A highly symbolic timepiece
Darshan, a term evoking direct visual contact with a divine being or spiritual master, was the name chosen by Jacques-Olivier Travers for one of the eagles in his wildlife park. In 2015, Darshan honoured both his name and his breeder when – spreading his wings to swoop down from the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – he broke the record for the highest bird flight from a man-made structure. A few years later, Jacques-Olivier Travers and Chopard’s Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele jointly founded the Alpine Eagle Foundation, which now runs innovative, multi-disciplinary environmental projects designed to raise public awareness of the importance, beauty and fragility of the Alpine biotope.

It is this story of achieving and excelling that is told by this new timepiece in the Alpine Eagle collection – itself designed from the outset for contemporary eagles: those men whose vision inspires and uplifts. Issued in an exclusive 25-piece limited series in Lucent Steel™ – Chopard’s exclusive alloy produced with a recycling rate of at least 80% and endowed with advanced properties – it pays tribute to the sovereign beauty and ascent of the eagle soaring across the splendid landscapes of the Alps.

A dial inspired by Nature
Endowed with a pure, sleek aesthetic inspired by Nature, the Alpine Eagle collection stands out through the passing seasons with its textured dials in deep colours. With the Alpine Eagle 41 Darshan model, it welcomes a new dial variation featuring finishing and colour details recreating the slate stone emblematic of Alpine landscapes.

On this elegant display, the hours, minutes and seconds are indicated by gilded hour-markers and hands enhanced with Super-LumiNova® Grade X1, offering a legible contrast that is optimal by both day and night, as befits a sporty-chic timepiece.

The mechanical precision of the Chopard 01.15-C movement
True to the Manufacture’s commitment to certified precision, the Chopard 01.15-C self-winding movement beating at the heart of this model – and visible through a transparent sapphire crystal case-back – is developed in its own watchmaking workshops and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. The word “Chronometer” embossed on the dial is a reminder of this label of precision and excellence.

When fully wound, the mechanism provides 60 hours of power reserve. Constantly seeking to attain the highest standards of accuracy, the watchmakers have also equipped this movement with a stop-seconds function enabling the wearer to set the time to the exact second.

The Alpine Eagle collection
Envisioned by three generations of gentlemen in the Scheufele family, the Alpine Eagle collection is a modern reinterpretation of the St. Moritz watch, the first horological creation designed by Chopard’s now Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, in the late 1970s.

Featuring a round case with raised stylised flanks, a crown engraved with a compass rose, a bezel with eight functional indexed screws, a textured dial with deep colours and luminescent indications, along with an integrated metal bracelet, Alpine Eagle is synonymous with refined and resolutely contemporary elegance.

Its independence and the integration of its various professions enable Chopard to carry out all the collection’s production and assembly stages – from movement to bracelet along with the components and case – within its in-house watchmaking workshops.

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The Alpine Eagle collection of sporty-chic timepieces welcomes a 41 mm-diameter model featuring an original “Zinal Blue” dial and a matching bezel decorated with baguette-cut sapphires in shades of blue and purple. True to the Manufacture’s commitment to sustainable luxury, this watch is crafted in ethical 18-carat white gold. It beats to the rhythm of the Chopard 01.15-C movement, whose precision settings are authenticated by chronometer certification. From gold smelting to bracelet manufacturing, along with gemsetting, component production and movement assembly, every stage in the making of the collection is performed by Chopard’s artisans of emotions.

A “Zinal Blue” dial inspired by the splendour of the Alpine landscape
A new dial colour is making its debut in the Alpine Eagle collection: like Aletsch Blue, Bernina Grey and Pitch Black, “Zinal Blue” is inspired by the palette of natural colours composing the beauty of the Alpine landscape. It draws its name from the eponymous glacier standing proudly in the heart of the Swiss Alps, whose shimmering blue and purple reflections, resulting from the ice’s partial absorption of light rays, captivate the gaze, creating a truly breathtaking sight.

Featuring a radiating pattern evoking an eagle’s iris, this textured dial is dominated by the colour blue, evoking the purity and freshness of ice, while its nuances recall the translucent crystals of the sparkling glacier. As the eye wanders over the dial, purple appears, like a mysterious imprint of Nature, suggesting the depth and energy emanating from the heart of the glacier itself.

