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PuristSPro Superfast Interview: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele of CHOPARD
PPro=PuristSPro KFS=Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele wears L.U.C 1963 Chrono PuristS Edition
INTERVIEW
PPro: First, congratulations to Porsche Motorsport and Chopard for the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017. This is the fourth season with Chopard as time keeping partners; how does it feel compared to the preceding years? Has it changed with time?
KFS: The 2017 victory of Porsche in Le Mans was clearly an unforgettable experience for all of us at Chopard. The race was full of suspense until the last minute and we are truly proud to be a partner of Porsche Motorsport with a third victory in a row! When we started the partnership back in 2014, we knew that Porsche had good chances to win but we did not expect such an outstanding success.
PPro: In the last two years, Porsche looked shut out from winning until "miracles" happened in the final hours of Le Mans races. It must have been excruciating to spectate from trackside. How has that experience affected the partnership and manufacturing philosophy? Must you always back winners?
KFS: We always shared Porsche’s focus on performance, reliability and team spirit. The team has worked hard since its return to long distance racing in 2014 and it was not an immediate success with strong rivals such as Audi and Toyota. I am not sure if you can attribute the recent victory to «miracles happening» alone, but rather to an unbeatable team spirit including mechanics and drivers alike. They all shared the same «never give-up» attitude and of course they could count on great engineering and reliable components. While we like to be associated with winners, of course, we will always support a great team even if it does not end-up with a victory.
André Lotterer, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and Jacky Ickx present Chopard Superfast Power Control Porsche 919 HF Edition
PPro: Speaking of winners, we noticed that your two leading ambassadors, Webber and Dumas, do not drive for Porsche LMP1 team this year but Dumas was your co-driver at Mille Miglia 2017. How does their non-Porsche driving status affect their Chopard relationship?
KFS: All 6 Porsche LMP1 drivers are Chopard ambassadors. New drivers came in this year such as André Lotterer known as the world’s fastest man; a great ambassador for the Superfast collection. We still collaborate with Romain Dumas, who by the way drove the Mille Miglia with me this year. We also supported him for the Pikes Peak Race where he just won for the fourth time!
Romain Dumas and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele at Mille Miglia 2017
PPro: After three limited edition chronograph watches dedicated annually to the Porsche 919 since 2014, Chopard surprised us this year with a truly superfast Superfast 919 HF chronometer. How and When was this rationale decided?
KFS: We made two limited series of 100 pieces of the L.U.C. 8HF presented in 2012 and in 2014. Then I really wanted to put this exceptional movement to use in another Time Piece. What could have been more logical than featuring it in the SuperFast collection in association with Porsche Motorsport after several chronograph models.
Superfast Power Control Porsche 919 HF Edition ref.168593-3001
PPro: The High Frequency movement appeared first in the top level L.U.C range. Now that the 'engine' is installed into more sportive Superfast 'chassis', it received the same weight-reducing fenestrations as the other Superfast movements. Owners of the L.U.C HF watches don't know what their movements look like as they only had a tiny porthole to view the silicium escapement. Why was this and was it because the L.U.C HF movements are not as well finished as its brethren?
KFS: The reason for the porthole was to focus the wearers’ attention on the sillicium escapement running at 57 600 vibrations per hour, which is twice the normal rate. Further, I can assure the owners of the L.U.C. 8HF watches that their movements are finished and decorated in the same L.U.C. finish that you will find in other L.U.C. watches, even if we don’t show the entire movement.
Calibre Chopard 01.11-M
PPro: Talking about finishing; the original L.U.C watches from 20 years ago provided the best exquisite finishing quality to money ratio e.g. L.U.C 1.96 and L.U.C 1.98 movements. Owners expected lesser components and less precious materials on the L.U.C 3.96 / 4.96 movements like the missing Swan-neck regulator or plated tungsten rotors but the anglage and perlage were supposed to be the same quality across the range.
Was that true then and now? Or is the finishing of the more affordable L.U.C models (L.U.C 1937 and steel L.U.C watches) also restrained at an affordable level?
KFS: Back in 1993, when we started conceiving the first L.U.C. 1.96 movement, we defined a number of strict specifications for all our calibers to come. Amongst other things, all L.U.C.movements had to be COSC certified and we would offer two types of finishes : «Geneva seal» finish, completely hand made, and a L.U.C. finish, the best possible finish obtained with the help of machines offering a high quality / price ratio. Meanwhile we added the «Qualité Fleurier» execution, which in terms of finish falls into the «Geneva Seal» category, featuring hand crafted finish. Still today, even the most affordable L.U.C. watch, in stainless steel for example, stays true to this philosophy to provide the best possible ratio of quality versus price. In short, our motto is: no compromise.
PPro: Over 20 years, Chopard has mastered and produced all the complications expected of haute horlogerie, culminating in the L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater in November 2016. You've done automatic and manual winding flyback chronographs, tourbillons, High Frequency escapement, perpetual calendars with and without moon phase, Equation of Time chronometers, GMT and World Time watches, Perpetual Chronographs and Extra Flat watches with and without seconds hands. With fashion changes, some ladies watches even sport Chopard ‘gents’ mechanical movements. All you need now are Chopard extra small mechanical chronometer movement for elegant ladies watches, split-seconds chronograph, and the 'grand fromage' of complicated watches: manual wind, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, minute repeater timepiece.
Have we guessed the novelties for Baselworld 2018? What else drives you when you get up each Monday morning?
KFS: No doubt I consider new watch or movement projects to be amongst the most exiting things I have the pleasure of doing, - a great reason to get up in the morning. I admit that your list of calibers, still to be completed, is not entirely off. But I suggest that 2018 novelties remain a surprise to be unveiled in time…
END
(c) Dr Melvyn Teillol-Foo, 2017
PuristSPro Superfast Interview: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele of CHOPARD
