W&W 2022 Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer "Forest Green" Limited Edition

The new L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer timepiece harbours a wealth of secrets and symbols. On one side, an exceptionally refined 18-carat hand-guilloché dial. On the other, an equally guilloché officer-type back cover that opens to reveal the ultra-thin 3.30 mm L.U.C 96.01-L movement. Thus equipped with the first Chopard Manufacture calibre presented in 1997, endowed with Chopard Twin technology and a 22-carat gold micro-rotor, the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer model epitomises all the elegance and fine craftsmanship of Chopard Haute Horlogerie. This 50-piece limited edition timepiece featuring a 40 mm-diameter case crafted in ethical 18-carat yellow gold and framing a Forest Green dial is chronometer-certified and bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. It adorns the wrist of contemporary gentlemen with both distinction and discretion.

A gentleman’s elegance lies in a subtle blend of delicacy, secrecy and mystery. Reflecting this inherent modesty, the spirit of L.U.C XPS timepieces has always been imbued with a sense of discretion, purity and refinement. With its guilloché dial and its hinged officer-type back cover, the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer model remains entirely true to this chosen path. The honeycomb motif appearing on the outside of the back cover matches that of the dial, naturally catching the light and capturing the gaze. A closer look reveals the true nature of the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer watch, when the wearer presses the crown to open the back cover concealing its sapphire crystal case-back. It opens via an ingenious spring system and remains in that position. This same mechanism makes a pleasing click upon closing, thus confirming that the cover is properly locked.

Artistry and ritual

Officer-type back covers served to protect pocket watch glasses, as well as providing space for unique and personalised engravings. With the transition to the wrist, the watch industry no longer had any real need for these precious ‘bonnets’ concealing the ‘engine’, yet the sense of artistry and ritual remained.

The Forest Green dial of the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer timepiece is crafted on a solid gold base. Its outer section is sunburst satin-brushed and its small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock is finely snailed. A hand-guilloché honeycomb motif adorns the central part, a motif appearing in an enlarged version on the outside of the back cover. This design refers to two key landmarks in the history of Chopard.

A proud engraving heritage

The first marks the creation of the first watch made by Chopard Manufacture, the L.U.C 1860, launched in 1997 and graced with a central hand-guilloché motif. The second dates back to the founding of the Maison by Louis-Ulysse Chopard. Since its creation, and until the 1920s, Chopard laid claim to the symbolism represented by bees. Its watches at the time were all engraved, both on their movements and inside their covers, with a beehive surrounded by bees. When Chopard Manufacture was created in 1996, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele chose to reprise this image by associating it with certain models in the L.U.C collection, thus named in tribute to the Maison founder.

The inside of the back cover protecting the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer picks up the hand-engraving of the beehive and bees, with the latter appearing in a random manner that ensures each model is truly unique.

The ornamental appeal of these various engravings is underpinned by references to the nature of bees: industrious, honest and modest, all essential contributors to an overall achievement that holds together through cooperation and hard work. The elegance of the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer model, its perfectly balanced and timeless proportions, and the quality of its craftsmanship confirmed by the Poincon de Genève quality hallmark, all echo the ethical approach that guided its creation. 

L.U.C: 25 years of horological excellence 

A single press on the crown-integrated pusher of the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer timepiece is enough to open the hinged back cover, as a pleasing prelude to a fascinating discovery. This slender cover barely changes the volume of the watch which remains a mere 7.7 mm thick, nor its feel on the wrist. It merely serves to conceal – inside the case in ethical 18-carat yellow gold case with its vertical satin-brushed flanks – the ultra-thin L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L. In 1997, this innovative movement gave rise to the L.U.C collection by equipping the yellow gold L.U.C model: the first timepiece by Chopard Manufacture, named “Watch of the Year” at the time of its launch by the Swiss Montres Passion (Uhrenwelt) magazine. 

The L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer watch proudly bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. This aesthetic and technical certification is approved by an independent authority and governed by a law promulgated by the Canton of Geneva, dictating the conditions of peerless excellence. These criteria apply to the case and the movement, including structural elements, precision and the omnipresence of superlative surface finishing.

The automatic winding of L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L is handled by an engraved micro-rotor in ethical 22-carat gold, whose high inertia optimises its efficiency. It supplies two barrels stacked in accordance with Chopard’s Twin technology and guaranteeing a 65-hour power reserve. These enable L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L to beat with chronometer-certified precision. This level of quality corresponds to a personal requirement laid down by Chopard Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who is especially attached to ensuring the chronometer-worthy precision of all L.U.C models with a small seconds display, all certified by the Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).

Technical specifications

Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer

Reference: 161242-0001

Limited edition of 50 pieces

Case

• Material: Ethical 18-carat yellow gold
• Diameter: 40.00 mm
• Thickness: 7.70 mm
• Crown in ethical 18-carat yellow gold with L.U.C logo 5.00 mm
• Vertical satin-brushed flanks and inter-horn space
• Polished bezel and case-back
• Glareproofed sapphire crystal
• Exhibition back protected by a crown-activated hinged cover
• Inside of back cover bears the historical Chopard Manufacture logo
• Outside of back cover adorned with a hand-guilloché honeycomb motif
• Water-resistant to 30 metres

Dial and hands

• Forest Green dial in 18-carat gold.
• Chapter ring with sunburst satin-brushed decoration centred around the Chopard logo
• Hand-guilloché honeycomb motif
• Gilded Dauphine-type hours, minutes and small seconds hands

Movement

• Caliber L.U.C 96.01-L
• Mechanical self-winding
• Diameter: 27.4 mm
• Thickness: 3.30 mm
• Number of jewels: 29 
• Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
• Power reserve of 65 hours
• Winding via a micro-rotor in ethical 22-carat gold
• Two barrels - Chopard Twin technology
• Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
• Chronometer-certified (COSC)
• Poinçon de Genève

Functions/Indications

• Central display of the hours and minutes
• Small seconds at 6 o’clock
• Date at 6 o’clock
• Stop-seconds function

Strap and buckle

• Hand-sewn brown alligator leather strap with green alligator lining
• Pin buckle in ethical 18-carat yellow gold

MSRP: CHF 33'500

For more information, please visit chopard.com