Chopard recently unveiled a new series of its L.U.C XP line dedicated to the Chinese new year, beginning on February 8, 2016, which is the year of the monkey according to the Chinese zodiac calendar. The Urushi-lacquered dial of the remarkable piece, hand-crafted in Japan by a master lacquer artist, depicts a monkey gathering peaches; The scene, drawn from Chinese iconography, is popular in the Chinese zodiac and is believed to bring good fortune, as the peach symbolizes good health—also, the number of peaches depicted on the dial, eight, is considered a lucky number.

Urushi-lacquer comes from the sap of the Japanese varnish tree, which is harvested, aged and treated to become a transparent lacquer that is then applied in extremely fine layers. To create the stunning dial of this piece, Chopard worked with the firm Yamada Heiando, official purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. The watch features an in-house ultra-thin self-winding movement, measuring just 3.30mm thick, and is powered by a 22-carat gold micro-rotor, achieving an impressive 65-hour power reserve when fully wound.

chopard.com