L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph
Numbered 25-piece limited edition in Lucent Steel™
Tradition meets innovation in an exclusive interpretation of this chronometer-certified chronograph bearing the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Aesthetic refinement and mechanical performance. This is the world that has given life to the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph: an exclusive, numbered 25-piece limited edition reaffirming Chopard Manufacture’s attachment to the noble values of Haute Horlogerie. This new hand-wound flyback chronograph features a 42 mm case in Lucent Steel™ – Chopard’s exclusive steel endowed with superior properties – along with an English-green dial and L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L delivering chronometer-certified precision. The latter is in itself a mechanical work of art offering outstanding functionality. An ageless timepiece embodying the very essence of the traditional chronograph, the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph is honoured by the prestigious Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark.
Rich details
While the chronograph is one of the most demanding horological specialities, Chopard Manufacture has nevertheless raised its L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L to the top of this high-flying universe thanks to a multitude of functional details dedicated to user friendliness. The movement is housed in a case made of Lucent Steel™: Chopard’s exclusive steel alloy composed of 80% recycled elements, acknowledged for its superior resistance to standard steels, as well as its luminosity and its dermo-compatibility. Accentuating the watch’s sporty appearance, two mushroom-shaped pushers protrude from the traditionally designed, round and supple 42 mm-diameter case. The brown calfskin strap with its contrasting lining is bridle-stitched with green thread matching the colour of the dial.
The latter is adorned with a sunburst pattern centred around the “L.U.CHOPARD” logo at 12 o’clock. The absence of a date makes for an extremely pure composition. The hour-markers with their rounded font systematically feature two Arabic numerals, like on a car dashboard rev counter. Graduated from 05 to 60, they indicate the chronograph minutes and seconds. The movement visible through a transparent case-back is finished to superlative standards: the baseplate and bridges are gilded, with the exception of the upper surface of the latter, which is in raw nickel silver to heighten the contrasts of L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L as well as its depth effect – further enhanced by the absence of an oscillating weight enabling an entirely unobstructed view.
A rare and exclusive calibre
Chronograph movements in the L.U.C collection feature a distinctive profile. Created in 2012, Calibre 03.03-L represented a major step in the development and maturity of Chopard Manufacture. The first chronograph movement to be produced within the Maison’s workshops, it is self-winding and its construction is integrated – meaning it is not a base calibre enriched with a modular functionality plate, but instead a unified whole.
It has given rise to several hand-wound or self-winding versions, with or without date and always in very limited series such as the L.U.C Chrono One, L.U.C 1963 Chronograph or Mille Miglia Classic XL 90th Anniversary Limited Edition models. Issued in a series of just 25, the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph is no exception to this rule of exclusivity.
Certified chronograph user friendliness
L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L is a descendant of L.U.C 03.03-L, yet hand-wound and with no date. It relies on its advanced functionalities, developed by Chopard’s R&D teams and for which four invention patents have been filed. The most visible is the flyback enabling consecutive timing operations without having to zero-reset the counters, thanks to the 4 o’clock pusher. Its extremely unusual hammer system involves three pivoting hammers with elastic arms activated by a single linear-displacement lever. These kinematics guarantee infallible operation and a peerlessly soft touch – a haptic factor symbolising all the care that the Chopard Manufacture watchmakers have lavished on L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L, as well as its level of quality.
Its coupling-clutch is vertical, thus guaranteeing more reliable starting of the chronograph seconds hand. Finally, pulling out the crown resets the small seconds at 6 o’clock to zero and keeps it there. This enables precise synchronisation with a reference time, a function stemming from the chronometer vocation of the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph. This element featured across the entire L.U.C collection reflects Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s consistent determination to ensure the precision rating of the timepieces produced by the Maison. This accuracy is highlighted on the dial by the word “Chronometer” and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).
Peak craft skills
In this hand-wound version, L.U.C Calibre 03.07-L is raised to even nobler status. The chronograph components take up most of the visible space: rhodium-plated bridges, yokes, levers and column wheel stand out against the rose-gilt background. This contrast is reinforced by the variety of surface treatments: circular graining for the base, straight-graining for the chronograph components and a Côtes de Genève motif on the bridges. The latter are fashioned in nickel silver, an exceptionally bright alloy.
However, nickel silver leaves scant room for mistakes, since no scratch on its surface can be repaired by polishing. A steady hand is required to polish its chamfers, the shiny wires outlining their contours. Their curves, dips, corners and tips are all complex shapes that are accentuated by excellent artisanal craftmanship. The latter is rewarded here by the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark: an independent certification reserved for watches of the highest technical as well as aesthetic quality – and of which Chopard is one of the most loyal users.
L.U.C Collection: horological fine workmanship
The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph timepiece is part of a continuing story that began over a quarter of a century ago when, under Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s leadership, Chopard established the L.U.C collection, devoted to Haute Horlogerie traditions and artistic crafts. Since the first L.U.C 1860 watch presented in 1997, the collection has expanded over the years, consistently offering exquisite, often highly original complications in watches devised, assembled, decorated and certified according to the finest traditions of Swiss watchmaking in Chopard’s Fleurier and Geneva watchmaking workshops. The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph demonstrates Chopard’s exceptional capacity for reinvention and surprise, and showcases the finest expertise and innovation cultivated within the Manufacture.