A Visit To The Dordogne With Chopard — L.U.C Watches, Wine, And Classic Cars

A few weeks ago, I joined Chopard on a trip to the Dordogne region in France. There, I could sit down and talk with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, and look at some of the L.U.C watches the brand has planned for 2025.

Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele — Image: Chopard

The past, present, and future of L.U.C

Other brands also do these previews, often closer to the launch date. They usually involve inviting watch media to the manufacture to give them a heads-up on what’s coming, giving them a chance to create content about watches under embargo, and talking about the brand’s direction. This time, I was happy to have a chance to interview Mr. Scheufele and ask him about his 28 years with the L.U.C adventure.

Château Monestier La Tour

Full program in France

But before that, I needed to travel to the Dordogne region of France instead of the Chopard headquarters in Switzerland. That was because the folks from Chopard wanted to hold this preview in a different setting. In addition to watches, this would allow them to show us the Scheufele family’s winery. Furthermore, Chopard would give a wonderful chance to drive classic cars as Mr. Scheufele is passionate about collecting them. It was a full “Chopard lifestyle” experience, so to speak.

Wine, classic cars, and watches

I am familiar with the Dordogne region in France. My mother and stepfather lived there (near Bergerac) for several years until 2012. So going back to that place was an opportunity I gladly took since I usually do not travel to that region. I have fond memories of it and used to visit my parents there quite regularly. It’s just a 1.5-hour flight from where I am and an additional 1.5-hour drive from the airport to the location that Chopard invited us to. With a handful of other watch media, we met at a beautiful venue in the Dordogne and were treated to a tour of the Scheufele family’s winery.

After the winery tour, Mr. Scheufele welcomed us, and we watched a presentation on Chopard L.U.C milestones, recent introductions, and what we can expect for next year. Unfortunately, we cannot share anything about Chopard’s plans for next year, but the brand has some fantastic watches lined up. We can show you the watches released “silently” in the last several months, though. These include the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Year of the Dragon (ref. 161977-1002) and the L.U.C 1860 Flying Tourbillon (ref. 161990-0001).

Image: Chopard

Jaguar XJ

In addition, Chopard gave us the chance to drive some classic cars. As Mr. Scheufele shared his presentation with us, the cars lined up for us in front of the winery. Several beautiful cars were in the parking lot, but only one of them stopped my heart for a moment. There it was — a Jaguar XJ in a stunning caramel color, a car very similar to what my stepdad had (a Series III) when I still lived at home. I joined him when he bought it from the first owner, who’d had it since the early 1980s, and he always let me drive it. He passed away last year, and seeing and driving this specific car in the region where he lived with my mom was incredibly nostalgic. Let’s just say it was a very emotional experience for me.

Image: Chopard

It’s an incredibly elegant car and a very smooth driver. Chopard was so kind to let me drive that one out of the impressive lineup, and it brought back many great memories. The car even had the same particular smell inside. My passengers — Candice Chan from Singapore next to me and two people from Chopard in the backseat — probably had no idea of what was going on inside my head. The XJ I drove in this breathtaking scenery in France once belonged to the father of the person in charge of the classic car event that Chopard organized. He was incredibly emotional about it and visibly hesitant to let it take part in this drive, but I am forever grateful that he did.

Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Year of the Dragon

One of the watches released a few months ago is Chopard’s L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Year of the Dragon. Three years ago, in 2021, Chopard introduced its first L.U.C jump-hour watch, the Quattro Spirit 25 ref. 161977-5001 powered by caliber L.U.C 98-06-L. This year’s new model also houses this movement and shares the same 40mm by 10.3mm case. What makes it so different is the Grand Feu enamel dial with the hand-painted dragon.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. It’s the fifth zodiac animal out of 12, and it’s believed that a person’s sign (or animal) influences his or her character, fortune, compatibility with other zodiac signs, etc. Chopard decided to come up with three variations for the Year of the Dragon in 2024, each with different techniques applied. The one that spoke to me the most was the version with a Grand Feu enamel dial, so here’s my quick hands-on experience with this special eight-piece limited edition.

Chopard is one of those companies that seem to do an incredible amount of artisanal work in-house. During our visit to the Chopard manufacture sites near Geneva and in Fleurier earlier this year, we visited the department where the hand-painting of dials takes place, for example.

