Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Beautifully Refreshed Aesthetics of the Chopard L.U.C Lunar One
A new case shape, more compact dimensions and refined guilloché dials elevate Chopard’s perpetual calendar and orbital moon phases to new heights.
The L.U.C Lunar One was Chopard’s first calendar and astronomy complication. Unveiled in 2005, the model combines a perpetual calendar and a precision orbital moon phase display in a rotating aperture. Twenty years later, Chopard revisits its L.U.C Lunar One with a more compact basin-style case, a trimmer, more legible dial decorated with hand-guilloché in blue and salmon and a practical quick-release system for the strap. Still powered by the L.U.C 96.13-L calibre with a micro-rotor, the movement is chronometer-certified, and the Poinçon de Genève hallmark attests to the high-quality finishings of the new Lunar One models.
More Compact & Reshaped Case
In keeping with the L.U.C family’s penchant for discreet luxury and refined proportions, many fans of the Lunar One will be delighted to learn that the 43mm diameter case of the original has been reduced to a more compact 40.5mm. The thickness, however, has increased slightly from 11.47mm to 11.63mm but is tolerable given the impressive mechanical goodies below deck. The new basin-shaped case, meaning that its base is narrower than its domed bezel, harks back to the founder’s pocket watches of the 19th century.
Available in Chopard’s ethically sourced 18k white or rose gold, the flanks of the new case and sides of the short, curved lugs are decorated with a vertical satin-brushed finish. Incidentally, the lugs are made separately and welded to the case. The new crown is larger with refined polished fluting and a sandblasted top with L.U.C engraved in relief and polished. In contrast, the top surface of the lugs and the prominent rounded bezel are polished. Topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal matching the curves of the bezel, the new case is a blueprint for future timepieces.
Cleaner Dial & Guilloché
L.U.C models are no strangers to the art of guilloché practised by artisans at the Chopard manufacture on historical lathes. The white gold model flaunts a stunning salmon pink dial, while the rose gold is paired with a lovely blue dial. Both dials are decorated with a sunburst hand-guilloché pattern that radiates from the moon phase aperture at 6 o’clock.
Compared to earlier editions, the dial is noticeably cleaner and less cluttered. By removing the large Roman numerals and replacing them with slimmer and more elegant herringbone-style gold indices and eliminating the conspicuous railway minutes track on the periphery, the dial obtains more breathing space. The big date displayed at noon occupies two separate windows, and its white background makes it easy to read. While the other calendar functions retain their original layout – days of the week and day/night indication at 9 o’clock and month and leap year at 3 o’clock – there are fewer tracks and dividing markers. The inscriptions now stick to just one colour, making them clearer and more legible. Like the indices, the Dauphine fusée hands are also crafted in white or rose gold but are not treated with luminescence.
Orbital Moon Phases
Complementing the perpetual calendar functions is the precision moon phase display, which only needs a one-day correction once every 122 years. Like the perpetual calendar sub-dials, the moon phase aperture at 6 o’clock is slightly recessed, and its outer small seconds track is decorated with concentric snailing. The blue celestial background represents the sky in the Northern Hemisphere with the Big Dipper and the sky in the Southern Hemisphere with the Southern Cross. Described as an orbital moon phase display, the night star rotates around the small seconds axis.
L.U.C 96.13L
The L.U.C 96.13L chronometer-certified calibre is powered by a solid gold micro-rotor decorated with guilloché, an unusual feature for a perpetual calendar and a trait inherited from the first L.U.C 1860 watch of 1996 with its much-lauded 1.96 calibre. Another standout feature of the calibre 1.96 is its two mainspring barrels, incorporated here for the impressive 65-hour power reserve. All 355 components are produced and assembled in the manufacture. Beautiful finishings across the movement abound – hand-chamfering, satin-brushing, polishing, circular graining and Côtes de Genève – earning the Poinçon de Genève hallmark.
Interchangeable Strap
Last but not least, the new Lunar One models feature a convenient, tool-free and simple-to-operate interchangeable strap system (visible on the watch’s reverse side). The watch is delivered with an alligator leather strap and a calfskin leather strap with a gold pin buckle that matches the case material.
The Chopard Lunar One models in white and rose gold retail for CHF 81,600 or EUR 92,200. More information at Chopard.com.
