CHOPARD'S 13TH DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS TRIBUTE: L.U.C FULL STRIKE EDITION 13

Continuing its traditional tribute to Mexico's Day of the Dead, Chopard has unveiled the thirteenth edition of one of its most celebrated timepieces. Certified by the Poinçon de Genève, the new L.U.C Full Strike 'Día de los Muertos' Edition 13 combines the acoustic excellence of Chopard's award-winning minute repeater with exceptional artistic crafts — a one-of-a-kind creation in 18-carat ethical rose gold, its 42.5 mm case framing a dial depicting the calavera, one of the most recognisable symbols of the Día de los Muertos tradition.

Executed on a rose gold base within Chopard's dedicated workshop, the dial marks a first for the Maison: eggshell marquetry is introduced alongside deep-blue straw marquetry — two rare crafts requiring the delicate manipulation of organic, fragile and demanding materials. Crafted by a single artisan over a total of 160 hours, the dial combines more than 70 individually selected rye straw fragments with meticulously assembled eggshell inlays.

The straw, grown in France, is split and shaped by hand before being arranged in varying sizes and directions to evoke the lines and contours of a calavera, its natural fibres creating striking plays of light. The eggshell marquetry, seen on the eye sockets and teeth, undergoes an equally meticulous process: selected for its subtle hue, the shell is cleaned, dried, carefully broken by hand and assembled piece by piece, then lacquered and polished to a perfectly even surface. Around the eye sockets, the artisan has created a gradient effect, letting more black lacquer remain visible at the centre while the shell fragments tighten progressively towards the edges. The iconic moustache is fashioned from hand-engraved gold, and fine hand-executed chasing outlines the calavera, extending harmoniously onto the bezel, caseband and crown.

At the heart of this unique timepiece beats the L.U.C Calibre 08.01-L, the first minute repeater movement developed entirely by Chopard Manufacture. Introduced in 2016, the L.U.C Full Strike earned international acclaim for its patented monobloc sapphire technology — watch glass and gongs machined from a single piece of sapphire crystal — and was awarded the Aiguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2017. In a detail created specifically for this edition, the hammers, strike ratchet wheels bridge and repeater inertia governor drum feature a blue CVD treatment, forming a chromatic echo of the blue straw on the dial. Five patents protect the calibre's innovations.

"By associating an exceptional chiming complication with rare decorative crafts, the unique L.U.C Full Strike 'Día de los Muertos' Edition 13 celebrates both the richness of Mexican culture and the remarkable talents of our Artisans who perpetuate these precious skills," says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard.

Chopard's journey in chiming watches began in 2006 with the first L.U.C Strike One, leading to the landmark 2016 L.U.C Full Strike — the Maison's first fully in-house minute repeater — whose sapphire construction transforms the crystal itself into the resonator, later defining the 2022 'Sound of Eternity' series. As Chopard Manufacture Fleurier celebrates its 30th anniversary, the collection now culminates in the L.U.C Grand Strike, a grande sonnerie developed over more than 11,000 hours and protected by ten patents — the most complex chiming creation the Maison has ever produced. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele personally approves the sound of each finished chime.

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