Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watch

The Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watch is a superb complicated timepiece that combines the perpetual calendar mechanism with an utterly unique and extremely accurate orbital moonphase display. Chopard's watchmakers have created a masterpiece of haute horlogerie in a Chopard Manufacture movement that comprises more than 354 individual pieces, and has earned the prestigious Geneva Quality Hallmark (the Geneva Seal).

The Chopard 1.96 Caliber, introduced by Chopard in 1996, heralded the re-emergence of the brand as a Manufacture of the highest traditional quality. The Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watch is animated by the L.U.C. 96 QP caliber; it is derived from the famous Chopard L.U.C. 1.96 caliber movement which is then elaborated to support the complex perpetual calendar functions. The Lunar One watch displays the day, date, month, and leap year, all the while automatically taking into account the length of each month, and the variability of February, according to the leap year cycle.

The moonphase indicator is the most visually striking indication on the dial this exquisite Chopard timepiece, and it is composed of a rotating sapphire discs beneath the subsidiary seconds display. As these sapphire discs slowly turn, they indicate the proper phase of the moon as it appears throughout the 29.5 day cycle. Equipped with extremely precise gearing, this moonphase display will only show an error of 1 day after 122 years have passed! Another sign of the thought that Chopard has invested in this exceptional watch is the highly legible grand date display, which has been given prominence in the center of the dial, in the form of a dual-disc indicator.

In its fundamental technique the Chopard L.U.C. 96QP movement is a remarkable achievement, and each detail--both technical and aesthetic---speaks of Chopard's preoccupation with horological excellence. Bridges, complete with gold-filled engravings, are decorated with hand-applied Cotes de Geneve; small perlage decorations can be found beneath the finely-engraved 22K gold microrotor. The swan-neck fine adjustment spring, crafted from steel, has been flawlessly chamfered, as have the edges of all the plates; a close examination demonstrates the great care that Chopard's master watchmakers invest in each miniscule detail.

This craft extends even to the underside of the plates, which only a watchmaker will ever see---a tell-tale characteristic found only on movements of the highest quality. Thanks to the massive 22K gold microrotor, which utilizes an efficient bi-directional system with a rocker and pawl, the Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watch winds quickly to its impressive power reserve of 70 hours, attained by the means of two co-axially stacked mainspring barrels which operate in series. This important feature assures ideal energy transmission and isochronism. The precision of each Chopard L.U.C. 96QP movement is also thoroughly tested by the Controle Officiel Suisse des Chro nometres (COSC), where it is submitted to especially stringent tests reserved exclusively for movements that bear the Geneva Seal. The Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watch measures 40.5mm in diameter, and is produced exclusively in platinum or 18K rose gold, in a limited edition of only 250 pieces for each metal. The dials of the Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One watches offer a remarkable level of detail, and are presented in two versions---a bold, elegantly modern design with Arabic numerals, and a more classical one, in silvered gold, that displays flared Roman numerals and a beautifully rendered hand-engraved guilloche pattern. These dials, like every other part of the L.U.C. Lunar One watch, display the uncanny skill of the Chopard watchmakers in creating a true example of haute de gamme artistry that will delight the most discriminating connoisseur.