Imagined and personally designed by him,
Alpine Eagle is driven by his passion for the
Alps and by the lofty power of the eagle that reigns supreme there. Crafted from an exclusive, ultra-resistant and light-reflecting metal named Lucent Steel
A223, it beats to the rhythm of a Chopard chronometer-certified movement.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Bearing testament to
Chopard's ethical approach,
Alpine Eagle gives the Maison an opportunity to reveal its new commitment to protecting the Alpine environment through the launch of the
Eagle Wings Foundation - of which
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is founding member.
Alpine Eagle is
dedicated to contemporary eagles, the aspiring men who outperform in
their daily lives and whose vision inspires and elevates. With foresight
and determination, they act on the challenges of tomorrow and are
innately aware of the importance of environmental issues.
A gentlemen story
While
vision is essential to running a family Maison, it is perseverance and
determination that lead to success. Such was the path taken by
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in
1980, when he presented his very first watchmaking project. As a youthful
22-year-old employee in the family Manufacture at the time, he submitted an idea to his father for a watch to be named
St. Moritz.
A project with a resolutely coming of age dimension, within which a
young man asserts himself, spreads his wings and takes flight.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Johannes Huebl with the new Alpine Eagle ©Greg Williams
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The first sports watch from the Maison as well as the first timepiece made of steel in its workshops, the
St. Moritz was profoundly innovative for
Chopard,
then a specialist in gold and diamond-set gold watches. It represented a
real and carefully calculated risk.
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele made it a
success that was to become one of the Maison’s best-sellers for the next
decade. Since then, he has become co-president of
Chopard and taken on many other challenges.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
He was one of the first to sense the strength of the bonds
between passionate enthusiasts of the automobile world and of watchmaking mechanics. It was he who set
Chopard on the path of its now legendary partnership with the
Mille Miglia race. In
1996, he decided to restore Haute Horlogerie to the place it deserved by founding
Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier. In the same pioneering mode, it was on the same site in Fleurier that
Chopard’s co-president had premises built, complete with the Minergie label certification criteria, thereby paving the way for sustainable luxury.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Johannes Huebl with the new Alpine Eagle ©Greg Williams
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With
Alpine Eagle, history is repeating itself, since it was at the insistence of his son
Karl-Fritz, secretly supported by his grandfather
Karl, that
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele looked into the updating of the
St. Moritz.
At first reluctant, he was won over by his son's strength of
conviction, just as he himself had been able to win his father's support
40 years ago.
Nature, the premier artisan
Drawing on his creative strength and his passion for the
Alps, but also on
Louis Sullivan's principles of harmony which dictate that "form follows function",
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has created a new collection:
Alpine Eagle. Belonging to the select circle of watches with an integrated case and bracelet, this timepiece presents a design that is both refined and contemporary, featuring a wealth of references to the
Alpine eagle and its biotope. Its rock-like textured dial evoke an eagle’s iris, its hands call to mind the raptor’s feathers and the cold glinting steel is reminiscent of glaciers.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The gently tapered
Alpine Eagle bracelet comprises a single ingot-shaped link, topped by a raised central cap.
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The case is distinguished by a protrusion protecting the crown engraved
with a compass rose, an instrument that has helped adventurers find
their way since ancient times. Today, it becomes the emblem of
contemporary eagles capable of choosing the right direction in the
pursuit of their destiny.
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Alpine Eagle's round bezel is punctuated by eight screws, grouped in pairs at the four cardinal points. Their slots are set at a tangent to the circle of the bezel, a sign of high-quality finishing and sophisticated aesthetic purpose. These screws also serve a technical function by guaranteeing the water resistance of the watch to 100 metres.
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All
Alpine Eagle's flat surfaces are satin-brushed, a finish carefully
crafted to create light effects further enhanced by polished chamfers.
The hours and minutes hands, like the hour-markers, are coated with
Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 to enhance nocturnal legibility. Like the snow,
torrents and rock of the
Alps that inspired
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and change their appearance according to the light conditions,
Alpine Eagle constantly alternates between polished and matt finishes.
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Issued from the time of its launch in ten references in steel, gold, bi-material or diamond-set gold,
Alpine Eagle is a particularly rich collection, available in unisex models in two different
41 mm and
36 mm diameters.
Lucent Steel A223: an Alchemist’s quest
To bring the
Alpine Eagle purpose to life,
Chopard has created a new material that is as rich, precious and complex as gold, transforming the dream of Renaissance alchemists into glowing reality.