This unique visual change is achieved through a subtle PVD (physical vapour deposition) treatment, which involves the use of several ‘target material pellets’ sputtered onto the dial to release atoms of material. Unlike traditional methods, this innovative process does not use pigments: the colours are obtained using specific gas mixtures and adjusted exposure times. They result from interference between the different layers deposited. In addition, the eagle-eye structure of the dial surface plays a role in the final appearance, as it influences the way light is reflected and refracted, accentuating the optical effects and creating unique variations between blue and purple.

The rhodium-plated hands, enhanced with Super-LumiNova® Grade X1, gracefully sweep across this landscape frozen in time. Their precise movements mark the hours, minutes and seconds, like a reminder of the imperceptible passage of time that has shaped these Alpine treasures.

The peerless mastery of gemsetting exercised within Chopard’s workshops
All around the dial face, a setting of baguette-cut sapphires, patiently assembled to form a subtle colour gradient, lights up the watch bezel and echoes the dial colour. It serves as a vivid reminder that, alongside its mastery of watchmaking skills, the Manufacture also benefits from a renowned heritage in the art of gemsetting and stone selection.

This understated yet dazzling Alpine Eagle Summit model with its “Zinal Blue” dial whisks observers away into a world of natural splendour. Whether worn by a mountain explorer or a nature lover, it is a tribute to the grandeur of our environment that Chopard remains determined to protect.
A timepiece crafted in ethical gold
Since its launch in 2019, the Alpine Eagle collection has been distinguished by a choice of materials whose origin meets the specifications of sustainable luxury. The 41 millimetre-diameter case and integrated bracelet of this new Alpine Eagle Summit model are crafted in ethical 18-carat white gold.

In keeping with Chopard’s goal of improving luxury practices, the fine gold used in the production of this model – just as in all the Maison’s watch and jewellery creations since July 2018 – is ethically sourced.

One of the rare Manufactures to have had its own precious metals foundry for several decades, Chopard is thus in a position to control its value chain in order to offer creations conveying a more reasonable approach to our stewardship of the Earth.

Chronometer-certified mechanical precision
True to the Manufacture’s commitment to certified precision, the Chopard 01.15-C self-winding movement, beating at the heart of the Alpine Eagle Summit and visible through a transparent sapphire crystal caseback, is developed in Chopard watchmaking workshops and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The word “Chronometer” embossed on the dial is a reminder of this label of precision and excellence.

When fully wound, the mechanism provides 60 hours of power reserve. Consistently targeting the highest standards of precision, watchmakers have also equipped this movement with a stop-seconds function enabling the wearer to set the time to the exact second.

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Available in versions featuring either Chopard’s exclusive ultra-resistant and highly luminous Lucent Steel A223 or ethical 18-carat rose gold, this timepiece beats to the rhythm of the Chopard 01.01-C movement, whose high-precision timing is authenticated by chronometer certification.

In keeping with the Maison’s commitment to the preservation of the Alpine environment and its biodiversity, part of the proceeds from sales of these models will be donated to the Alpine Eagle Foundation, whose programmes have already enabled the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle in the Lake Geneva region.

A new colour is making its debut on the dial of the watches in the Alpine Eagle collection: like Aletsch Blue, Bernina Grey or Absolute Black, “Pine Green” is inspired by the palette of natural colours shaping the beauty of the Alpine biotope. It evokes the forests carpeting the mountains when, on summer days, the melting snow gives way to a deep greyish-green mantle of vegetation.

On this textured dial with its radiating pattern evoking the eye of an eagle, the indication of the hours, minutes and seconds provides an elegant and legible contrast through rhodium-plated or gold-plated hour-markers and hands enhanced with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova® to ensure optimal visibility even in the dark. Positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock, the date is clearly indicated on a green disc matching the dial and thus ensuring perfect overall discretion and harmony.

The large 41 mm-diameter case of this new Alpine Eagle model is available in a first version entirely made of Lucent Steel A223. In keeping with the ethical approach to which the Manufacture is committed, this metal exclusive to Chopard is made from 70% recycled material. Thanks to its anti-allergenic composition, it has properties comparable to surgical steel, making it highly dermo-compatible. With its resistance of 223 Vickers, this alloy is 50% more resistant to abrasion than conventional steels and has a unique hardness.

