CHOPARD – Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Edition

 

CHOPARD – ALPINE EAGLE XL Chrono Gold/Titanium 44mm Automatic Edition 2021

Bearing ultimate testimony to the expertise and inventiveness of Chopard’s workshops, the Alpine Eagle collection welcomes a new 44 mm-diameter chronograph introducing two novel features: on the one hand, a bi-material case crafted in ethical gold and ceramised titanium; and on the other, a calfskin leather strap.

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Beneath the Pitch Black dial of the new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model beats the Chopard 03.05-C flyback chronograph movement. The design of this calibre featuring chronometer-certified precision has earned Chopard three patents.

A design inspired by Nature

Above and beyond its technical prowess, the Alpine Eagle collection has been a guarantee of aesthetic finesse ever since its launch, entirely aligned with Louis Sullivan’s “form follows function” principle. The new Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model fully reflects this principle. On the right-hand side, the chronograph pushers are subtly and discreetly integrated on either side of the protective bumpers so as to preserve the Alpine Eagle’s characteristic harmony of form and symmetry. 

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On the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model, harmony also reigns supreme at the heart of the Pitch Black dial. Drawing inspiration from the colours of alpine flora and fauna, Chopard‘s Co-President and creator of the collection, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, wanted this hue as a reference to the intense black of mountain nights when wildlife reclaims its rights, reminding us of the extent to which night-time lighting linked to humans and urbanisation disrupts the way of life of surrounding animal species. As on all Alpine Eagle models, the dial retains its texture and radiant pattern, evoking the eagle’s iris. The feather-shaped seconds hand flies over this highly legible display punctuated by raised counters. 

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The addition of black counters for the 30-minute, small seconds and 12-hour indications – respectively positioned at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – has been carefully designed to enhance the legibility of measurements. This is also the case of the red inlays punctuating the hands linked to the chronograph function as well as the 100, 160 and 240 graduations on the tachymeter scale. Divided into four sections, this tachymeter graduation features intervals varying from 5, 10, 20 or 40km/h per line so as to ensure perfect calculation of average speed measurements.

Avant-garde materials

The extra-large 44-millimetre case of the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is crafted in ethical 18-carat rose gold and ceramised titanium. The combination of these two noble metals is a first in watchmaking aesthetics, and even more so in the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono range, thus far available in Lucent Steel A223 and/or ethical rose gold. 

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The 18-carat rose gold used to make the case is sourced from an ethical supply chain, in accordance with the commitment Chopard has upheld for all its watch and jewellery production since July 2018; while the use of ceramised titanium reflects the avant-garde spirit of the workshops. This light and ultra-resistant metal is obtained through a process of titanium oxidation using electro-plasma technology – a treatment that gives it a hardness of 1000 Vickers and a resistance to shocks and scratches comparable to that of ceramics. Developed in the aerospace and automotive industries, it has an anthracite grey colour that does not fade over time and gives the entire watch a sporty, ultra-contemporary look.

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The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is also the collection’s first series-produced timepiece with a black calf leather strap. Until now, only the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch – a one-of-a-kind model designed to support the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy – had departed from the iconic metal bracelet. Like the latter, the leather strap retains the Chopard Alpine Eagle’s characteristic embossed central cap as well as a highly contemporary graphic design. And because style is all about details, its red bridle stitching subtly echoes the chronograph function indications on the dial.

Three patents for a high-precision chronograph movement

At the heart of the case beats a highly sophisticated chronograph movement endowed with a precision chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Equipped with a central rotor in 22-carat rose gold, Chopard Calibre 03.05-C has a 60-hour power reserve and features an elaborate design guaranteeing accurate adjustments as well as optimal use of the timekeeping functions. 

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Equipped with a column wheel, it represents the culmination of several technical innovations for which Chopard has been awarded three patents, filed for the development of L.U.C Calibre 03.03-L, devised by the engineers of Chopard Manufacture for the L.U.C Chrono One timepiece. First presented in 2006, this chronograph movement equipped with a column wheel, vertical clutch, flyback and small seconds reset functions, as well as a particularly precise jumping minute counter, remains the most innovative in the world. 