Jump hour

First things first, though, the L.U.C 98.06-L movement is now three years old, and Chopard puts it to good use. At Watches and Wonders in Geneva earlier this year, I saw the white gold Quattro Spirit 25 with a black enamel dial sporting this beautiful movement with the Poinçon de Genève. All three Year of the Dragon watches have this movement with its jump-hour mechanism. I like jump-hour watches, although I don’t own one (and haven’t yet). It is still on my lengthy wish list. In case you are not familiar with jump-hour watches, they have an aperture on the dial that indicates the hour rather than a typical revolving hour hand.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, and the movement requires torque to make the “jump” happen. This particular caliber also provides the watch with an impressive eight days of power reserve. To achieve this, Chopard developed the L.U.C 98.06-L with two pairs of stacked barrels containing four mainsprings in total, all in series. As you can see in the image I took of the movement, Chopard invests quite some effort in finishing the movement. It includes Côtes de Genève on the bridges, chamfered edges (anglage), and a beautifully polished and beveled regulator organ. And again, all of this happens in-house at Chopard in Fleurier.

Grand Feu enamel

The white Grand Feu enamel dial undergoes all the necessary steps. After cleaning the base disc in an acidic bath, the artisan applies a thin layer of enamel powder to it. The dial then goes to the oven, which is over 800° Celsius. When the powder melts, the dial is taken out and flattened, and a new layer of powder is applied. Then, it goes back into the oven. The enamel takes on a different shade with each layer until it reaches the final color. It’s a very meticulous process.

On the white enamel dial, an incredibly detailed dragon is hand-painted by one of the artisans at Chopard’s Fleurier manufacture. The dragon is a wonderful miniature painting with different shades of blue for the scales and (flame) elements in bright red. It’s simply stunning to see this artwork on a dial, and eight lucky people can wear it on their wrists.

These eight Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Year of the Dragon watches (ref. 161977-1003) are made of 18K white (ethical) gold and have a retail price of €76,800.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (©Virgile Guinard)

Talking to Karl-Friedrich Scheufele

Then, it was time to talk about watches with Mr. Scheufele, co-president of Chopard (his sister, Caroline Scheufele, is the other co-president of the company). At the Château Monestier La Tour winery, we sat down to talk about L.U.C and several other topics.

Robert-Jan Broer (RJB): Visiting the winery today, driving beautiful classic cars, and looking at the L.U.C watches, it seems Chopard is about the finer things in life, not just about watches.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (KFS): A beautiful watch is not a necessity in life, for sure, but it certainly makes life worth living. I think beauty in different forms is a necessity at the end of the day. This is true for antique cars, the L.U.C collection, and this part of France we are in today. If you are more into “show,” you wouldn’t come here but go to St. Tropez, and that’s another lifestyle. Here, I think you can relate to more of what we would call “quiet luxury.”

RJB: Is this way of living life also something you want to show to a younger audience?

KFS: In the last two or three years, we have noticed that we are attracting a younger audience with some of our latest watches. It started with the Alpine Eagle, maybe also because it was a production with my son (Karl-Fritz). But a lot of these younger clients have come to discover L.U.C after having bought an Alpine Eagle watch. They became more interested in the brand, and today, it’s wonderful to see these younger clients, who are our future.

RJB: You said during your presentation that growing the L.U.C brand wasn’t always smooth sailing. Can you elaborate on this?

KFS: If we take the very first movement, the L.U.C 1.96, for example, it took us a year longer than we planned because it turned out that the calculation for the winding of the watch was not correct, and we didn’t have enough winding power. So we had to go back to the drawing board and enlarge the caliber. This was the first time for us, so I didn’t expect this to happen. It was a big blow when I realized that it would take us another year more than I had planned. Afterward, I got used to these hiccups or discovering that something we had designed a certain way turned out not to be practical in production. In cases like that, you have to go back and redesign. I guess it’s pretty normal, but when you’re launching your first manufacture, it’s all new.

RJB: Looking back at 28 years of L.U.C and comparing it to Chopard’s other non-L.U.C watches, what are the main differences in approach?

