Chopard breathes new life into the concept of the 80s sports watch, originally introduced to the watch world by Gerald Genta – apparently overnight – when he designed the legendary Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet in 1972. It followed a call from Audemars Piguet’s Managing Director Georges Golay urgently requesting the design of a sports watch for the very next morning.
The Alpine Eagle indeed has a distinct nod to the Royal Oak with the use of visible screws on the bezel. Visible screws may be widely accepted today, but watch connoisseurs thought Genta had a screw loose when he first exhibited the watch nearly 50 years ago.
The Alpine Eagle collection was introduced in 2019 as a direct successor to the popular Chopard St. Moritz sports watch line which first saw the light of day in 1980.
This latest Alpine Eagle model is produced as a limited edition of just 250 pieces. It’s a supremely elegant 41 mm titanium sports watch housing one of the most advanced movements from Chopard’s workshops; the Chopard Calibre 01.12-C, featuring a high-frequency escapement which beats at 57,600 vibrations per hour (8 Hz).
Built to be light on the wrist, but robust during wear, the Alpine Eagle is not only comfortable, it’s also pinpoint precise. The Chopard Calibre 01.12-C High Frequency movement has a 60-hour power reserve and Chronometer certification by the COSC. From 2012 onwards Chopard became a leader in the development of High Frequency chronometer certified movements. The L.U.C 8HF timepieces in titanium have become a genuine collector’s item.
Whereas other Alpine Eagle watches in the collection are made from the Chopard-specific alloy Lucent Steel A223, or ethical gold, the Alpine Eagle Cadence’s use of titanium makes the watch an even lighter weight than the lightweight Lucent Steel as well as a darker colour.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Alpine Eagle collection, there are a set of design codes that govern its elegant looks. The bezel, case middle and wide bracelet links are satin-brushed. The central cap of these links is polished, as are the case bevels. Also, the eight screws on the bezel are set at a tangent to the bezel circle.
The dial of the Alpine Eagle Cadence is certainly distinctive. It features what’s known as an “eagle iris” pattern; a tribute to the sharp vision of the high flying birds of prey that inspired the collection. The color of the dial differs from the rest of the collection with its hand-patinated color work rendering each dial with a distinctive shade. The Vals Grey color is inspired by the village of the same name in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, known for its houses with quartzite-tiled roofs.
The baton hands glide over the indices and a date window at 4:30 with just the number 12 shown in Roman Numerals. “8 HZ Chronometer” appears beneath the Chopard name together with the signature of Chopard high-frequency watches, an arrow-shaped logo.
On the reverse the workings of the movement can be viewed through a sapphire crystal window.
IMHO
Karl-Fritz Scheufele, the youngest member of the Chopard-owning Scheufele family, has always been an admirer of sleek luxury sports watches. Like his grandfather before him, who introduced the St Moritz collection, Karl Fritz brings to Chopard an updated St. Moritz influenced the watch with the added bonus of High Frequency time telling.
The Alpine Eagle takes its inspiration from several exciting and ground-breaking sports watch forerunners. Today, the trend is for in-house manufacture of high quality movements, and it’s Karl Fritz Scheufele who has been instrumental in the advance watchmaking at Chopard.
Tech Specs
Movement: Chopard 01.12-C HF COSC Certified; Power reserve of 60 hours
Case: 41 mm Grade 5 Titanium; water resistant up to100m
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Centre Seconds, Date
Bracelet: Satin-brushed grade Titanium link
Availability and Price: Limited Edition of 250 pieces; USD 19,000
