Chopard Unveils L.U.C XP Urushi ‘Year of the Monkey’ Watch
- artburo
- 4th January 2016
As we all prepare to celebrate the new year in our respective customs, Chopard celebrates, as well, by introducing the L.U.C XP Urushi “Year of the Monkey” watch. Indeed, the Chinese New Year that starts on February 8, 2016, marks the year of the witty and clever monkey.
Last week, we brought you the first of several watches we expect to see in celebration of the Chinese New Year. You can read more about that watch, the Harry Winston Premier Monkey.
Now, we introduce you to the Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi “Year of the Monkey,” a continuation of the brand’s tradition of annually creating a new, exclusive series of L.U.C XP watches dedicated to the Chinese zodiac.
The watch is superb in several different ways. First, it embraces the ancient art form of Urushi — Japanese decorative lacquer – to depict the monkey. This is no easy feat in the Métiers d’ Arts world, as the varnish is actually made from sap that is harvested from the Urushi tree just once a year – making the material quite rare.
Additionally, Chopard typically combines this lacquer painting with the art of Maki-e – a sprinkling of gold dust applied using tiny bamboo tubes. In all, the hand painting of the dial is long, tedious and time-consuming. However, Chopard only works with the best. The painting is designed and supervised in Japan by Master Kilchiro Masumura, who has achieved the rank in Japan as “living human treasure” due to his abilities. The execution of the painting is done by Master Minori Koizumi of Yamada Heiando, official purveyor to the Japanese Imperial family.
This depiction of the monkey shows him gathering peaches and is a fabled Chinese concept that is believed to bring good luck. The red-coated monkey is depicted on a warm-tone background meant to reflect a golden sunset behind the peach branches.The L.U.C XP watch is a 39.5mm 18-karat gold case that houses the ultra-thin (3.30mm thick) L.U.C Caliber 96.17-L. Built in-house in Chopard’s Swiss workshops, the self-winding movement is equipped with the brand’s Twin® technology that offers two barrels to ensure 65 hours of power reserve. The movement, with its exquisite finishings and 22-karat gold micro-rotor, is visible via a transparent sapphire caseback.
The watch is presented in a specially made presentation box created using Urushi techniques. It is created in a limited edition and retails for $24,290.