Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Mexican-Themed Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Día de los Muertos Edition 13
Chopard decorates its minute repeater with elaborate straw-and-eggshell marquetry in a unique rose-gold watch celebrating Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
Chopard continues its tribute to Mexican culture with the thirteenth interpretation of its L.U.C Full Strike. This latest one-of-a-kind “Día de los Muertos” creation pairs one of the manufacture’s most technically accomplished watches with an elaborate dial depicting a calavera, the stylised skull associated with the celebration of life and remembrance. The 2021 version of the minute repeater featured a calavera dial in champlevé, with a blue lacquered skull set with mother-of-pearl teeth and diamonds; the new edition introduces eggshell marquetry, paired with deep-blue straw marquetry.
The watch is housed in a 42.5mm case crafted from 18-carat ethical rose gold, measuring 11.55mm thick. The bezel, caseband, crown and exhibition caseback are hand-engraved, extending the decorative work beyond the dial.
The dial is built on a rose-gold base. More than 70 individual fragments of rye straw, grown in France, are split, shaped and arranged by hand to create the contours of the calavera, outlined by fine hand-executed chasing. Eggshell marquetry, introduced here for the first time at Chopard, forms the eye sockets and teeth. Each fragment is cleaned, dried, broken and placed before the surface is lacquered and polished. Around the eyes, the artisan creates a graduated effect by varying the shell’s density. A hand-engraved gold moustache with a raised L.U.Chopard logo completes the composition, which is framed by the minutes track running the dial’s periphery. The hours and minutes are displayed centrally, while concentric indicators at 2 o’clock show the remaining power reserve for the movement and striking mechanism.
Partially visible dial side through the aperture on the left, and through the display caseback, the manually wound L.U.C 08.01-L calibre is the manufacture’s first fully in-house minute repeater, introduced in 2016. The movement comprises 533 components, runs at 28,800 vibrations/hour and provides a 60-hour power reserve. Five patented innovations protect the calibre’s mechanisms, including systems designed to prevent interruptions during chiming and avoid interference when activating the repeater. For this edition, the hammers, strike ratchet wheels, bridge and repeater inertia governor drum receive blue CVD treatment, the colour of the straw marquetry. The movement is finished to the Poinçon de Genève standards.
The Chopard L.U.C Full Strike “Día de los Muertos” Edition 13 is a unique piece. It is presented on a hand-sewn cognac-brown alligator leather strap with tone-on-tone lining, closed with a hand-engraved rose-gold deployant clasp. Price is upon request. For more information, please visit Chopard.com.
