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TWENTY-FIVE years after its foundation, Chopard Manufacture is a comprehensive hub of skills encompassing all aspects of the art of watchmaking.
By dint of determination and perfectly controlled internal growth, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele succeeded within a mere quarter of a century in equipping the Chopard Group – of which he is co-president – with independent watchmaking workshops of the highest order.
Moreover, the L.U.C timepiece collection has become an inescapable name coveted by watch collectors and is now displayed in a new permanent showroom designed by Mr Scheufele to highlight the manufacture’s numerous technical achievements and emblematic models.
Chopard Manufacture comprises watchmaking workshops located in Fleurier and Geneva, where passionate artisans develop, decorate, assemble and check the movements and their components powering each timepiece in the L.U.C collection.
In the early 1990s, Mr Scheufele launched a programme of unprecedented scale for the maison.
He foresaw the historic revival of the mechanical watch and set about launching the development of its first in-house calibre with the help of a few passionate experts.
This resulted in the ultra-thin, sophisticated and versatile self-winding L.U.C 96.01-L movement with micro-rotor – an achievement unrivalled at the time that marked the birth of Chopard Manufacture and was to serve as the basis for a multitude of subsequent developments.
On the eve of the 25th anniversary of Chopard Manufacture, Mr Scheufele chose to equip the Fleurier premises with a new showroom retracing all the major milestones in this watchmaking adventure.
Visitors make their way among the showcases organised by calibre, family and in chronological order, in step with the innovations introduced to the collection since the first yellow gold L.U.C 1860 watch, presented in 1997 and which right from its launch was named ‘Watch of the Year’ by Montres Passion (Uhrenwelt) magazine.
Representing an opportunity to bring together for the first time – and on a permanent basis – the masterpieces of the L.U.C collection, the exhibition will evolve over time as it progressively welcomes major new creations from the workshops.
In its 25 years of existence, the sheer diversity of the L.U.C collection, combined with the superlative sophistication of the craftsmanship it embodies, has attracted the interest of great watch collectors who covet these exceptional limited-series timepieces.
Today, Chopard Manufacture is the driving force behind all the projects that endow the entire Chopard Group.
In 2008, Mr Scheufele inaugurated Fleurier Ebauches: rounding out the capacities of Chopard Manufacture. This new site, located a few hundred metres away, is dedicated to the production of movements in larger quantities.
Another close relative of Chopard Manufacture is La Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, founded in 2015 based on a wealth of experience combined with admiration for one of the greatest ever watchmakers as well as strong ambitions.
Dedicated to mastering the most complex and efficient classical precision timekeeping solutions, the ‘sleeping beauty’ revived by Mr Scheufele has already garnered a number of awards including the coveted ‘Aiguille d’Or’ best-in-show distinction at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Chopard is a founding member of the highly demanding Fleurier Quality Foundation and Mr Scheufele has chosen to include Chopard Manufacture in the prestigious scope of several independent watchmaking institutions.
Finally, all L.U.C. watches (except those without the indispensable seconds hand) are chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute.
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