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It's only been a mere six years since the Genevan watch brand Chopard entered the circles of high watchmaking by founding its own movement factory in Fleurier. L.U.C. 1.96,
completely developed and manufactured on premises and named using the initials of company founder Louis Ulysse Chopard as well as the developmental line and the year of its introduction, was the company's entrance ticket to the small, elite circle of genuine manufactures. The caliber's interesting design including a microrotor and stacked spring barrels was even recognized for its special quality and rate precision with the Seal of Geneva and a chronometer certificate from the C.O.S.C.
In the meantime, the L.U.C. collection, which occupies an absolute and well cared for special position within the Chopard palette, includes three base calibers with a total of eight variations, from an elegant three-hand watch with subsidiary seconds to a robust sporty diver's watch with sweep seconds to the collection's "evergreen" L.U.C. Quattro featuring a manually wound movement with
more than eight days of power reserve thanks to four serially operating, yet space-saving spring barrels. This technology has served the young manufacture well as a basis for the next design and production challenge: its own tourbillon.
The model, naturally named L.U.C. Quattro 4T, displays a continuously rotating carriage underneath a striking bridge in a cut-away on the dial at 6 o'clock. Very obvious are the unusually large dimensions of the tourbillon cage, bounded only by the axis of the hands and the diameter of the watch's movement. It was unavoidable that a part of the minute wheel peeks into the dial's cutaway.
The balance contains weighted screws with eccentrics that are integrated into the crossings, a construction with patent pending, as well as a freely swinging balance spring with Breguet terminal curve.
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The Chopard caliber L.U.C. 1.02 contains 224 individual parts, all of which are especially finely finished and decorated - there were, of course, no corners cut on a masterpiece of this format and range. Only 100 pieces each in rose gold and platinum have been planned for a production period of several years, making the Quattro 4T a rare sight, indeed.
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Chopard
630 Fifth Avenue Suite 3410
New York, NY 10111
Tel: 212-247-0545
Fax: 212-397-0197
www.chopard.com
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