Chiming the Hours: Chopard Unveils the L.U.C Strike One, a Passage au Sonnerie

The Chopard Manufacture celebrates the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C collection with a Sonnerie au Passage, which is limited to 25 pieces. The timepiece has its entrance in a rose gold case made of ethical gold with a diameter of 40mm and a svelte height of 9.86mm. The L.U.C Strike One, which chimes the hour on a patented monobloc sapphire gong, has also been awarded the prestigious Geneva Seal and carries a COSC chronometer certificate. 

The L.U.C Strike One timepiece echoes the aesthetic codes of the sophisticated L.U.C XPS 1860 model, starting with its solid gold dial in ruthenium gray, bearing a snailed outer circle and a hand-guilloché center adorned with a refined honeycomb pattern.

At 1 o'clock, the dial features a cut-out revealing the mirror-polished steel hammer that generates the chime. The periphery of the dial bears a railway-type minutes track, engraved on the sapphire crystal. Just below this lay the one component that makes the L.U.C Strike One so exclusive: a monobloc sapphire gong.

The chime-in-passing mechanism rings out only when the minutes hand reaches 12 o'clock. Twenty-four times a day, on the hour, its hammer is automatically armed and strikes the gong, just once.

To perfect its sound quality, Chopard collaborated with violinist Renaud Capuçon and his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon, as well as Professor Romain Boulandet, head of the Applied Acoustics Laboratory at Geneva's HEPIA engineering school. Their tests, conducted in an anechoic chamber perfectly isolated from outside noise, have shown that the sound is of exceptional intensity, clarity, and length.

The L.U.C Strike One is powered by the new 96.32-L caliber, which features the typical architecture of the L.U.C movement family. The sapphire crystal case back showcases the superb finishing quality in accordance with the Geneva Seal and the micro-rotor made of 22-carat ethical gold. With its double barrel, the Chopard Twin technology ensures a power reserve of 65 hours, even when the sonnerie is activated.

In addition, the 96.32-L has a new feature compared to the manfuacturs's first movement with a Sonnerie au Passage, which was launched in 2006. The push-piece for activating the striking mechanism is now integrated into the crown; previously it was placed at 10 o'clock. This pusher can be used to switch between silent mode and the Sonnerie au Passage mode, which is indicated in a gold-framed round aperture at 12 o'clock.

The price is not publicly available as of yet.

To learn more, visit Chopard, here.