Chopard launches a new Alpine Eagle with Pine Green dial, adding a new colorway to its nature-inspired palette. Supplementing the Aletsch Blue, Bernina Grey or Absolute Black, the new green hue is inspired by the natural colors that exist in the Alpine biotope. As the brand states, “It evokes the forests carpeting the mountains when, on summer days, the melting snow gives way to a deep grayish-green mantle of vegetation.” It is these forests in which Chopard is investing a proportion of the proceeds of the new watch in support of the Alpine Eagle Foundation, whose programmes have already enabled the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle in the Lake Geneva region.

Trends come and go, but there is no denying the power of the integrated-bracelet luxe-sports watch. A dominant presence in the market for a few years now, it is showing no sign of slowing down any time soon. It’s hard to believe that Chopard launched the Alpine Eagle as recently as 2019. Although a relative newcomer in this sector, the watch traces its heritage to a watch from the 1970s. The St. Moritz was launched at Baselworld in 1980 with the name conjuring up a sense of glamor, St. Moritz being the Euro playground to which the Cote d’Azur dwellers decamped during the winter months. The St. Moritz project was spearheaded by the then-20-year-old Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who convinced his father, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele Snr, that the family brand needed a watch in tune with the times, where the sports integrated watch was definitely king. His father acquiesced and the new watch was born. In an amusing turn of events, the Alpine Eagle was actually proposed by Karl-Fritz, the son of Karl-Friedrich who, in a storyline accurately mirroring his father’s crusade in the late ’70s, felt that it was time to revive the family classic after having seen the watch on the wrists of people within the brand and being aware that Chopard’s retailers were repeatedly asking if the St. Moritz would ever be rereleased.

It’s been a solid revival and the new watches add more options to the lineup. Green is a very popular color for watches and the options of Lucent Steel A223 or ethical 18K rose gold case and bracelet offer a choice of two sustainable case materials. The 41mm steel case is made in a metal exclusive to the brand and comprises 70% recycled materials. The surgical-grade-equivalent Lucent Steel is highly antiallergenic and is 50% tougher than conventional steel. The 41mm rose gold case is made entirely from ethically sourced gold, a commitment the brand made back in 2018 for all its watch and jewelry creations.

The Pine Green dial continues the maison’s use of a textured surface that is designed to evoke an eagle’s eye, with almost exploding three-dimensional qualities. The date sits between four and five on the dial, on a green date disk that allows the date to sit subtly and unobtrusively on the dial. The hours, minutes and seconds provide an elegant and legible contrast through rhodium- or gold-plated hour-markers, on the steel or rose gold models respectively, and hands enhanced with the latest Grade X1 Super-LumiNova®.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard and co-founder of the Alpine Eagle Foundation, has pledged to dedicate a portion of the profits from their sales to fund the Foundation’s programmes. As the explains: “Given that I personally find refuge in the pleasures of hiking and skiing, I appreciate the calm of the mountains, which are conducive to inspiration, reflection and serenity. Preserving this environment is very important to us, and I am extremely proud that the beauty of our Alpine Eagle timepieces pays tribute to the nature that inspired them and enables the funding of concrete actions to support the conservation of this fragile ecosystem.”

Arguably, one of the foundation’s greatest achievements has been the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle around Lake Geneva. Having been absent from the region for over a century, the foundation has been working in tandem with falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers to introduce the species again to the area around the lake. In June of this year, the first from a litter of eaglets was released into the region, with a target of 80 more over the next eight years.

Tech Specs

Alpine Eagle, Ref. 298600-3014 (steel) / 295363-5007 (rose gold)

Movement: Self-winding Chopard caliber 01.01-C; 60-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds and date
Case: 41mm; Lucent Steel A223 or ethical 18K rose gold; water-resistant to 100m
Dial: Brass stamped with a sunburst pattern inspired by the iris of the eagle, in a pine green achieved by PVD treatment
Strap: Lucent Steel A223 or ethical 18K rose gold tapering bracelet with triple-folding clasp
Price: TBC