Halo Effect

One atelier to rule them all? That would be Chopard’s L.U.C division

- Parth Charan

In an era of big-ticket watch conglomerates, Chopard prefers to sail above the choppy seas of sales and revenue all on its own. The brand remains family-owned to this day, continuously emphasising the importance of independence. However, it takes a lot more to withstand economic downturns and changing preferences and continue to thrive. Back in the mid-1990s, Chopard had come to be known primarily for its jewellery watches, and needed to once again establish itself as a card-carrying member of the upper chamber of Swiss horology.

Which is why, in 1996, it created the L.U.C division. Named after the founder and family patriarch Louis-Ulysse Chopard, this was a sort of skunk works project created to demonstrate that Chopard still possessed the horological chops to go toe-to-toe with Switzerland’s – and, as a corollary, the world’s – best mechanical timepieces. And if the 2018 L.U.C collection is anything to go by, Chopard seems to have made its point.

This niche division is responsible for manufacturing roughly 4,500 units this year, of a total of 75,000 from Chopard. Every watch under the L.U.C brand is crafted, assembled and decorated by hand exclusively at the brand’s atelier in Fleurier, Switzerland. And in the 2018 collection, Chopard has created some of the most complex and innovative grand complications in its history.