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In 2022, the L.U.C. collection will celebrate its 25th anniversary, an opportunity for the Maison to underscore Chopard Manufacture’s leading role in innovation and the integration of watchmaking knowledge into its entire production process. With the Chopard 03.05-C movement, produced in larger quantities by the workshops, this cutting-edge technology makes a remarkable entry into the Alpine Eagle collection.

The Alpine Eagle collection: 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.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection : ALPINE EAGLE

Model:  Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Edition

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Ref. 295387-9001 – in ethical 18-carat rose gold and ceramised titanium – CHF 34,500 / 34.400 € / $34,500

Movement
    Mechanical self-winding movement Chopard 03.05-C
    Column-wheel chronograph with integrated construction
    Number of components:  310
    Diameter: 28.80 mm
    Thickness: 7.60 mm
    Number of jewels: 45
    Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
    Power reserve: 60 hours
    Annular balance with balance-spring featuring a flat terminal curve
    Patented chronograph zero-resetting system with pivoting hammers and elastic arm
    Patented seconds hand zero-resetting system
    Patented vertical coupling clutch
    Openworked ethical 22-carat rose gold central rotor
    Chromometer-certified (COSC)
Functions
    Central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds
    Semi-instantaneous minutes counter display
    Semi-instantaneous date display between 4 and 5 o’clock
    Chronograph with flyback function

•     30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
•     12-hour counter at 9 o’clock
•     Small seconds at 6 o’clock

    Stop-seconds function
Case
    Ethical 18-carat rose gold and ceramised titanium
    Total diameter: 44.00 mm
    Thickness: 13.15 mm
    Water-resistance: 100 metres
    Crown in ethical 18-carat rose gold with compass rose: 8 mm
    Pushers in vertical satin-brushed ethical 18-carat rose gold with polished chamfers
    Crown guards in beadblasted ceramised titanium
    Caseband in ethical 18-carat rose gold
    Bezel in ethical 18-carat rose gold A223 with eight screws set at a tangent
    Glare-proofed sapphire crystal
    Ceramised titanium exhibition case-back fitted with a glare-proofed sapphire crystal pane
Dial and hands
    Brass dial stamped with a sunburst Pitch Black motif achieved by galvanic treatment and inspired by an eagle’s iris
    Black counters with white transfers (and gilded surrounds for chronograph counters)
    Applied gilded numerals and hour-markers enhanced with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova®
    Black inner bezel ring and chronograph counters
    Gilded baton-type hours and minutes hands enhanced with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova®
    Gilded, red-tipped arrow-type seconds hand with eagle feather counterweight
    Gilded, red-tipped chronograph counter hands
Strap and clasp
    Black calfskin strap with red bridle stitching and gilded titanium inlay
    Pin buckle in engraved bead-blasted ceramised titanium

Price from 18-carat rose gold and ceramised titanium – CHF 34,500 / 34.400 € / $34,500

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Press Release - 2021
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BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar Edition

 

BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar Platinum 45 mm Limited Edition - 2022 Year of the Tiger

Blancpain marks the transition to Chinese New Year 2022
new revision of the traditional Chinese calendar with an exclusive bearing for the timepiece Tiger emblem

Blancpain celebrates the 2022 Lunar New Year by unveiling a new version of its Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar. Crafted in platinum and issued in a 50-piece limited edition, this watch presents the indications of the lunisolar calendar on a white grand feu enamel dial. The zodiac sign of the year, the tiger, is highlighted on the back of the timepiece.

 
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A complication exclusively developed by Blancpain, the Traditional Chinese Calendar is based on fundamental principles established for millennia and profoundly rooted in Chinese tradition. On its dial, the hours, minutes and the Gregorian calendar rub shoulders with the main indications of the Chinese calendar: traditional double-hours, day, month with indication of leap months, signs of the zodiac, as well as the five elements and the ten celestial stems. The moon phases, defining traditional Chinese months and a key element in all Blancpain complete calendars, are also presented.

