Chopard - Basel 2010
WORLDTEMPUS - 19 March 2010
"I spent more than a year doing these four watches," newly appointed Chopard designer, Guy Bove, admitted to Worldtempus while sitting with him at the impressive Chopard stand at Basel World. He was all smiles, the former IWC creative director, when he presented four impressive novelties.
The 46-millimetre L.U.C 150 offers Equation of Time (this particular function seems to be complication du jour as Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai all showed their version of an EoT at SIHH in January), perpetual calendar and tourbillion. A ticking sensation of 516 separate parts, COSC-certified and Poinçon de Geneve hallmarked inhouse movement. Stunning watch. Impressive finish. However not even the most exciting novelty from Chopard this year.
Bove was all smiles during the interview, clearly in a good place in his professional life. His wrist was dominated by an oversize watch, which seemingly offered an enamel dial and very different strap design. "It's our conversation piece this year," Bove admitted when he took off the watch for Worldtempus to fondle.
The watch, the L.U.C Louis-Ulysse, is collaboration between the Geneva Watchmaking School and Chopard Manufacture. It is a tribute pocket watch, celebrating the 150th anniversary, and it transforms into a beautiful wristwatch when attached to an innovative strap with integrated special lugs that holds the watch itself.
"I was inspired by the ingenious system which was originally developed by Chopard in 1912 and later patented by Karl Scheufele I," Bove told Worldtempus.
The watch is made of white gold and inside ticks a stunning movement created together with the Geneva Matchmaking School that bears the Poinçon de Geneve hallmark and Côtes de Geneve decorated movement bridges. The striking dial is made of ceramic lacquer hence the vintage look that celebrates a century and half of fine watchmaking.
As if these two innovative yet classical timepieces was not enough to leave quite a few jaws wide open, Bove took out the third celebration piece that left no fan of horology without joyful tears: the futuristic looking L.U.C Engine Tourbillon One.
Engine Tourbillon One is like no other watch from Chopard. Its name explains partially the automotive inspiration as the movement looks like parts of a car engine. This is intentional, as Chopard has embraced motor sports for centuries, not only with the classic car race, Mille Miglia.
The hand-wound tourbillon movement sits in a lightweight case of titanium with a total weight of only 69 grams. But why 69 grams? "Because I like the sound of that number," he laughed, exposing his admirable personality, and showing that all cannot and should not be explained in the world of high end horology.
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