Chopard Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the L.U.C Collection at Watches & Wonders 2022

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C collection from Chopard. And the Swiss maison is celebrating at Watches & Wonders with not one but three remarkable timepieces that highlight the manufacture’s in-house capabilities, including two chiming watches alongside a rather unique officer-style model.

Plus, in addition to the new L.U.C model, we have the new Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon and Happy Sport Chronograph to ogle.

So let’s get to it!

The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire and L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon embody Chopard’s manufacturing prowess.

For those who may not already be aware, “sonnerie,” or chiming, watches are quite difficult to craft; therefore, they can only be produced by the top watchmaking maisons. And yet, the Full Strike Sapphire isn’t just any chiming watch. It has a completely transparent case that displays the movement from all sides while maintaining crystal-clear, rich sound.
 

Meanwhile, the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon adds a hypnotic tourbillon to an already-complicated movement. The acoustics of both timepieces have even been endorsed by Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, brothers and noted virtuosos.

The revolutionary L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire gives you a 360-degree view of the Poinçon de Genève-certified movement – the first time a non-metallic timepiece has been awarded the honor – and lets you watch the movement in action as it chimes. It features Chopard’s signature monobloc minute repeater, which uses solid sapphire gongs fused to the sapphire crystal so that it can serve as a resonator. As a result, this configuration gives the timepiece a rich, intense sound as it chimes.
 

Furthermore, as its name suggests, the entire case and dial of the L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire are crafted from sapphire glass, but there’s an engraved railway minutes-track around the outside of the timepiece so you can more easily tell the time. There’s also a seconds counter at 6 o’clock and a power-reserve indicator at 2 o’clock with two hands: one for the movement and one for the minute repeater. Not surprisingly, just five pieces of this incredibly complex time-keeping machinery will be made.
 

The L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon, on the other hand, also features Chopard’s monobloc sapphire minute repeater but adds a tourbillon with a sapphire bridge, giving it a similar appearance to a flying tourbillon.

The gray dial features a fine hand-guilloché motif and displays the chiming hammers from 9 to 11 o’clock. To add a tourbillon, Chopard had to redevelop the caliber and add 35 components while making space for the tourbillon and preserving the rich acoustics. This fine timepiece is limited to 20 pieces.
 

In addition to the stunning L.U.C pieces, Chopard showcased an impressive Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon and added a chronograph to its iconic Happy Sport collection.

The Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon raises the bar for Chopard’s well-received steel sports watch. In addition to its being the first model from the Alpine Eagle collection to earn the Poinçon de Genève hallmark for its fine finishings, it is also a certified chronometer for its excellent accuracy – one of the few flying tourbillons models to hold this double distinction.
 

The L.U.C 96.24-L movement measures a mere 3.30mm thick, and the case itself is just 8mm thick, quite the feat for a flying tourbillon timepiece. Yet, despite its slim size, it features a healthy 65 hours of power reserve.

Finally, the non-limited Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon comes in the maison’s signature Lucent Steel A223 material (which is both brilliant and sturdy) and has a bold Aletsch blue dial.
 

Alongside its magnificent high jewelry timepieces, Chopard has several notable women’s mechanical watches, including the new Happy Sport Chronograph.

The watch has a rich golden-hued dial, which matches the 18K rose gold case. It has a central display for hours, minutes, and chronograph seconds, plus three counters: 12 hours, 30 minutes, and small seconds. And for easy legibility, each is neatly labeled.
 

In addition, there’s a date aperture at 4:30, and atop the gilded dial, there are seven bezel-set diamonds that dance across the face as you move. Lastly, Happy Sport Chronograph has an exhibition caseback that showcases the COSC-certified chronometer movement.