We have discussed this before, how watch makers are going the ‘stainless steel – case’ way for sports watches, to woo enthusiasts who are increasingly finding it difficult to lay their hands on a good steel Rolex or Audemars Piguet. To bridge the gap, we have Chopard come out with their version of a great new watches – The Alpine Eagle Collection – and some of the ten watches in this series are crafted from stainless steel.
I have to admit, the Bell & Ross BR05 that we saw here, has a common thread with the Chopard we are featuring today. Watch enthusiasts will understand what I mean! Anyhow, let’s look at what Chopard has for us in the ten new watches that belong to the Alpine Eagle Collection.
Bird’s Eye View
Inspired by the iris of an eagle, the dials of the Alpine Eagle Collection mostly feature a sunburst motif in galvanic blue or grey brass. The second hand is noteworthy, with its counterweight shaped like an eagle’s feather. The rhodium-plated second hand looks like an arrow and the tapered Alpine Eagle bracelet is crafted from a single ingot-shaped link and topped with a raised central cap that reminds us of the mountain biotope.
The crown is engraved with a compass rose, which is a tool that explorers from eras gone by had used to find their direction. In a poetic way, this represents the eagle’s will to choose the right path and hence its destiny.
The Eagle has Landed
The new sport luxury line from Chopard has cues from the St. Moritz collection, which was crafted by Karl-Friedrich Scheufel in the 1980s. Co-created and designed by Karl, the new Alpine Eagle Collection is inspired by the Alps and the eagles that rein there. There are totally ten timepieces in this collection. Some of the bracelets in the collection are crafted from new Lucent Steel A223.
Three of these are 41mm in size and the remaining seven are 36mm (no-date). Under the hood for the 41 mm watches is the 01.01-C mechanical movement with automatic winding and power reserve of 60 hours. The 36mm watches house the automatic 09.01-C, which provides only 42 hours of power reserve. Both the movements come with COSC chronometer certification and are designed in-house. The watches are water resistant to 100 meters.
If I had to pick one watch from each segment – big and small – my choice would be the Alpine Eagle Large Ref. 298600-6001 and the Alpine Eagle Small Ref. 295370-5003. The former is a robust rose gold and Lucent Steel A223 watch. It boasts of a Bernina grey color dial that is got through galvanic treatment and looks very enticing.
The second watch that I found interesting was mainly because of its dial – Sils grey Tahitian mother-of-pearl. It is teamed with gold-plated Roman numerals and hour markers coated with Super-LumiNova Grade X1. Crafted from rose gold and encrusted with diamonds, the new sport-chic watch is contemporary in its looks.
Prices range from $12,900 to $19,700 for the 41mm steel versions and for the 36mm versions, prices start at $10,100 to $45,200, depending upon the case materials and diamonds used.