Launched at Dubai Watch Week, Chopard’s new L.U.C. Grand Strike is the brand’s most complicated chiming watch ever. And it is magnificent!
It is safe to say, we here at Watch Advice a huge fans of openworked and skeletonised dials. Done well, they showcase the movement, the artistry and technical know-how of the brand. That said, it can’t just be about showing off the movement, not if it compromises the fundamentals, like being able to read the time, or if it fails to highlight the craftsmanship and complexity behind the watchmaking itself. After all, isn’t that what this craft is really about?
The coming together of various components, complications, and the engineering behind it all to create something that will tell time for generations. Well, let me tell you, this latest release from Chopard and their in-house L.U.C division takes this open view of the movement to the next level, showcasing what I think is one of the most beautiful skeletonised dials in the industry to date.
This watch was created not only for Dubai Watch Week, but more importantly, to celebrate 30 years of its in-house L.U.C division. What is arguably their most ambitious chiming watch yet, the L.U.C Grand Strike brings together a grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, and minute repeater in one single watch, powered by the new calibre L.U.C 08.03-L. And the beautiful part? We’re given a front-row seat to the inner workings of the movement, a miniature orchestra where every component knows its cue.
The L.U.C Grand Strike is a product that has had over 11,000 hours of research and development, with no fewer than ten proprietary patents, five of which have been created specifically for this timepiece. Chopard hasn’t set out to simply create another grand sonnerie watch for the market, but rather to create a masterpiece that is officially the most certified one in contemporary watchmaking, bearing both COSC chronometer certification and the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark.
A Unique Chiming Experience
The L.U.C Grand Strike also represents Chopard’s latest endeavour with sapphire crystal gongs, a technology that first appeared in the 2016 L.U.C Full Strike. Instead of using traditional and more “modern” materials such as hardened steel, gold alloys, or platinum, the gongs and dial crystal are machined as a single sapphire monobloc, giving a pure, unique sound, power, and richness that Chopard refers to as the “Sound of Eternity”.
The idea behind this was simple – the fewer elements the sound has to travel through from the hammers to your ear, the less energy is wasted in the transfer, and as a result, you achieve a better, clearer and richer sound. So, rather than the hammers striking what are normally steel or metal gongs that circle around the movement inside the case, with the Grand Strike, the hammers strike the sapphire crystal directly, allowing the sound to resonate directly through this and out of the watch.
“The L.U.C. Grand Strike has also been built to withstand the test of time. From as early as the prototype stage, the in-house quality control of the L.U.C Grand Strike at Chopard Manufacture involves 62,400 activations of the sonnerie (half in each sonnerie mode) in an accelerated process that simulates five years of wear in just three months.”
“At this time, the minute repeater is also continuously activated via the crown-pusher, 3,000 times to ensure the movement can stand up to prolonged use. All in all, the sapphire crystal gongs are struck over half a million times during this rigorous testing, demonstrating the resilience of the in-house calibre L.U.C 08.03-L.”
Chopard on the L.U.C. 08.03-L movement.
On Full Display
Not only is this one of the most complex Grand Sonnerie timepieces on the market, but Chopard has gone the extra distance to showcase the movement on the dial as the central highlight. The dial-less architecture exposes the full choreography of hammers, racks, cams, and even a 60-second tourbillon. It is a wonderful sight.
Simply having one look at the timepiece shows you how incredibly complex it is, so I can’t imagine the mammoth task the watchmakers, designers, and engineers were faced with to bring it all together, creating a beautifully balanced architectural dial with modern sapphire technology. It is a timepiece that speaks as much to Chopard’s future as it does to the three decades of craft that led to this point.
There are several elements to note on the dial side of the watch. At the 12 o’clock position, there is a mode indicator, which lets you see if the watch is set to grand sonnerie, petite sonnerie or silent. Moving around to 2 o’clock, a power reserve indicator that shows the wearer the main power reserve (70 hours) on the inner track, and on the outer track, the sonnerie power – 12 hours continual in grand sonnerie mode.
At 6 o’clock is the tourbillon with a small seconds display, allowing you to track the seconds, and when setting the time, the stop seconds function will enable you to set the time accurately to a reference time if you choose. At 10 o’clock, the hammers that create the grand and petite sonnerie sounds that resonate through the crystal are on full display. Commonly, these are visible via the caseback, but Choard has put them on centre stage, which I feel is fitting for a piece such as the Grand Strike.
Second To None Finishing
Even with a grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, minute repeater, and a tourbillon packed inside, all 686 components of it, the L.U.C Grand Strike has been designed to be easy to wear. At 43 mm and at 14.08 mm thick, the ethical white-gold case is designed to sit nicely on the wrist thanks to its rounded bassiné profile. The mix of vertical brushing on the caseband and polished surfaces on the bezel and back gives it that perfect balance between sporty and dressy.
To keep the case clean, Chopard has used a traditional sliding mode selector, like you would find on most minute repeaters and chiming watches; however, this changes the chiming modes between the grand sonnerie, petite sonnerie and silent. The slider is also crafted in 18k ethical white gold. To activate the chiming on demand, Chopard has integrated this into the crown via a push button.
Chopard’s craftsmanship does not finish here, however. Turning the watch around, you are greeted with a stunning show of finishing. The back of the movement is comprised of five bridges, which are all made from German silver or Maillechort, the same that A. Lange & Söhne uses. German silver is a tricky metal to work with as it is untreated, and thanks to the mix of nickel, copper and zinc (there is actually no silver in it), it can not be touched with skin; otherwise, over time, the oils will cause that small patch to oxidise and tarnish. If this happens, then the bridge needs to be restarted.
Each bridge is finished in Côtes de Genève, and each is also bevel-polished by hand to give the depth you see below. The baseplate is decorated with Perlage, creating a contrast to the Geneva Stripes on the top of the bridges, and the screws and countersinks for the rubies are all mirror-polished.
Initial Thoughts
What can you say about the Chopard L.U.C. Grand Strike that sums it out eloquently? One word: Sublime. Watches like this showcase what watchmaking is all about. Yes, this is at the grand end of the scale, but this is a watch that encapsulates what we love about this hobby/profession/industry.
The depth and dedication of the team at Chopard have worked on this piece tirelessly, and it is the culmination of 11,000 hours of work, from the R&D, technical plans, through to the production of a working prototype. Over 2,500 of those hours were dedicated to fine-tuning the prototype alone, making sure the final production pieces were as close to perfect as possible.
When people dismiss Chopard as not being a “watch brand”, then I say to them; Look at this! The L.U.Chopard Grand Strike is the highest example of high horology, and a brand won’t and cannot create a watch like the Grand Strike if they are not a true watch company. The L.U.C division champions this, and with COSC as well as the Poinçon de Genève on the movement and case, this is about as good as it gets!
Reference: 161994-1001
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 43mm × 15.58mm
- Case: 18K ethical white gold, brushed and polished
- Dial: Open-worked; 18K ethical white gold hour markers. Sonnerie mode indicator, power reserve indicator for watch and sonnerie, tourbillon at 6 and hammers at 10.
- Crystal: Monobloc sapphire crystal with integrated gongs, proprietary patented
- Movement: Manual winding L.U.C Caliber 08.03-L. Beating at 4Hz or 28,800vph. 686 components, 67 jewels.
- Functions: Hours and minutes; tourbillon with small seconds; grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater
- Strap: Interchangeable grey alligator leather or grey calfskin strap with 18K ethical white gold folding clasp
Retail Price: CHF 780,000
Availability: For local availability, head to your local Chopard boutique, or online at Chopard.com