Watches & Wonders 2026: Chopard is Celebrating Three Decades of Manufacturing in Fleurier With a New L.U.C 1860

Founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, Chopard is focusing this year primarily on the past 30 years. This is because, in 1996, on the initiative of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, the manufacture in Fleurier was established – the heart of the Swiss watchmaker’s horological expertise.

1996: The L.U.C. era at Chopard begins

The L.U.C movements – from design and development through to manufacture – are created at the Fleurier manufacture, making them Chopard’s most sophisticated timepieces. In 1996, however, the concept of a manufacture calibre was far from carrying the significance it does today. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele thus demonstrated great foresight three decades ago, which is now paying dividends in the form of independence in the field of cutting-edge movement technology under the L.U.C brand.

The name also reflects a return to the brand’s 19th-century roots. L.U.C stands for Louis-Ulysse Chopard, who founded a watchmaking workshop in Sonvilier in the Bernese Jura in 1860, thereby laying the foundations for today’s global watch and jewellery company.

It was only natural to mark the foundation stone of the company’s recent history, laid with the establishment of the manufacture in Fleurier, with the founder’s initials.

It all began in 1996 with the compact, COSC-certified and intricately decorated automatic calibre L.U.C 96.01-L (27.4 x 3.3 mm). Equipped with a micro-rotor, a double barrel and a 65-hour power reserve, it also marked the launch of the L.U.C watch collection. The first watch, the L.U.C 1860, was named ‘Watch of the Year’ by the Swiss magazine Montres Passion just one year later. Although ‘merely’ a three-hand watch, it opened the door to Haute Horlogerie for Chopard – and the maison boldly stepped through it.

The L.U.C 96.01-L, developed in collaboration with Michel Parmigiani, was also the result of strategic considerations: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele wanted to create a slim calibre to serve as the basis for elegant dress watch collections. At the same time, it laid the foundation for all of Chopard’s subsequent movements, some of which were significantly more complex.

Today, the range encompasses a wide variety of movements – from hand-wound to automatic, from high-frequency designs to calibres with an exceptionally long power reserve. It all began, however, with a simple three-hand watch.

“The L.U.C 1860 is the watch of greatest significance to the L.U.C collection. It marks the beginning of our journey into the heart of Haute Horlogerie – a path that has at times been extremely challenging, but has yielded many insights. This watch has become a classic – just as I imagined it would 30 years ago,” explains Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard.

2026: L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Chopard manufacture in Fleurier, the original L.U.C model from 1996 is being succeeded by a new version: the L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel. The design remains faithful to the original whilst subtly incorporating the innovations of the past 30 years.

Incidentally, this isn’t the first reinterpretation of the 1996 model. In 2019, for example, Ryan Reynolds wore an L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer in the film “6 Underground”. In 2023, Chopard also presented a one-off model at the world’s largest charity watch auction, Only Watch, whilst simultaneously launching an L.U.C 1860 for the regular collection. Both were crafted from Lucent Steel and fitted with the L.U.C 96.40-L movement, which also powers the new model.

The L.U.C 96.40-L movement: certified and bearing the seal

The modernised, 176-component version of the original calibre retains the same dimensions of 27.4 × 3.3 millimetres, is equipped with Chopard’s Twin technology – that is, two barrels – and offers a power reserve of around 65 hours. This is generated by the micro-rotor made from 22-carat ‘ethical gold’. Since 2018, Chopard has used only gold that is certified to meet international best-practice standards in terms of environmental protection and social responsibility.

The L.U.C 96.40-L calibre, operating at a frequency of 4 Hz, is certified as a chronometer by the COSC and can be adjusted with exceptional precision thanks to its swan-neck regulator and seconds-stop mechanism. It displays the hours, minutes and a small seconds hand. A date display has been deliberately omitted to preserve the watch’s understated aesthetic.

Every component is finished by hand, featuring polished or decorated surfaces and bevelled edges. The watch thus meets the criteria for the Poinçon de Genève. In addition to technical excellence and assembly, regulation and case manufacture in Geneva, the Geneva Seal also guarantees the exceptional aesthetic finish of key movement components.

The dial: traditional craftsmanship in blue

The colour of the dial, protected by sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, bears the evocative name ‘Areuse Blue’, inspired by the River Areuse in the Val-de-Travers near Fleurier. Its shifting shades of blue are reflected in the guilloché, sunburst pattern of the white gold dial. This is created in the workshops of dial specialist Metalem, which belongs to Chopard but also supplies other luxury watch brands.

Traditional machines are used in the process, some of which are over 100 years old. However, these merely define the pattern, whilst the precision and depth of each line are determined by the guillocheur.

The hand-guilloché dial is surrounded by a satin-finished hour ring featuring chevron-shaped markers in white gold. This material is also used for the Dauphine-style hour and minute hands, as well as for the baton-shaped seconds hand of the small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, which is likewise highlighted by a satin-finished ring.

The case: a classic shape with a modern finish

The classically proportioned case, water-resistant to 3 bar, retains the dimensions of the first L.U.C 1860, measuring 36.5 × 8.2 millimetres. In terms of materials, however, the brand is breaking new ground by opting for stainless steel instead of precious metal – specifically Lucent Steel, which has been used in all of Chopard’s steel models since 2023.

This in-house alloy was first introduced in 2019 with the Alpine Eagle collection and consists of 80 per cent recycled steel. On the new L.U.C 1860, it features a vertical satin finish on the sides and surfaces between the case lugs, whilst the bezel and case back—which features a sapphire crystal window—are polished.

Worn on an anthracite-grey leather strap with a Lucent Steel buckle, the new L.U.C 1860 costs €28,200.

chopard.com