Chopard debuted its L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon, a 20-piece limited edition in ethical 18-carat rose gold, with exceptional strikework and a quintessential complication powered by the new chronometer-certified L.U.C 08.02-L movement
The L.U.C Haute Horlogerie collection’s new technical prodigy the L.U.C Full Strike adds a tourbillon with a sapphire bridge to the monobloc sapphire minute repeater inherent to the 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.
This model follows in the footsteps of Chopard’s L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater timepieces, of which the first ethical rose gold edition was awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” best-in-show award at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. These timepieces feature a unique Chopard-patented system in which the gongs and sapphire crystal form a single entity, which resonates in its entirety to produce the chime.
At 42.5 mm in diameter and 12.58 mm thick, the watch is distinguished by well-balanced proportions contributing to the characteristic elegance of the L.U.C collection. The interplay of grey and gold colours between the case and strap, dial and hands, as well as between the movement’s steel and nickel silver components combine to achieve aesthetic perfection.
For the first time in the history of the Full Strike, this new model has an almost entirely solid dial, reserving 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 of 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 obtaining the 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.
L.U.C Calibre 08.02-L inherits the unprecedented advances featured in the L.U.C 08.01-L: the first minute repeater movement introduced by Chopard Manufacture in 2016. In addition to its resonant structure, whose role is taken on by the sapphire crystal, several innovative technical systems have been added. It also benefits from the innovations introduced in L.U.C Calibre 02.01-L in 2003. A total of seven are the subject of patents.
In a minute repeater mechanism, the energy used by the strikework is provided each time the arming lever is activated. Here, the energy comes from a separate, dedicated barrel wound directly by the crown. It enables the timepiece to chime a maximum of 12 times the most complex and energy-intensive time: namely 12 hours and 59 minutes. This exceptional power reserve is due to several factors. Benefiting from a patented clutch-lever device, it ensures that the strikework gear train is blocked to avoid losing power reserve during the information capture that controls the minute repeater.
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.
So as to optimise and perpetuate the acoustic richness of the monobloc sapphire crystal/gong system derived from the L.U.C Full Strike, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has initiated a new approach. In 2018, while attending a concert given by violinist Renaud Capuçon, he realised that a minute repeater watch should be designed as a musical instrument and should deliver something more – namely emotion.
Renaud Capuçon is a virtuoso of his time as well as a specialist in acoustics and sound – just like his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon. Both play instruments that are several hundred years old and, which embody a perfection and uniqueness that have stood the test of time. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele called upon the two soloists to join forces with Professor Romain Boulandet – head of the Applied Acoustics Laboratory at Geneva’s HEPIA engineering school – whose work in an anechoic chamber perfectly isolated from noise pollution has demonstrated that the sound of Chopard’s minute repeater is powerful, harmonious and crystal clear.
Together, these experts have combined their skill and knowledge to conduct an analysis that goes beyond the purely measurable criteria of acoustics to enter another dimension: that of sound as perceived by the listener. The timepiece benefits from their analysis and their contribution, both scientific and emotional. Thanks to Chopard’s unalterable sapphire gongs, the sound of the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is unchanging, stemming from the orchestration of complementary talents: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele for watchmaking precision; Renaud and Gautier Capuçon for artistic and emotional endorsement; and Romain Boulandet for scientific expertise.
