Each year Chopard dedicates an elaborately decorated L.U.C XP ultra-thin watch to the sign of the Chinese zodiac year. For 2022, the Year of the Water Tiger, Chopard unveils the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Tiger timepiece, an 88-piece limited series dedicated to the beast of honor. The Year of the Water Tiger will begin on February 1, 2022.
With its ultra-thin case, and powered by Chopard’s excellent L.U.C 96.17-L movement, the watch glows thanks to its dial adorned using the Urushi Maki-e technique combining lacquering and gold dust.
Chopard teamed with the workshops of the century-old company Yamada Heiando and Master lacquer artist Minori Koizumi to create the new series. Koizumi, who requires no less than 160 hours to decorate the dials, followed the traditions of the Maki-e technique. Koizumi places gold flakes between layers of lacquer made from tree sap to create the background. Then, the artisan adds the tiger into the image above a bay surrounded by cliffs.
The gold mined to create the 39.5mm rose gold case is sourced from an ethical supply chain pioneered by Chopard. The thin case takes full advantage of the caliber inside, which measures a wispy 3.30mm thick. This is why Chopard can size the entire watch at a mere 6.8mm thick.
And despite its small size, the L.U.C 96.17-L with its strong micro-rotor and two stacked barrels, offers the wearer an impressive 65-hour power reserve.
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