon does not alter the striking reserve.
Keen to preserve the user-friendliness of the minute repeater and to make its operation as secure as possible, Chopard Manufacture has introduced a number of innovative systems. Thus, if the barrel no longer has sufficient force to power the minute repeater, a safety mechanism blocks its release. In addition, Chopard has filed a patent for a new strikework-activation device. As soon as it is activated, the pusher is disengaged, thereby making it impossible to disturb the running of the minute repeater or to damage it.
Technical details: L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon
Ref. 161987-5001 – in ethical 18-carat rose gold with a grey alligator leather strap, numbered 20-piece limited edition
Case:
Ethical 18-carat rose gold
Total diameter 42.5 mm
Thickness 12.58 mm
Crown with integrated strikework pusher
in ethical 18-carat rose gold with L.U.C logo 8.80 mm
Vertical satin-brushed caseband
Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back
Exhibition back with sapphire crystal
Movement:
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 08.02-L
Number of components 568
Total diameter 37.20 mm
Thickness 8.90 mm
Number of jewels 61
Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve 50 hours
Mainplate and bridges in untreated nickel silver
Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
Chopard-patented one-minute tourbillon regulator equipped with a Chopard-patented monobloc pallet-lever
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 during information capture
Chopard-patented dedicated ratchet-driving mechanism serving to avoid pauses during chiming
Strikework-activation device serving to act on the pusher whether while it is chiming or not, in normal, low, continuous or fast mode (Patent pending)
Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Chronometer-certified by the COSC
Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Dial and hands:
Dial in ruthenium grey hand-guilloché 18-carat rose gold
Chapter ring with snailed concentric circle pattern
Applied gilded Roman numerals
White transferred power-reserve graduations
Gilded Dauphine fusée-type hours and minutes hands
Gilded baton-type small seconds hand
Gilded baton-type power-reserve and strikework power-reserve hands
Railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal
Tourbillon bridge in glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Functions:
Minute repeater striking sapphire gongs (Chopard -patented system)
Tourbillon with small seconds display at 6 o’clock
Central display of the hours and minutes
Concentric display of the watch and strikework power reserves at 2 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap and clasp:
Strap in hand-sewn grey alligator leather with grey alligator lining
Folding clasp in polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat rose gold
Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire
To mark the 25th anniversary of its L.U.C collection, Chopard has created a peerless transparent timepiece, as well as revolutionising the minute repeater for the second time in five years. In addition to the gongs of the L.U.C 08.01-L chronometer-certified calibre, the entire case, crown and dial of this new L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire model are cut from blocks of sapphire. Measuring 42.5 mm in diameter and totally transparent, it offers a 360-degree view of a movement with exceptional finishes. This entire horological prodigy bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark, a first for a non-metallic timepiece. Endorsed by virtuoso brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, its acoustic richness achieves an exceptional level of quality, while perfect homogeneity makes it an unparalleled timepiece combining a stunning conceptual challenge with supremely accomplished execution.
A sapphire heart
The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire timepiece is the first minute repeater watch whose case is made entirely of corundum crystal, better known as sapphire. By merging container and content, musical expression and transparency, Chopard has created a veritable horological musical instrument. Thanks to the homogeneity of the material – which is present throughout the sound propagation chain – this five-piece limited series gets the very best from sapphire.
Above and beyond its aesthetic prowess, the choice of lab-created sapphire is justified by its technical properties: derived from synthetic corundum, this material is one of the most resistant to scratches and has an estimated hardness of nine on the Mohs scale, almost as hard as diamond. Moreover, although producing a sapphire case entails considerable machining difficulties, it has the advantage of remaining unalterable over time.
A sapphire body
The 42.5 mm diameter case is 11.55 mm thick, with well-balanced proportions identical to previous versions of the L.U.C Full Strike, and which contribute to the characteristic elegance of the L.U.C collection. The bezel, caseband, crown, case-back and rear glass are all made of sapphire crystal. This rare model, whose absolute transparency enables the wearer to become one with the timepiece, has been created by specialised artisans mastering all the requirements of sapphire technology, from powder to finished component. The manufacturing process follows strict sustainable development rules, from the energy consumed in the production of corundum crystal through to transport.