KFS: When it comes to design, it follows the purpose of the watch and the clients we have in mind with the collection. But we do pursue quality the same way in everything we do, irrespective of the watch. The only difference with L.U.C is that it’s much more about the movement. L.U.C taught us a lot about how to approach projects and reach more technical excellence. Due to the certifications, we apply things we don’t apply to other products. Several Chopard watches use in-house movements, which would not exist if we didn’t have L.U.C.

RJB: Is Ferdinand Berthoud also a result of that?

KFS: Yes, it would have been unthinkable to launch FB without the complete knowledge we accumulated from L.U.C. And now something else is happening. We are pushing Ferdinand Berthoud further, and now we can use things we learned there for L.U.C.

RJB: When it comes to the watch industry, what is keeping you awake at night?

KFS: It’s the general economic situation or the state of the world in general. The world is so aggressive and, in many ways, unreasonable, not very human. Whether it comes to the shape of the planet or irresponsible behavior, including the irresponsible actions of the leadership in some countries, what keeps me awake is the effect it has on the company.

RJB: Which watch are you most proud of?

KFS: The first L.U.C 1860, one of which I kept for myself.

An early L.U.C 1860 with the 1.96 movement — Image: CollectorsCornerNY

RJB: What is a brand or watch outside the Chopard universe that you admire the most?

KFS: I was born in Germany, and I admire A. Lange & Söhne watches. That is also because I met Mr. Blümlein, who relaunched the brand in 1994, and greatly I appreciated his personality. In those days, I bought a Lange for myself. I don’t get to wear it much anymore, but I admire the rigorous approach he had during the relaunch of this beautiful brand.

RJB: Did it inspire you for L.U.C?

KFS: It was at the same time. We received the prize (which doesn’t exist anymore) for the Watch of the Year in 1997, but it was for Swiss brands only. A. Lange & Söhne had a special mention in this contest as the brand is not Swiss. So it could not win, but at least it received this mention. Everyone on the jury thought that Lange deserved this attention. I was also there, so that’s how we met early on.

RJB: Are you optimistic about the future of (mechanical) watchmaking? What needs to be addressed for this industry to still exist 50 years from now?

KFS: Mechanical watches are a very interesting concept and independent of any type of energy. You don’t need any other energy than the movement from your wrist to wind the watch. The watch you buy today is something you hand down to your children. Even 30, 40, or 50 years from now, you will still be able to wear and wind it. I don’t know if there are any other useful objects out there that perform the same way. Everything else today is electronic and made to disappear sooner rather than later.

RJB: Do you think that’s enough for the mechanical watch to exist one or two generations from now?

KFS: I am pretty optimistic! The mechanical watch is a very personal object, much like jewelry. Jewelry has absolutely no function but being beautiful or having emotional value. I would put a mechanical watch in the same category because it offers a lot of emotional or sentimental value. I don’t know of any other object you can wear on yourself that you are keen to keep or collect. A classic car is much too complicated to keep running, and of course, in the future, there might be no fuel, etc. A watch is an object that has a big chance to survive for many more years.

RJB: What’s your advice to the beginner collector or enthusiast?

KFS: To start with, I strongly urge anyone to study, read, compare, and try to understand the underlying aspect of what a mechanical watch is, and what you are looking for. Do not let yourself be tempted to quickly buy something that came superficially to you. Do your homework, and then you will enjoy the watch much more. It’s like drinking wine consciously. Taking the time to truly taste wine and learning how to appreciate it, you will have more enjoyment once you go through that basic course, let’s say, than when superficially drinking wine. I think the more you know about a subject, the more you will enjoy it.

Dress watches

While visiting the Dordogne on Chopard’s invitation, I noticed some of the others were wearing some of the (now-)discontinued L.U.C 1860 watches. Whether they were the latest L.U.C models introduced in 2024 or the discontinued 36mm models from the late 1990s, they certainly struck a chord with me. My taste in watches has slowly transitioned from sports watches to a healthier mix of dress and sports watches. That might be due to aging, but I also noticed a stronger demand for dress watches recently. It became clear once more during this trip that the horological passion of the Scheufele family (Karl-Fritz Scheufele was also there) is incredibly genuine. That certainly affects my enthusiasm for L.U.C watches. The hunt for a nice L.U.C is on!