L.U.C GMT One Black

Reading Time: 4 minutes

For true global citizens, the new L.U.C GMT One Black timepiece offers a casual, monochrome take on the dual-time travel watch. Its lightweight, ultra-durable case in ceramised grade 5 titanium and grey-on-black tonality make it the ideal timepiece to meet the demanding pace of life of a new generation of gentlemen. Along with the new L.U.C Time Traveler One Black worldtimer, it is the world’s first travel watch to use this advanced material for the case construction. Produced as a limited edition of 250 pieces, it brings a highly contemporary edge to the embodiment of the watchmaking art according to L.U.C, thanks to L.U.C Calibre 01.10-L, a dual-time movement entirely crafted by the artisans of Chopard Manufacture.

Time borders and time zones

Whether you’re returning to a life of regular travel or keeping track on faraway places, a GMT watch offers one of the most practical wristwatch complications. To this package, the L.U.C GMT One Black timepiece undeniably brings a spirit of contemporary adventure.

With a travel watch, legibility and ease of use are non-negotiable. Accordingly, the L.U.C GMT One Black timepiece offers wearers total clarity across two time zones, with the local time displayed conventionally via the distinctive Dauphine hands of the L.U.C collection, and a second time zone indicated against a 24-hour track via a pointed GMT hand. For added utility, the two time zones are adjusted with separate crowns: the crown positioned at 2 o’clock manages the date and local time, while the crown at 4 o’clock moves the 24-hour disc.

An innovative and modern material

The use of ceramised grade 5 titanium for the L.U.C GMT One Black marks a world first in the field of travel watches and reflects Chopard Manufacture’s ongoing commitment to harnessing the most innovative materials in the advancement of Fine Watchmaking.

Used in areas such as aerospace, automotive and medical component manufacturing, ceramised titanium is obtained by oxidising surface layers of titanium at extreme temperatures using electroplasma technology. This process improves the metal’s hardness – 700 Vickers (Hv) – along with its friction coefficient as well its wear and corrosion resistance. Ceramised titanium is also highly biocompatible.

A style suited to every occasion

The L.U.C GMT One Black is a timepiece of great practicality in both its function and its versatile wearability. Styled in black and grey, with a strap in high-quality rubber processed like a fabric, it is suitable for any situation the wearer may encounter on his travels.

No detail has been left unconsidered: the perfect dial finish, with a vertical satin brushed effect, is hand-crafted with great skill, while the strap reflects Chopard’s attachment to the highest quality. Made in Switzerland, it offers huge versatility of usage thanks to its resistance to the effects of water or sweat, its high durability and its wearer comfort. In keeping with Chopard’s commitment to sustainable luxury, the strap has been subjected to stringent environmental tests including REACH certification for protecting human health and the environment from chemicals.

A GMT calibre crafted in-house

The L.U.C 01.10-L movement powering this timepiece is equipped with a GMT function. Made in the watchmaking workshops of the Maison, it guarantees a generous 60-hour power reserve, while the finesse characterising each and every L.U.C creation is expressed through meticulously hand-crafted movement finishing, visible through the display case-back.

For Chopard Manufacture, chronometric performance is considered as centrally important to Fine Watchmaking as the beauty, finish and functionality of the watch. Therefore, as with all L.U.C watches carrying a seconds indication, the L.U.C GMT One Black is ”Chronometer”-certified by the COSC for accuracy and performance.

25 years of excellence, innovation and tradition

In 2021, Chopard Manufacture is proud to mark the 25^th anniversary of its creation in Fleurier. In 1996, when Swiss watchmaking was still emerging from struggles of the quartz crisis, Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele committed to defending and restoring the crafts and techniques that had been passed down through generations of watchmakers. In the village of Fleurier, where watchmaking heritage goes back over 200 years, Chopard Manufacture would become a force for the finest techniques in traditional watchmaking, hand finishing and artistic crafts. At the same time, it has been able to innovate across the full range of modern watch production operations, from case -making to movement development, advanced metallurgy and component manufacture. In particular, it has put chronometry – the ultimate measure of horological excellence – at the heart of all its activities.

It is thanks to this thriving hub of unique skills, and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s vision of what a modern Fine Watchmaking manufacture could be, that Chopard has been able to create timepieces that are truly valued by connoisseurs – gentlemen who recognise that passion and artistry will combine to create extraordinary masterpieces.

L.U.C GMT One Black Technical Specifications and Price

Ref. 168579-3004 – in ceramised grade 5 titanium with black rubber strap, 250-piece limited edition

Functions and displays

Central display of the hours, minutes and seconds
Semi-instantaneous date display at 6 o’clock
GMT function displayed on the outer dial disc
Crown at 2 o’clock serving to adjust the date and time
Crown at 4 o’clock serving to adjust the second time zone – GMT function
Stop-seconds function

Movement

Mechanical with automatic winding L.U.C 01.10-L
Number of components: 262
Total diameter: 31.90 mm
Thickness: 5.95 mm
Number of jewels: 31
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours
Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
Balance-spring with flat terminal curve
Chronometer-certified (COSC)

Case

Ceramised grade 5 titanium
Total titanium: 42 mm
Thickness: 11.71 mm
Water-resistance: 50 metres
Two ceramised grade 5 titanium crowns with L.U.C logo and globe: 6.50 mm
Sandblasted case middle, bezel and case-back
Exhibition case-back

Dial and hands

Dark grey dial achieved by galvanic treatment –vertical satin-brushed finishing on central part
Snailed chapter ring
Hour-markers and Arabic numerals painted with Super-LumiNova^®
Circular satin-brushed GMT function disc, grey between 6.30 am and 6.30 pm – black transfers; and black between 6.30 pm and 6.30am – white transfers
Metallic black Dauphine-type hours and minutes hands
Metallic black baton-type hand for the GMT function, white arrow
Metallic black baton-type central seconds hand
Railway track minute circle

Strap and buckle