To celebrate the Mexican holiday of ‘Día de los Muertos’ —the Day of the Dead— which is celebrated throughout Mexico on November 2nd, Chopard decided to create a unique piece to be released at the SIAR a couple of weeks ago and which sold immediately after its reveal. The Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of 'La Santa Muerte' is a unique piece cased in a 43 mm rose gold case that is fully hand-engraved with motifs related to this Mexican holiday. The ‘Day of the Dead’ is now widely known outside of Mexico thanks to the opening sequence on the movie ‘007 Spectre’ released in 2015. Named after ‘La Santa Muerte’ —the saint patron of the deceased—, the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin Spirit of 'La Santa Muerte' bears a black sapphire crystal dial with gold motifs in the shape of a ‘calaverita’ —Mexican skull related to the Day of the Dead.
The Dial
The dial of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of 'La Santa Muerte' is made out of 18K gold with a hand-guilloché outer area. The central area depicting a ‘calaverita’ —skull from the Day of the Dead— is made of black varnish with mother-of-pearl teeth and gilded indications with sun and floral-themed outlines.
This dial features a large twin-aperture date display —a flagship complication of the L.U.C collection— positioned at 12 o’clock, while the day of the week with night and day indicator is positioned at 9 o’clock and the month with leap-year indication is located at 3 o’clock. In a very clever way, these subdials make the eyes of the ‘calaverita’, rounded out by a seconds indicator at 6 o’clock where the mother-of-pearl teeth are located.
Underneath the dial, a supremely sophisticated calibre that includes a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon keeps track of time between life and death.
The Case
The 43 mm 18K rose gold case is fully hand-engraved with skulls, flowers, suns, guitars and other fascinating motifs in tribute to the Mexican culture. The motifs on the caseband are typical of the ‘Día de Los Muertos’, while the engravings on the bezel are inspired by Mexican iconography. The case is 15.02 mm thick and the watch is water resistant to 30 meters.
This macabre fiesta celebrated through deliberate touches of parody provides a wealth of ornamental elements with which Chopard adorns the generous rose gold case of the L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of ‘La Santa Muerte’. Even the gold dial features the stylised Mexican Calavera skull, dotted with sun and floral-themed patterns. The tourbillon bridge appears as a moustache above a gentle grimace, and the perpetual calendar counters are sunny eyes. The very contours of the dial have been modified to trace the features of an emaciated yet inoffensive face.
The Movement
The beating heart of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of 'La Santa Muerte' is the in-house Chopard L.U.C calibre 02.15-L. This exquisite manual wound movement entirely decorated by hand bears the ‘Poinçon de Genève’ quality hallmark and features a perpetual calendar and tourbillon complications. This 353-part movement with 31 jewels, provides an outstanding power reserve of 9 days thanks to its four barrels of its Quattro system. A convenient power reserve indicator is located on the mainplate of the movement.
For more info on Chopard click here.
On the Wrist & Pricing
Considering that the watch was already sold at the time we worked on this review, unfortunately we had no chance to try it on. However, based on our review of the L.U.C Perpetual Twin and considering that the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of 'La Santa Muerte' is endowed with an identical case, we can tell you that the watch wears true to its size and with incredible wrist presence. A unique piece that shows the prowess of the artisans at Chopard and a great tribute to the rich Mexican culture and its incredible traditions.
Sticker Price Undisclosed. For more info on Chopard click here.
