Hands-on: Limited Edition Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire Watch
Haute Horlogerie is largely a visual spectacle. Much of the experience of a fake luxury watches is in its appearance - the quality of the finish, the shapes that make up the design, the use of colors. Aside from the tactile wearing experience (and the very occasional scented rubber strap), timepieces are generally not designed to stimulate our other senses, but the minute repeater is the dramatic musical exception to this rule. First released at Watches and Wonders 2022, the limited-edition Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire takes the classic minute repeater design in a spectacular new direction, offering a full sapphire watch that is as pleasing to the ears as it is to the eyes, and introduces a Series of new horological innovations.
Normally a sapphire case would be a clear (no pun intended) visual highlight of any watch, but it's a testament to the finishing and movement work of the Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire, an exotic case that doesn't overshadow the rest the design. The 42.5mm wide case design itself is clean and classic, with elongated tapered lugs, a narrow round bezel and a manageable 11.5mm thick profile. However, this is the pinnacle of the Chopard collection, which the brand aims to differentiate from its sapphire rivals through attention to detail. The most obvious example of this fine detail work on the case is undoubtedly the crown. Many sapphire case designs compromise on the cost or practicality of the crown, choosing to take this extremely complex and wear-resistant shape in metal rather than laboriously molding the grippable toothed edges into superhard sapphire crystal. Chopard not only created a full crystal crown for the LUC Full Strike Sapphire, but added an integrated minute repeater pusher, also made of sapphire, to this complication. It's a subtle force move on top of the more public spectacle, but one that stands out given the difficulty of making small, complex sapphire parts.
However, the minute repeater case is more than just a standard case, and another Chopard achievement with the LUC Full Strike Sapphire is its quality as an instrument. Any minute repeater case can act as a resonator for the internal striking mechanism, and while watchmakers have centuries of experience in creating full, rich sounds with metal cases, sapphire cases are a relatively new phenomenon. At first glance, this may seem like a sound engineering question - how does Chopard create a pleasing tone from untested materials? In fact, sapphire crystal has excellent acoustic properties (recall any time someone draws attention to themselves at a crowded wedding by simply tapping a crystal barware). LUC Full Strike Sapphire provides a clear, even and exceptionally loud ringtone.replica Chopard L.U.C Watch
Although the layout is carried over from an earlier version of LUC Full Strike, the execution of the Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire dial is quite different. Although at first glance it appears to be a completely hollowed-out design, the use of a partial sapphire dial layer gives the overall look both a sense of visual depth and a clearer basis for legibility, without detracting from the drama of the hollowed-out movement below. Chopard has chosen the iconic rhodium-plated stepped dauphine mobile phone of the LUC series, combined with the railway outer minute track and the slender pointed applied hour markers, making the design a unique fusion of classic and futuristic charm. The seconds hand running at 6 o'clock is more or less standard fare, but the dual power reserve indicator at 2 o'clock makes it clear that something special is going on under the hood (if the skeletal layout and sapphire case haven't already made the case). you know). The internal Poser reserve scale tracks the usual winding progress of the mainspring, while the external scale provides a way for the wearer to monitor the second concentric mainspring barrel of LUC's Full Strike Sapphire, designed for the power-hungry three. Ask for complications and keep it.
The Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire's in-house LUC 08.01-L hand-wound minute repeater movement features sheer visual complexity and ornate decoration, making it a true horological spectacle without the need for a striking mechanism. From the dial side, an intricate web of skeleton bridges can be seen, finished with clean vertical brushing and polished corners above the warm pearl-finish nickel silver (sometimes called German silver) main plate. Of course, what really stands out is the pair of large axe-shaped minute repeater hammers from 9 to 11 o'clock. These, combined with Chopard's patented sapphire crystal gongs, create a beautiful bright, clear tone. From the rear of the car, LUC 08.01-L is simpler and more classic.high quality copy watches
However, the LUC 08.01-L movement is more than just a visual display. Chopard has introduced several unique innovations to this movement, mainly designed around the protection of the precise minute repeater mechanism. First, if the dedicated mainspring barrel for the minute repeater does not have enough energy to complete the striking sequence, the movement includes an automatic safety disconnect to prevent the pusher from engaging the striking and potentially damaging the assembly for part of the cycle. Related to this, once the complication is activated, the integrated crown minute repeater pusher is automatically disengaged by another proprietary safety system, preventing the pusher from accidentally stopping the striking cycle and damaging the components. Chopard's patented variable inertia balance also helps the movement maintain a steady 60-hour power reserve at a beat rate of 28,800 bph. The dedicated mainspring barrel for the minute repeater also provides a considerable power reserve, enough to play the longest chiming sequence (12 hours 59 minutes) before it needs to be wound. Chopard has mounted the LUC Full Strike Sapphire on a high-impact grey alligator strap with dramatic highlights and lowlights to match the bright quality of the sapphire case and inner movement.
With an elegant, striking design, the limited edition Chopard LUC Full Strike Sapphire elevates the visual and aural aspects of the timepiece and is one of the most visually and technically impressive editions of 2022 to date.replica Richard Mille Felipe Massa
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