Chopard is delighted to present the third watch in the L.U.C Skull One series, an exclusive timepiece collection inspired by Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The 25-piece limited-edition’s bold, high-concept design captures the Maison’s creativity and imagination, while staying true to its culture of horological excellence. At its centre is a vivid, a pop art-inspired Mexican calavera, the skull symbol associated to the annual festival, presented in bright flashes of colour and surrounded by a 40mm black bead-blasted, DLC-coated stainless-steel case. The watch is powered by L.U.C 96.53-L, an exquisitely hand-finished automatic calibre conceived and crafted in Chopard Manufacture workshops.
A pop art design for a colourful celebration
At base, the L.U.C Skull One Calavera Pop Art is a blackened stainless steel watch powered by an exquisite, hand-finished mechanical watch movement. It’s also slimline, with a thickness of just 7.2 mm. But it will be remembered for its striking, colourful interpretation of the Day of the Dead tradition, elegantly visualised by Chopard artisans. Its dial features a transferred skull motif in punchy hues of blue, red, orange, green and yellow, giving the watch its non-conformist, pop-art feel. At the same time, the watch’s black DLC-coated case and black Dauphine hour and minute hands lend it stark, shadowy contrasts. Even the mischievous moustachioed L.U.Chopard logo, which recalls the Maison’s founder Louis-Ulysse, has been given a kitsch look reminiscent of Day of the Dead motifs. The watch is set on a black calfskin leather strap with green and red leather lining and stitching, representing the colours of the Mexican national flag. The strap’s stainless steel buckle is also finished with a black DLC coating.
Life below: the movement L.U.C 96.53-L
Behind the L.U.C Skull One Calavera Pop Art’s lively dial is Chopard L.U.C 96.53-L, a high-end, ultra-thin automatic calibre conceived and assembled in Chopard Manufacture workshops in Fleurier. Thanks to Chopard’s Twin Technology, whereby two co-axial barrels work in sequence, the movement delivers a 58-hour power reserve. It also features a balance spring with a flat terminal curve, mounted on a balance wheel oscillating at 28,800vph (4hz). The movement’s bridges are beautifully hand-finished with côtes de Genève stripes. These components, alongside the movement’s tungsten alloy micro-rotor, are visible through a gently tinted sapphire crystal case back chosen to heighten the sense that on the Day of the Dead, the wearer will be taking a glimpse into a mysterious, endlessly captivating realm.
The L.U.C Collection: 25 years of craftsmanship
The L.U.C Skull One Calavera Pop Art is part of a continuing story that began when, under Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s leadership, Chopard established the L.U.C collection, devoted to the art and traditions of fine watchmaking. The first watch in the line, the L.U.C 1860, was introduced 25 years ago. The collection has expanded over the years, consistently offering exquisite, often highly original complications in watches devised, developed, produced, assembled, decorated and certified according to the finest traditions of Swiss watchmaking in Chopard’s Fleurier and Geneva watchmaking workshops. The audacious L.U.C Skull One Calavera Pop Art marks the next chapter in this enchanting tale, simultaneously demonstrating Chopard’s undimmed capacity for reinvention and surprise. This 25-piece timepiece is a rare, playful, highly collectible execution of Chopard’s watchmaking and design codes – and will live long in the memory.
