This text was initially printed within the November/December 2022 difficulty of WatchTime print journal.
Chopard’s The massively profitable Alpine Eagle sports activities watch assortment launched within the late months of 2022 with a brand new dial shade accessible solely for the 41mm measurement in chrome steel or gold. Just like the “Aletsch Blue,” “Bernina Grey,” and “Pitch Black” colorways earlier than it, the brand new “Pine Inexperienced” dial is impressed by the iris of an eagle and in addition expresses Chopard’s ongoing dedication to “defend and protect the Alpine setting .” its biodiversity.”
Again in 1980, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, then a 22-year-old worker of the watch and jewellery firm he had taken over from his father, introduced his concept for a watch referred to as St. Moritz, which might not solely be Chopard’s first sports activities watch, but in addition its first watch the model made from metal. The St. Moritz grew to become certainly one of Chopard’s best-sellers of the time, however was finally changed by the Mille Miglia assortment, which Scheufele based in 1996 after his rise to co-president of Chopard. As (household) historical past repeated itself, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s son Karl-Fritz instructed reviving the St. Moritz for a up to date viewers, a watch that additionally grew to become an prompt success when it was launched in 2019 below the identify “ Alpenadler. “
Apart from the crown, the sapphire crystals and the palms, the watches are nearly fully manufactured in-house; Even the dials are technically manufactured by a specialised dial producer owned by Chopard itself. The case, which is out there in diameters of 41 mm, 36 mm and, since 2022, additionally in 33 mm diameter (since 2020 there’s additionally an extra-large 44 mm flyback chronograph model), options protruding shoulders that flank the crown will probably be repeated at 9 a.m. The massive screw-down crown is engraved with a compass rose motif, symbolizing journey and discovery. The spherical bezel is characterised by eight seen screws grouped in pairs on the 4 cardinal factors, with slots completely organized to be tangential to the circle of the bezel. The bezel and the opposite flat surfaces of the case are satin-finished and accentuated by the alternating polished bevels. The palms and utilized indices of the dial are handled with Tremendous-LumiNova Grade X1. Lastly, the built-in bracelet consists of satin-finished bar-shaped hyperlinks with raised, polished middle caps and secures the watch to the wrist with triple folding clasps. In fact, the case merges seamlessly into the chrome steel bracelet and thus completely embodies the presently fashionable built-in case-bracelet development.
Like its predecessors, the most recent addition to the Alpine Eagle sports activities watch is out there in Chopard’s Lucent Metal A223 (Ref. 298600-3014) or 18k moral rose gold (Ref. 295363-5007). In step with the moral method that the Manufacturing is dedicated, A223 is unique to Chopard and consists of 70 p.c recycled materials. It took 4 years of analysis to realize “a high quality of steel that’s as precious as gold with the superior performance of metal.” Maybe extra importantly, because of its anti-allergenic composition, it has properties akin to surgical metal and is due to this fact extraordinarily skin-friendly. Moreover, with a hardness of 223 Vickers, this alloy is 50 p.c extra abrasion resistant than standard steels (316L chrome steel has a hardness of 152 Vickers) and contains a distinctive shimmering gentle impact that provides the steel each an “ethereal glow” and its identify. The second model of the Alpine Eagle with a inexperienced dial (obtained by means of a PVD remedy) is out there in 18k rose gold.
The gold is one hundred pc ethically sourced, as is the case with all others Homes Watch and jewellery creations since July 2018 (Chopard has been a member of the Accountable Jewellery Council since 2010).
Inside this contemporary luxurious sports activities watch is the automated watch 01.01-C from Chopard Manufacturing Caliber, a COSC-certified chronometer composed of 207 components and providing an influence reserve of 60 hours (frequency is 28,800 vibrations per hour or 4 Hz). On this model, the motion comes with an identical inexperienced date disc. The Alpine Eagle Pine Inexperienced prices $14,800, the gold model prices $51,000; each can be found solely in Chopard boutiques.
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