In addition, the dial too is made of sapphire. Its distinctively cut shape enhances the indication elements essential for reading. Absolute transparency can in fact have the effect of blurring the view and Chopard has remedied this by creating a railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal and painted. It complements a chapter ring punctuated with rhodium-plated herringbone-shaped applied hour-markers, and black transferred counterparts. The sapphire ring is interrupted by three elements. The first is the off-centre seconds counter. The second is an applied white gold plate bearing the “L.U.CHOPARD” logo. The third is the concentric power-reserve indicator in which two hands respectively indicate the energy remaining in the barrel that drives the movement as well as in the other powering the minute repeater.
Innovative heart
The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire is the first non-metallic timepiece to bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark, covering both the design and finishing of the movement and the case. In addition, the L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire watch inherits the latest advances with which the L.U.C 08.01-L movement is endowed. Its patented resonant sapphire structure is complemented by several innovative technical systems, four of which are patented.
In a minute repeater mechanism, the energy required by the strikework is provided each time the winding lever is activated. Here, the energy comes from a separate, dedicated barrel wound directly by the crown. It enables the L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire to chime the most complex and energy-intensive time of day (or night) – namely 12 hours and 59 minutes – up to 12 times. This exceptional autonomy is due to several factors. It benefits from the contribution of a patented clutch-lever mechanism that ensures that the strikework going train is blocked, to avoid losing power reserve during the information capture that controls the minute repeater.
Innovative body
This autonomy is moreover also the result of Chopard Manufacture’s experience in multiple barrels. The founding movement of the L.U.C collection – L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L launched 25 years ago – in fact already featured Chopard Twin technology, whose two superimposed barrels deliver long-lasting and reliable force. Since it has an autonomous energy source, the strikework systematically respects the defined rhythm, whatever the time that is chimed and however many times it chimes.
Keen to preserve the user-friendliness of the minute repeater and to make its operation as secure as possible, Chopard Manufacture has introduced a number of innovative systems. Thus, if the barrel no longer has sufficient force to power the minute repeater, a safety mechanism blocks its release. In addition, Chopard has filed a patent for a new strikework-activation device. As soon as it is activated, the pusher is disengaged, thereby making it impossible to disturb the running of the minute repeater or to damage it.
From movement development to adjustment and quality control, along with finished product design, the stamping and machining of cases as well as movement components, engraving and traditional hand-crafted finishes, gemsetting, surface treatments, polishing and assembly: its workshops in Geneva and Fleurier enable Chopard to master the entire production process involved in each creation composing the L.U.C collection. The work of experienced artisans, these timepieces with their simple and pure design express a high degree of mechanical sophistication.
Technical details L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire
Ref. 168604-9001 – in sapphire with a grey alligator leather strap, numbered five-piece limited edition
Case:
Transparent sapphire
Total diameter 42.50 mm
Thickness 11.55 mm
Crown with integrated strikework pusher
in sapphire, with L.U.C logo 8.80 mm
Polished caseband, bezel and case-back, engraved case-back
Exhibition case-back fitted with sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal with two Chopard-patented integrated monobloc gongs
Movement:
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 08.01-L
Number of components 533
Total 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 untreated 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 during information capture
Chopard-patented dedicated ratchet-driving mechanism serving to avoid pauses during chiming
Strikework-activation device serving to act on the pusher whether it is chiming or not, in normal, low, continuous or fast mode (patent pending)
Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Chronometer-certified by the COSC
Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Dial and hands:
Openworked sapphire dial
Applied logo plate in 18-carat white gold with black transfers
Satin-brushed chapter ring
Satin-brushed small seconds
Railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal
Black transfers
Applied rhodium-plated herringbone-type hour-markers
Applied rhodium-plated Dauphine hours and minutes hands
Rhodium-plated baton-type small seconds hand
Rhodium-plated baton-type movement power-reserve and strikework power-reserve hands
Functions:
Minute repeater striking sapphire gongs (Chopard-patented system)
Central display of the hours and minutes
Small seconds display at 6 o’clock
Concentric display of the watch and strikework power reserves at 2 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap and buckle:
Strap in hand-sewn grey alligator leather with grey alligator lining
Folding clasp in polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat white gold
Chopard L.U.C Strike One
Chopard is deploying the expertise developed with its L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater on a new generation of watches with a striking mechanism. The L.U.C Strike One model chimes at the passing of each hour, on a Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire of which the acoustics have received the artistic endorsement of virtuosos Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, who have acknowledged all its emotional depth. Equipped with the new L.U.C 96.32-L movement, this refined 40 mm-diameter timepiece in ethical 18-carat rose gold is chronometer-certified and bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. Its solid gold ruthenium grey dial is hand-guilloché with a honeycomb motif. With its crown-integrated pusher, its slender 9.86 mm size and its crystal-clear sound, the L.U.C Strike One model endows the passing of time with an elegantly resonant dimension.
