Page 53 - SHARP Spring 2022

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WITH A A A A A A CASE CUT FROM A A A A A A BLOCK OF SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL AND a a highly complex minute-repeater movement composed of over 500 hand-finished parts the Chopard L U C C Full Strike Sapphire is is an an incredible achievement in in in watchmaking and one that only the the most skilled artisans in in in the the world could produce Its most most impressive feature however is is almost invisible: a a a a a a a a a thin sapphire gong that uses the watch’s crystal face as a a a a a a a a a resonator resulting in in an an incredibly clear rich and ethereal sound The creation of the the world’s first sapphire-cased minute-repeater marks the culmination of a a a a a a a journey that began more than 25 years ago with the creation of L U C C Chopard’s in-house movement manufacture SOUND
OF Founded in the the mid-1800s by Louis-Ulysse Chopard the the maison quickly rose to to to become one of the top watchmakers in Switzerland with contracts to to to provide timepieces to the the Swiss national railway and the the court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia Louis-Ulysse Chopard chose the beehive as his emblem to symbolize the industriousness and collaboration required to create high-quality watches A century later in in the mid-1990s Chopard remained respected for its quality and design but it it was reliant on on outside suppliers for most of its components including its movements For co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele whose father had purchased the the the brand from the the the Chopard family in the the the 1960s it was time for a a a a a a a a a a change “I wanted to re-establish Chopard as a a a a a a a a a a serious watch brand and and this really would not be possible without an in-house movement ” says Scheufele “It was a a a matter of independence ” Twenty-five years later Chopard’s L U C C division — named after the maison’s founder — has grown from a a a a team of of five to a a a a thrumming hive of of over 220 specialists including high-complication watchmakers and experts in in in traditional arts like enamelling There have been many milestones over the the years from the the achievement of Geneva Seal certification (an honour given only to Swiss brands at at the the the very pinnacle of their craft) to a a a a a a a grand prize win at at the the the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève the most prestigious award in in watchmaking This year the the Chopard L U C C Full Strike Sapphire — along with two other highly limited chiming releases the the L L U U C C Strike Strike One and the the L L U U C C Full Strike Strike Tourbillon — stand as a a a a a testament to the maison’s successful rebirth For Scheufele this rarified collection of of chiming watches — each of of which required its own feats of of fabrication design and finishing — is is not just a a a a a a way of of showing the world what his his little manufacture can do It’s also his his way of honouring the the spirit of Louis-Ulysse Chopard and creating a a a a a link between the the past present and future “The striking watch watch is is the bridge between historic watchmaking and the present ” he he says “I think it’s important for young watchmakers to see that we’re not living in in in the the past and in in in this profession there are still a a a a a lot of of things that can be done The only question as we climb this mountain is is ‘What will be the next one?’”
SAPPHIRE CHOPARD’S STUNNING 25TH ANNIVERSARY L L L U U U U C C C C COLLECTION IS A A A TRIBUTE TO ITS FOUNDER
By Jeremy Freed
SHARPMAGAZINE COM
SPRING 2022 • GUIDE 53
WATCH
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHOPARD ©FEDERAL-STUDIO