Chopard

Hi. First post on here!!

I have been offered a rose gold LUC Strike One. What do people think of this watch? I have been doing some checking and found there are about 10 of these watches still available despite being made around 3 years ago. Does that mean this is maybe a watch to avoid. let me know what you think. Thanks.

The watch technically is sound    Just that it is an hourly striking watch which some may find it non-charming enough for a chimer as compared to the more sophisticated and higher price repeater.

As the name may hint, Strike One, which literally mean One-strike, it is also the L.U.C's first endeavour into complex repeater arena and I am not surprised L.U.C may have a  repeater on the drawing board.

I've seen the gold case and the titanium case version.  The titanium case, the dial design is more avant garde like the Tech Series design and the titanium case does amplify the loudness.  The gold case is softer in volume but the sound coming out is distinctive.

For people who like chiming pieces, they collect from simpler chimer (or version 1) to the later, more complicated repeaters.
Do you collect only collect repeater?

Kong

Thanks for the information. I am curious by what you mean " version 1". To answer your question, I don't just collect repeaters, however this has caught my attention since the first time I saw it about three years ago. I was going to buy it then but was told it was now completely sold out. Clearly my local dealer was being a bit daft!! instead I bought a rose gold tech twist. It then came to my attention that the strike one was still available, so I was curious as to peoples thoughts.

Interesting to think Chopard may do a minute repeater. Do you have any information on this? I would be seriously interested if this was the case.

Thanks

observing how the development of the Cal 1.96 to the CF10, read the interviews of Mr Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (KFS), may get a glimpse of insight how the leader of the company think and behave.

So I don't have any information if a minute repeater is coming, as Chopard handles their development work with superb tight-lips.

Below just my thoughts ...
Most of the companies, when they started, they typically made and launched a complication to capture the attention of the world.
L.U.C started with a basic 3-hand movement.  The objective is to start with a strong basic or foundation, learning how to manufacture a basic simple movement / watch with superb craftmanship (L.U.C may even be first company to decorate the hidden parts of the bridges/plates since 1996) and progress to more complicated movement.  It is like learning to walk before running.

Next is movement is the Cal 1.98 which was known to be one of the earliest movement to have a power reserve of 216 hours/9-day in the year 1998.  To what I understand, the Cal 1.98 movement was created not just for the feature of showing the world L.U.C could innovate a 9-day (at that time), but it was a move for something after.

Next movement was the Perpetual Calender, but they wanted the date/day jump to be instantaneous, and to achieve that, the movement needs huge amount of energy, and the Cal 1.98 know-how was well-positioned to address the challenge.  Is it a fluke?  I doubt so, Mr KFS and his team have already mapped the steps.

Likewise for StrikeOne, it is a simple chimer, but to obtain the mechanics to get pleasant sounds is not straight-forward.
Just by ears, a side-by-side test, the titanium case is louder, but the sound from the gold case is just distinctive (pretty difficult to word it).
Could it be this is an experiment with various case materials to test the resonance?

Is the name a tease too? In baseball, the entitlement is three-strikes. 
My guess is just a matter of time, when L.U.C would have a minute repeater.

Congrats on your RG Tech Twist..., please share with us some pics and your impression when you have time.

Kong

Personally, I do find the L.U.C Strike One to be an interesting watch; there aren't many watches on the market that are like it, and it is definitely very unique.

I'm sure you already know that the Strike One strikes one hammer each hour on the hour. The movement actually starts storing energy to strike the hammer several minutes prior to the hour, then immediately on the hour, this energy is released to strike the gongs.

I look at it as a very petite sonnerie, and definitely an interesting and unique piece. The movement is very well finished and overall the ingenuity of the idea behind it and the simple fact that this is the only watch with a gong that is in this price range that strikes continuously makes this a watch worth heavy consideration.

because I consider it an affordable minute repeater even though it's not really a minute repeater.  Just having the feature of striking once on the hour is enough for me and won't cause too much attraction to your watch when it strikes. 

Below are some pics I took at our past Chopard NYC dinner event in 2008.

Cheers,
Anthony

I think the strike upon the hour is a cool feature.  The Tech version is the one that most appeals to my personal taste!  If I had the means it would definitely join my collection!

Good luck, and thanks for posting here!

Cheers,

Daos