Well-known UAE-based watch collector and blogger Hassan Akhras teamed up with Swiss watch and jewellery house Chopard for his latest mountaineering adventure in which he successfully reached the base camp of Mount Annapurna in Nepal. 

Along with its local partner Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, Chopard partnered with the founder of the Arab Watch Guide blogging site, bestowing him with a very special Chopard watch to accompany him while climbing one of the most challenging mountains in the Himalayas.

Mount Annapurna is the 10^th highest mountain in the world reaching an altitude of 8,091 m, and the journey to its base camp reaching 4,130 m is one of the most popular treks on earth. Trekkers in the Annapurna region have the opportunity to explore nature’s most beautiful landscapes as cascading waterfalls, beautiful villages, vast farmlands, remarkable forests and stunning mountain views. 

Following his successful climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania last year, Akhras decided to set himself the challenge of climbing to Annapurna base camp in a week, in the face of severe inhospitable climatic conditions. 

To be perfectly equipped for the expedition, Akhras chose Chopard’s renowned LUC 8HF Power Control watch from its LUC collection. 

This timepiece distinguishes itself by an exceptional high number of vibrations of the balance, meaning less sensitivity to disturbances and consequently an enhanced reliability and increased precision, making it the perfect companion for such an adventure requiring reliability, precision, strength, robustness, proper functionality, date and time tracking and resilience amidst the challenging obstacles imposed by the journey. 

The LUC 8HF Power Control is a concentrated blend of sophisticated technical features. Its LUC 01.09-L calibre is said to be the first ever movement with a high frequency escapement to be chronometer-certified by the COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres), the Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. 

This unique mechanical movement beats at a frequency of 8 Hz, meaning 57,600 vibrations per hour and hence meets the most stringent Swiss watchmaking standards. The LUC 8 HF Power Control takes on even greater character and technical sophistication thanks to its unique design; this avant-garde model being graced with curves in high-grade black machined ceramic and limited to 250 timepieces only.

Akhras started off on his adventure on February 26 when he flew from Dubai to Kathmandu and then onwards to Pokhara the next morning, before embarking on his arduous trek.

The two day trek took Akhras through the villages of Bamboo, Himalaya, Deurali and MBC crossing rhododendrons, waterfalls and snowy mountains before reaching Annapurna Base Camp (ABC).

“My best companion for the trip was my LUC 8HF as I was checking on it every few hours whether to take snapshots with the landscape or see how it is performing in the different conditions I am putting it through,” says Alhras. “I was delighted to see the watch keeping its accuracy and top performance through the sunny days, going into daily rainy afternoons and finally reaching heavy snow and below zero degree temperature for my last 2 days at the top at 4,130 m. The extremely high frequency ticking was like music to my ears every time I brought my wrist closer to my face to feel its heartbeat.”

He says the watch’s sturdy Titanium case and rubber straps ensure it was “robust enough to sustain any shock I am going to put it through”.

Power reserve was initially a concern as the watch has only 72 hours of reserve but Akhras’ constant wrist movement kept the automatic winding watch “fully charged during the entire trip”. 

Akhras reached the top on March at 12 pm “thrilled, exhausted and so happy to see myself at 4,130 m surrounded by over seven peaks each ranging from 6,000-8,000 m-plus. My challenge was completed”. 

The LUC Collection is a tribute to watchmaker Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a watchmaker from the Swiss Village of Sonvilier who founded the company back in 1860 that still bears his name till today. 

All LUC movements are entirely designed, developed and produced by Chopard in Fleurier. Ten distinct families of Chopard calibers comprise more than 70 variations of high-precision mechanisms, all chronometer-certified by the COSC except the pieces not presenting a second hand. Several also meet the demanding quality criteria of the “Poinçon de Genève” or the Fleurier Quality Foundation. An annual output of only 5,000 pieces testifies to the exclusive movement creation process of Chopard’s manufacture.

Since 1963 Chopard is owned by the Scheufele family and its headquarters are located in Geneva. Internationally renowned for its watches and jewellery creations, the house is independent, vertically integrated and involved in the entire process from the designs to the distribution through more than 1,600 points of sale and 162 boutiques. Over 30 Chopard has built its reputation on iconic collections such as the Happy Diamonds, Happy Sport and Mille Miglia collections. 

Established in 1950, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons is a family-owned and run business synonymous with exquisitely designed watches. From its humble beginnings as a single store in Dubai, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons has thrived to become the largest retailer of Swiss watches in the Middle East, boasting a portfolio of over 54 prestigious brands across 57 locations in the UAE.