Thirty years ago, Chopard's co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele opened the factory in Fleurier. The first in-house caliber, LUC 1.96, a sleek automatic micro-rotor movement, made its debut the following year in the LUC The modern Strike One (from 2022) has been developed over time and features the brand's patented sapphire crystal springs. It is the template for the latest version with a lightweight titanium case and a beautiful salmon-colored dial.
In 2016, coinciding with the manufacture's 20th anniversary, Chopard pulled out all the stops with the in-house LUC Full Strike minute repeater, featuring the unprecedented use of sapphire crystal gongs and a host of technical features, including a strike regulator and a multifunction crown that wound the movement and activated the repeater. Then, in 2022, Chopard packed its patented technology into a more compact, slimmer case powered by a modified version of the first LUC Caliber 96. After the Strike One editions in rose gold and white gold, which feature a slightly simpler chime complication, Chopard returns with a titanium model that combines lightness and acoustic excellence.
While the term “simpler” is relative, a sonnerie au passage, or chime-in-passing, strikes a single crystalline tone every hour on the hour. Of course, you can choose between strike and rest modes, but unlike a more sophisticated minute repeater, there is no on-demand activation and no minute or quarter strike.
The new 40mm model is crafted from a single block of Grade 5 titanium, with a vertical satin finish on the caseband and a polished bezel and case back. Despite its technical complexity, the case has a remarkably low height of 9.86mm and features the practical 7.8mm fluted crown with an integrated pusher to activate or mute the chime. As the brand emphasizes, the use of titanium does not compromise the acoustic quality, as the sound is determined by the patented monoblock sapphire construction. Because the gongs and crystal are made from a single block of sapphire, the crystal also functions as a resonator.
The new salmon-colored dial, set on an 18-karat ethical rose gold base, is decorated with a hand-guilloche honeycomb pattern at the center, honoring founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard's adoption of the beehive and bees in the 1920s as symbols engraved on movements and cases. The engine-turned medallion is surrounded by a snail-shaped chapter ring with applied rhodium-plated chevron hour markers and a prominent cut-out area at 12:30 revealing the highly polished hammer, as well as a small circular perforation at noon indicating the striking status (white for active, ruthenium for mute). The Dauphine hands, also rhodium-plated, glide over the hour markers and the small seconds counter at 6 o'clock. The railway-style peripheral minute track engraved into the sapphire crystal features 5-minute chevron-shaped markers.
The exhibition caseback showcases some of the 275 hand-crafted components of the COSC chronometer-certified LUC 96.32-L (base caliber 96) movement, including the 22-carat gold micro-rotor, swan-neck regulator, and Côtes de Genève bridges. Equipped with Chopard's Twin technology, the two barrels arranged one above the other provide a power reserve of 65 hours. The movement and the watch are also distinguished by the hallmark of the Poinçon de Genève.
The new model is equipped with a dark gray strap made of grained calf leather with a titanium pin buckle. Price is 55,000 francs. More information at Chopard.com.
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