A second version of the timepiece is available in 18-carat rose gold. The fine gold used to produce Alpine Eagle watches is 100% ethical, as is indeed the case for all the Maison’s watch and jewellery creations since July 2018

In keeping with the Manufacture’s commitment to certified precision, the Chopard 01.01-C self-winding movement at the heart of the Alpine Eagle watches and visible through a transparent sapphire caseback is developed in its own watchmaking workshops and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. The word “Chronometer” on the dial is a reminder of this label of precision and excellence.

When fully wound, the mechanism enjoys a 60-hour power reserve. Constantly seeking to meet the highest standards of precision, the watchmakers have also equipped this movement with a stop-second function enabling the user to set the time to the nearest second.

www.chopard.com

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Available in three versions – in  Lucent Steel A223 with an Aletsch Blue or Pitch Black dial and a bi-material version combining Lucent Steel A223 and ethical rose gold with a Pitch Black dial – the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono timepiece with integrated bracelet is, like the entire collection, very much inspired by the power of the eagle and the beauty of the Alps. Four patents testifying to its accuracy and user-friendliness have been filed for the Chopard 03.05-C mechanical movement with automatic movement and flyback function. From movement to case and from dial to bracelet, Alpine Eagle XL Chrono timepieces are made entirely in Chopard’s watchmaking ateliers, the work of Artisans paying tribute to Nature.

A cutting-edge chronograph movement

With the introduction of the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, the collection successfully launched by Chopard in 2019 already boasts ten references in two case sizes and has been expanded to include three models with an extra-large 44 mm diameter. These more imposing models follow the shape of men’s wrists and provide ample space to house a sophisticated chronograph movement. The discreet right-hand pushers 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 these three new models, the Chopard 03.05-C movement is meticulously crafted by the Artisans in the Maison’s watchmaking workshops. It has a 60-hour power reserve and features an elaborate design guaranteeing accurate adjustments and optimal use of the timing functions. Equipped with a column wheel, it is also enhanced by several technical innovations that have earned Chopard no less than four patents, the fruit of the boldness of its research and development teams.

First of all, it is equipped with a unidirectional gearing system that prevents energy losses while ensuring rapid winding, a function much appreciated in the inherently energy-hungry chronograph category. In addition, its vertical clutch mode guarantees 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. Finally, the Chopard 03.05-C is equipped with a Variner ensuring that rate of the movement is stable by compensating for its variations in inertia throughout the watch’s lifetime.

This calibre, whose precision is chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), is housed in a case forged in Lucent Steel A223, an innovative steel alloy developed by Chopard for its anti-allergenic properties, its robustness and its incomparable brilliance obtained through a meticulous recasting process. The third reference also offers a bi-material alternative with the additional use of 18-carat ethical rose gold for the bezel, crown and part of the bracelet.

Pitch Black in the eagle’s eye

In addition to an Aletsch Blue dial option, Chopard is introducing a new colour in the collection with two Alpine Eagle XL Chrono models featuring a Pitch Black dial. Drawing inspiration from the colours of Alpine nature, Chopard’s Co-President and creator of the collection, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, thought of this shade in reference to the intense blackness of mountain nights when wild Nature reclaims its rights, reminding us in passing how human-related night-time lighting and urbanisation disrupts the way of life of the surrounding fauna.

In both Aletsch Blue and Pitch Black versions, the dial retains its texture and sunburst pattern directly evoking an eagle’s iris.  The feather-shaped seconds hand flies over this highly legible display punctuated by raised counters.

The tachymeter scale, with discreet red 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 average speed measurements and contributes to the dial’s overall aesthetic dynamic and harmony.

Reinterpreting an icon

Devised by three generations of gentlemen 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; a textured dial with deep hues and luminescent indications; as well as an integrated metal bracelet.

Chopard’s independence and integrated skills enable the Maison to perform the entire range of the collection’s production and assembly stages in its own workshops, from movement to bracelet, as well as components and case.

https://www.chopard.com/intl/alpine-eagle

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