Chopard L.U.C XP Skeletec bares its bones with an ultra-thin movement

Four years after its launch in 2012, Chopard’s skeletonised mechanical self-winding movement L.U.C Calibre 96.17-S is newly incorporated into a distinctive design, the latest addition to the brand’s XP line. The elegant L.U.C XP Skeletec embodies the very philosophy of essentials, encasing the ultra-thin movement in a new slate-grey sunburst satin-brushed dial frame.

The house’s skeletonised movement combines both technical sophistication and refined elegance. There is a need for a high degree of horological mastery to skeletonise an ultra-thin movement as such, and Chopard demonstrates this with a new take on tradition. Beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), the self-winding calibre has a 65-hour power reserve thanks to Chopard’s patented system that combines two coaxial barrels in a 3.3 mm-thick movement. Take in the details of this movement through the openworked bridges and a Côtes de Genève-adorned mainplate.

The new dial forms a ring between the case and the heart, allowing for a perfect readability of the time. The modern play on colours (slate-grey dial and the 18-carat rose gold hour-markers) adds a distinctive contemporary touch to the timepiece. The 39.5 mm-diameter model is elegance personified with two gilded Dauphine-type hands and the inscription L.U.Chopard in white on the glareproofed sapphire crystal. The new L.U.C XP Skeletec watch comes on an alligator leather strap with an 18-carat rose gold pin buckle and is issued in a 288-piece limited series.

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