The L.U.C Strike One timepiece picks up the aesthetic codes inaugurated with the L.U.C XPS 1860 model, starting with its solid gold dial in ruthenium grey, bearing a snailed rim and a hand-guilloché centre adorned with a honeycomb pattern. The beehive is one of the emblems that Louis-Ulysse Chopard chose to represent his workshops. At 1 o’clock, the dial features a cut-out revealing the mirror-polished steel hammer that generates the chime through a likewise hammer-shaped opening. The periphery of the dial bears a railway-type minutes track, engraved on the sapphire crystal. Just below this is the element that makes the L.U.C Strike One so exclusive: a monobloc sapphire gong.
The chime-in-passing mechanism rings out only when the minutes hand reaches 12 o’clock. Twenty-four times a day, on the hour, its hammer is automatically armed and strikes the gong, just once. The sound thus produced resonates alone and must therefore feature exceptional intensity, clarity and length. In this solo performance, the chime represents a distillation of the expertise acquired by Chopard Manufacture in the field of striking mechanisms.
The new L.U.C 96.32-L features the typical architecture of L.U.C calibres, with its automatic winding via a micro-rotor in engraved ethical 22-carat gold. In addition, the Chopard Twin technology, with its double barrel, ensures a 65-hour power reserve even when the chiming mode is activated. This stability demonstrates the quality of Chopard’s developments and its management of energy issues.
In addition, this calibre boasts a number of new features compared to the first movement with a strikework presented by Chopard Manufacture in 2006. The first is that the pusher controlling the chime, previously located at 10 o’clock, is now integrated into the crown. It is this pusher that enables the wearer to switch between silence and striking mode, indicated by a gold-ringed aperture at 12 o’clock. More discreet and also more comfortable on the wrist, this layout remains a Chopard-specific feature to date. In addition, the L.U.C 96.32-L movement is thinner than its predecessor, the L.U.C 96.14-L. This in turn enables the case of the new L.U.C Strike One model to be less than ten mm thick at 9.86 mm, placing it firmly within the tradition of understated elegance characterising the L.U.C collection. This is also reflected in its grey alligator leather strap with tone-on-tone alligator lining, secured by an ethical 18-carat rose gold pin buckle.
Technical details: L.U.C Strike One
Ref. 161949-5001 – in ethical 18-carat rose gold with a grey alligator leather strap, numbered 25-piece limited edition
Case:
Ethical 18-carat rose gold
Total diameter 40.00 mm
Thickness 9.86 mm
Crown in ethical 18-carat rose gold with L.U.C logo 7.80 mm
Vertical satin-brushed caseband
Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back
Exhibition back with sapphire crystal
Movement:
Mechanical self-winding L.U.C 96.32-L
Number of components 275
Total diameter 33.00 mm
Thickness 5.60 mm
Number of jewels 33
Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve 65 hours
Two barrels –Chopard Twin technology
Bridges adorned with the Côtes de Genève motif
Chime in passing
Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire crystal and gong
Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Chronometer-certified by the COSC
Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Dial and hands:
Dial in ethical 18-carat rose gold obtained by galvanic treatment
Hand-guilloché central medallion with honeycomb motif
Chapter ring with snailed concentric circle pattern
Applied gilded herringbone-type hour-markers
Gilded Dauphine fusée-type hours and minutes hands
Gilded baton-type small seconds hand
Snailed small seconds counter
Railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal
Functions and displays:
Chime-in-passing mechanism striking Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire crystal/gong system
Central display of the hours and minutes
Small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock
“Chime/silence” aperture at 12 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap and buckle:
Strap in hand-sewn grey alligator leather with grey alligator lining
Pin buckle in polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat rose gold