The Alpine Eagle collection of sporty-chic timepieces is interpreting its flyback chronograph fitted with a contemporary rubber strap and an unprecedented “Maritime Blue” dial. With its 44 mm-diameter case in Lucent Steel – Chopard’s exclusive, ultra-resistant and light-reflective steel, manufactured with a recycling rate of at least 80% – the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono remains strongly inspired by the power of the eagle and the beauty of the Alps
The three patents for its Chopard 03.05-C chronometer-certified movement with flyback function testify to innovations enhancing its accuracy as well as its smooth handling. The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono welcomes a new 44 mm model. With its pure, assertive design, its extra-large case is forged in Lucent Steel, which is made with a recycling rate of at least 80% and developed by Chopard for its anti-allergenic properties, its robustness as well as its incomparable brilliance achieved through a meticulous recasting process. The discreet right-hand pushers relating to the chronograph functions are subtly integrated on either side of the crown guards and preserve the collection’s characteristically harmonious shape and symmetry.
Beating at the heart of this new model, the Chopard 03.05-C movement developed and assembled by the artisans in the Manufacture is one of the world’s most innovative chronograph movements. It has a 60-hour power reserve and features an elaborate design guaranteeing accurate adjustments and optimal use of the chronograph functions. Equipped with a column wheel, it is also enhanced by several technical innovations that have earned Chopard three patents stemming from the boldness of its R & D teams.
First of all, it is equipped with a unidirectional gear drive system that prevents energy losses while ensuring rapid automatic winding, a function much appreciated in the inherently energy-hungry chronograph category. In addition, its vertical clutch ensures accurate time-measurement starts. This chronograph calibre is also of the flyback variety, enabling smooth successive timing operations thanks to three pivoting hammers with elastic arms facilitating zero-setting of the counters. Equipped with a stop-seconds function enabling accurate adjustments of the watch, the Chopard 03.05-C movement is chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute.
Already available with an integrated metal bracelet and a leather option, the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model has since 2022 treated itself to a new look with a rubber strap. The multiple advantages of this material make it an ideal ally for sports chronographs subjected to the most extreme conditions: water-resistant, malleable, and comfortable to wear, it gives the timepiece a particularly dynamic look. In using rubber, the Chopard workshops have preserved the elegance and identity of the Alpine Eagle by reprising the shape of the metal-link bracelet – slightly tapering with a raised central cap – that is an integral part of the collection’s DNA. The material is different, while the identity and well-balanced proportions remain signature features of this new contemporary chronograph.
Chopard cultivates a longstanding tradition of sporty rubber straps. In 1995, the Maison’s workshops were among the first to adopt this material with its strong creative potential by reproducing the rubber treads of 1960s Dunlop tyres on the straps of its Mille Miglia chronograph collection. This trend that has been continuously nurtured by the Mille Miglia models has since spread widely across the watchmaking scene.
A new colour makes its debut on the dial of this new model. Inspired by the palette of natural colours composing the beauty of the Alpine landscape – like Aletsch Blue, Bernina Grey and Pitch Black – “Maritime Blue” is reminiscent of the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea bordering the southern slopes of the Alps.
The texture and sunburst pattern evoke an eagle’s iris. The seconds hand with its arrow-shaped tip flies over a highly legible display punctuated by snailed counters. The hands and hour-markers are coated with Grade XI Super-LumiNova, a treatment offering the advantage of retaining the same intensity over the years, while naturally more luminous than traditional Super-LumiNova.
The tachymeter scale bearing discreet orange 100, 160 and 240 graduations appears on the inner bezel ring. It is divided into four steps, with different intervals of 5, 10, 20 or 40 km/h per line. This arrangement facilitates reading the average speed measurements and contributes to the dial’s overall aesthetic dynamic.
Devised by three generations of men in the Scheufele family, the Alpine Eagle collection is a modern reinterpretation of the St. Moritz watch, the first horological creation by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in the late 1970s. With its pure and assertive design, Alpine Eagle enriches this heritage with powerful inspiration drawn from Nature. A round case with stylised flanks; a crown engraved with a compass rose; a bezel with eight functional indexed screws; as well as textured dial with deep hues and luminescent indications, Alpine Eagle embodies impeccable elegance expressed in a resolutely contemporary manner. Today, in addition to its chronographs, the collection offers a variety of complications, from a high-frequency movement to a flying tourbillon and an extra-thin model with small seconds indication bearing the Poinçon de Genève.
