Find the Chopard Bees? My L.U.C XP Japanese Lacquer Dial
Back in 2007, I invented the game: "The PuristS' Great Bee Count" for Chopard L.U.C watch owners.
The 'official' count is 45 bees as seen in the logo but the PuristS' Survey mode count was 42 bees.
Just like 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe', the ultimate answer to the Universe and Everything is 42.
There were 3 types of Chopard bees back in 2010.
If your bees were applied by hand engraving, the numbers will vary depending on the mood of the craftsman at Chopard.
Those with stamped or laser-engraved bees will always have the same bee count....
What? No Bees at Chopard L.U.C Forum? (2010)
The beehive is a trademark of Chopard, particularly on their LUC range of watches.
We have to go back to circa 1730, when early Chopard family members were farmers in the valleys of the Jura mountains of Switzerland. It was usual for farmers to earn extra income during harsh, long, winter months by accepting piecework for watch components. Some specialised in case work, dials, or even individual movements. In those days, every cog and wheel would only fit in the movement that it was made for. There were no technical drawings or mass production of components. This extra income avoided poverty in a region with harsh climate and poor soils.
On the advice of his father (Felicien), Louis-Ulysse Chopard learned watchmaking but he was different from his peers and ancestors. He did not wish to work at home to supply finished watches or components to companies that branded them as their own. This was common as well-known Brands were being incorporated at Saint-Imier, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle.
Young Louis-Ulysse wanted to make and sell watches with the name Chopard on the dial so at the age of 24 years, he took over an old stone building in Sonvilier village, halfway between Saint-Imier and La Chaux-de-Fonds. The simple act of painting his initials L.U.C.directly on the stone façade was the start of the company in 1860....
And the bees? Well, Chopard ancestors were involved in beekeeping and farming.
Always remember your roots!
Today, we have fewer bees because they have mysteriously disappeared in-the-wild.
Some blame climate change and others point at farming pesticides and habitat reduction.
There is even a infertility hypothesis and infective causes being investigated.
Fear
Fearing for the numbers of bees that Chopard can set on our L.U.C watches, I visited the National Beekeeping Centre in Wales, U.K.
Of course, the bee on a Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi 'Ultimate Universe' watch had to accompany us. 
You can read more about the Japanese lacquer work that produced the dial:
'Interview: Yamada Heiando CHOPARD LUC XP Urushi Japanese Lacquer Technique'
If we were to do another PuristS Great Bee Count next year (2016 is the 20th Anniversary of the L.U.C Manufacture watches), what would the minimum, maximum and median number of bees...er...be?
Regards,
MTF
This message has been edited by MTF on 2015-08-11 16:44:50
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