Lucent Steel A223 is a steel resulting from a re-smelting process featuring three unique characteristics.
On the one hand, thanks to its hypoallergenic composition,
Lucent Steel A223 has properties comparable to surgical steel, making it highly dermo-compatible. On the other hand, this alloy with its
223 Vickers’ strength is 50% more resistant to abrasion than conventional steels and has a unique hardness. Finally, with its superior homogeneous crystal structure, its purity enables it to reflect light in a unique way. Like diamond, whose brilliance depends on the lowest degree of impurities, this innovative steel has far less impurities than conventional steel, guaranteeing it brilliance and brightness comparable to that of gold.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The industrialisation of tis new alloy, which required no less than four years of research and development to produce, was a real challenge to manufacture to extremely strict specifications, significantly increasing its manufacturing time as well as wear and tear on machining tools.
Lucent Steel A223 is now a rare and extraordinarily precious metal, stemming from a very complex development and manufacturing process.
A Manufacture-made movement
True to
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele's deep commitment to fine watchmaking, the two movements with automatic winding embedded in the heart of
Alpine Eagle watches have been developed in Chopard's watchmaking workshops and chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Control – a rare event for watches in this category.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Alpine Eagle 41 mm thus welcomes the
01.01-C calibre with a 60-hour power reserve, while the
36 mm models host the
09.01-C calibre with a 42-hour power reserve – with the latter 8-ligne movement being one of the smallest to receive COSC certification. Both are visible through a transparent sapphire crystal back.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Thanks to its vertically integrated production process,
Chopard has produced and assembled all
Alpine Eagle components in-house, from all the components of its movements to the making of its case and bracelet, whether in steel and/or gold.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Eagle Wings
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is a hiking and skiing enthusiast who finds inspiration and serenity in the high altitudes of Switzerland, which open his eyes, clear his mind and initiate action. Sensitive to
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan's initiative,
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele joined the
Alp Action programme in the
2000s. Today, in unveiling his new
Alpine Eagle collection, whose design bears the imprint of nature’s influence, he sought to associate this collection with a new sustainable approach.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Karl, Karl-Friderich & Karl-Fritz Scheufele
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The co-president of Chopard has thus become founding member of the newly formed
Eagle Wings Foundation. This innovative and multidisciplinary environmental project – designed to raise awareness and galvanise the public with respect to the importance, beauty and fragility of
Alpine biotopes – will offer a new vision of the
Alps through the eyes of human beings, satellites as well as the eagle – the latter being especially renowned for its piercing gaze.
The first project in this organisation will be launched in
September 2019 with the
Alpine Eagle Race, during which participants will be able to observe images taken by a camera on an eagle launched from five mythical
Alpine peaks spread over five countries: Zugspitze in Germany, Dachstein in Austria, Marmolada in Italy, Aiguille du Midi in France and Piz Corvatsch in Switzerland. The race will end in
St. Moritz, in tribute to the creation that inspired
Alpine Eagle.
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Model: Alpine Eagle
Ref. 298600-3001 - Aletsch Blue
Ref. 298600-3002 - Bernina Grey
Movement
CHOPARD 01.01-C
NUMBER OF MOVEMENT PARTS:
207
DECORATIONS ON MOVEMENT: bridges adorned with snailed motif, circular-grained mainplate
BALANCE SPRING: flat
POWER RESERVE: Power Reserve of approximately 60 hours
FREQUENCY:
4 Hz (
28,800 vibrations per hour)
TYPE OF WINDING: self-winding mechanical movement
JEWELS:
31
CERTIFICATION(S): Certified chronometer (COSC)
INDICATION(S): hours and minutes, seconds, date
Case
MATERIAL: stainless steel
CASE DIMENSION(S):
41.00 mm
FRONT GLASS: glareproofed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
CROWN TYPE: screw-down
CROWN MATERIAL: stainless steel
CASE-BACK: see-through sapphire crystal
WATER-RESISTANCE: 100 metres
Dial
- Aletsch blue colour obtained through galvanic treatment
- Bernina grey colour obtained through galvanic treatment
– finishing inspired by the iris of the eagle
– with rhodium-plated Roman numerals and hour markers painted with Super-LumiNova Grade X1
Strap & Buckle
BUCKLE TYPE: folding clasp
BUCKLE MATERIAL: stainless steel
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Press Release - 2019
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