CHOPARD – L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Edition

 

CHOPARD – L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer "Forest Green" Yellow Gold Limited Edition 2022
 

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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection : L.U.C

Model:  Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Edition

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 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 centered 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

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     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

 

EDITION  Exclusive  Limited edition to 50 pieces

MSRP: Price:  CHF 33,500 £

 

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Press Release - 2021
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