Interview and text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
The lone top runner LUC has reached
A Minute Repeater from Another Dimension
"Repeaters are the holy grail of watchmaking," said Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.
"So I didn't want to make an ordinary watch." In addition, considering that Chopard had made repeating watches in the 19th century,
Mr. Scheufele, a man of history, is the subject of Chopard Manufacture's 20th anniversary celebrations
It was only natural that they chose a repeater, as development began five years ago.
After a lengthy 17,000 hours of work, the LUC Full Strike is a watch that redefines the standard for repeaters.
LUC Full Strike
This minute repeater took five years to complete. The crystal and gongs are integrally molded from sapphire crystal, resulting in exceptional volume and sound quality. It also features a comprehensive safety system to prevent malfunctions. Manually wound (Cal. LUC 08.01-L). 63 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 60 hours. 18K Fairmined RG (diameter 42.5mm). Water resistant to 30m. Limited to 20 pieces. Price: 30,020,000 yen.
On November 11, 2016, watch journalists from around the world gathered in Fleurier, Switzerland, to attend the world premiere of the "LUC Full Strike," a model commemorating the 20th anniversary of Chopard's founding. Seated in the front row were members of the Scheufele family, surrounded by Chopard's technical staff, designers, and sales representatives, the entire venue packed with people. Following explanations by Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and then by designer Guy Bove, the new minute repeater was unveiled.
The first thing I was shown was a blueprint of the entire watch. What caught my eye was the huge hammer, the comparatively compact repeater mechanism, and the crown button that operates the repeater. Judging from the large hammer, I imagine Chopard wanted to create a loud sound. However, because the repeater mechanism is small, it seems unlikely that the torque required to move the hammer could be generated. Also, since it is operated by a button, it must be a sonnerie-type repeater with a dedicated mainspring for the repeater. As expected, the space allocated to the repeater mechanism would be smaller. The torque for the mainspring can be generated, but on the flip side, the repeater mechanism would be even smaller. This means that, in theory, the sound would be proportionally quieter.
However, my expectations were completely exceeded. Chopard's engineers miniaturized the space-consuming repeater system by stacking it vertically. They also molded the gongs out of sapphire crystal instead of steel to improve the sound. They even molded the crystal and gongs as a single piece to enhance the acoustics.
The idea of gluing the gong and crystal together had already been realized by Jaeger-LeCoultre in a series of outstanding repeater watches. However, molding the gong and crystal as a single piece was an unprecedented attempt. The resulting sound quality is clear, "like striking crystal glass" (Scheufele). The volume is also approximately 65 dB (64 dB for the hour, 65 dB for the minute), one of the loudest among current repeater watches. What's more, because the gong is molded from sapphire crystal, sound adjustment is virtually unnecessary.
The meticulous attention to detail that characterizes LUC continues in this new model. Designer Shalapi Nicholas explains, "This is the only repeater that uses sapphire gongs. Some people may be concerned about durability, but we have conducted durability tests of 15 million cycles and it has also passed a durability test of 450 g." Furthermore, by adding a skip function that optimizes the spacing of the teeth, unnecessary intervals are eliminated between the sounding of the hours, quarter-hours, and minutes. From what I've heard, this repeater is the best of any repeater to date in terms of volume, sound quality, and tuning.
Careful consideration was also given to safety. A common problem with sonnerie repeaters is that the mainspring will break and the repeater will stop. "This watch has enough torque to chime 12:59 12 times. If there is not enough power left in the mainspring, the repeater will not work," says Nicolas. Looking at the blueprint, the power reserve display mechanism for the repeater is connected to the repeater, and it will be blocked if there is not enough power left.
This is a full-strike watch with a separate barrel for the minute repeater. It has enough torque to strike 12:59 twelve times. The repeater mechanism is small compared to the hammer, but the minute and hour comb teeth are rounded, with a compact quarter comb tooth sandwiched between them, resulting in an extremely space-saving design while optimizing the relationship between the gong and hammer. As a result, it is possible to strike the repeater at a volume of approximately 65dB. On the right is the movement under assembly. German silver is used for the baseplate and bridge. According to the watchmaker in charge, "There are a considerable number of parts, 533, so assembly is much more difficult than with a regular LUC. However, because the gong is made of sapphire crystal, the repeater does not require much adjustment."
Scheufele said, "Repeater watches are like the holy grail of the watch industry, so we didn't want to make something ordinary."
Jean-Philippe Arme of Watch Around magazine, who was in attendance at the launch, has always been a vocal critic of "instant complicated watches." I asked this leading Swiss journalist frankly what he thought of the new repeater.
"Many complications are just slight modifications of existing models. However, the LUC Full Strike is completely different. Moreover, sufficient consideration has been given to durability. I think of Chopard as a company similar to Rolex or Patek Philippe. Many watch manufacturers wait to see what the market will be like before releasing a product. However, Chopard decides on the watch themselves. Chopard takes their time to wait until the product is complete, and then releases it to the market once it is complete."
