Eye of the TIGER

More than meets the eye, haute horlogerie creations leap boldly into the Year of the Tiger, embellished by the decadence of Métiers d’Art decorative techniques.

- TAN SIOK HOON

L.U.C XP URUSHI YEAR OF THE TIGER BY CHOPARD

As much as the Lunar New Year celebrations is a tradition steeped in Chinese culture, Chopard has also cultivated a tradition that pays homage to each Lunar New Year. Since 2013, the Chopard Manufacture has presented annually a new collector’s timepiece with a lush, elegant dial flaunting a Chinese zodiac calendar-inspired motif rendered using the Japanese ancestral Urushi lacquer technique. This year’s L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Tiger watch is an 88-piece limited series—made from ethical 18k rose gold, housed in an ultra-thin case of 6.80 mm thickness and 39.5 mm diameter, and powered by the in-house self-winding L.U.C 96.17-L movement with 65-hour power reserve.

Each of the 88 dials are produced in the workshops of the century-old Yamada Heiando company and crafted by Master lacaquer artist Minori Koizumi. The perfectly preserved Urushi Maki-e craftwork is manifested by placing gold flakes between layers of lacquer made from the sap of the Toxicodendron vernicifluum tree. For the 2022 rendition, the highly detailed scenography—blending realism and lyrical beauty— features a strong and majestic tiger perched above a bay surrounded by cliffs, against a starlit backdrop. Symbolising fortune, wisdom, intelligence and creativity, the tiger’s optimism and auspice is being showcased by Chopard in a sumptuous creation that speaks of the Maison’s artistic and technical prowess.

CLASSICO “TIGER” BY ULYSSE NARDIN