To mark the transition to the year of the tiger 2022 (1 February 2022 to 21 January 2023), Blancpain has created a new edition of this emblematic timepiece: a model in platinum with a white grand feu enamel dial whose oscillating weight is engraved with the Chinese zodiac sign of the year, the tiger.

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Faithful to the aesthetic signature elements of the Villeret collection, the refined 45 mm double-stepped case is equipped with under-lug correctors enabling easy function adjustments. It frames a display revealing Blancpain‘s artisanal savoir-faire. Whilst the chapter ring is composed of gold appliques, the other indications are enamel painted. The main hands shaped like slightly hollowed leaves are associated with a blued serpentine hand sweeping over the Gregorian date numerals, a shape that is reminiscent of the 18th-century watchmaking tradition.
 

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With the Traditional Chinese Calendar, Blancpain took up the challenge of mechanically combining two different interpretations of time. Five years of research and development were required to associate within this timepiece the main indications of the Chinese calendar as well as the date based on the Gregorian calendar. Given that the basic unit of these two time-division systems is not the same, this represents a real technical feat. While the Gregorian calendar is based on the solar day, the lunisolar Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle, composed of 29,53059 days.

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A year of 12 lunar months is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. In order to maintain consistency with the seasonal cycle, a leap month is added to the Chinese calendar every two to three years. This distinctive feature is the reason behind the variability of the Chinese New Year date. But the complexity of this calendar does not stop there, since it uses a system of subdividing the day into 12 double hours, thus replacing the 24 hours composed of 60 minutes each featured in the Gregorian calendar. Each of these double hours is named, in successive order, after one of the twelve earthly branches and represented by one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
 

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Unlike the Gregorian calendar, whose unit of measurement is based on the solar day, the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle as well as exact astronomical observations of the sun’s longitude. Thus, in addition to the hours and minutes, date and moon phases, Blancpain's Traditional Chinese Calendar watch offers the main indications of the traditional Chinese calendar: double hours, days, months and leap months, zodiac signs, five elements and ten heavenly stems. The latter, combined with the 12 earthly branches – symbolised by the animals of the zodiac – produce 60 different pairs forming the sexagesimal cycle of the Chinese time measurement system.
 

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Despite their complex combination, these functions are clearly displayed on a dial with Roman gold numerals and hollowed-out sage leaf-shaped hands. The Tiger, the animal of the year 2022, appears in an aperture at 12 o'clock above the double-hour counter. Symmetrically positioned at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, two subdials respectively indicate the celestial stems and the five elements, as well as pointer-type month and date indications and leap months through a round aperture. In a manner typical of Blancpain's Complete Calendar watches, the moon phases that determine the months of the Chinese calendar can be read off at 6 o'clock, while a blued serpentine hand sweeps over the date numerals around the dial circumference.

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This timepiece, which is even more complex than a perpetual calendar, is driven by the self-winding 3638 movement. The latter is distinguished in particular by a seven-day power reserve made possible by the use of three series-coupled barrels, equipped with high-performance springs. It is secured against inappropriate manipulation of the functions and equipped with a silicon balance-spring.

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This exceptional movement is housed in a 45 mm platinum case featuring a crown and oscillating weight adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby. It incorporates five under-lug correctors – a patented Blancpain invention – enabling easy fingertip adjustment of functions without the need for a correction tool.

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The Traditional Chinese Calendar  model is driven by the self-winding 3638 movement, whose complexity stems as much from the number of the indications to be displayed, as from the irregular nature of their cycles. While there are well-trodden paths from more than two centuries of watchmaking experience that guide watchmakers in the development of their mechanisms, the creation of the Traditional Chinese Calendar, for its part, started from a blank page. It is equipped with Blancpain's patented under-lug corrector system allowing easy function adjustments. This complication is the result of a major challenge, which took five years of research and development to be completed. The sapphire crystal case back enables one to admire the finishing of the movement and its white gold oscillating weight, engraved with the Chinese zodiac sign of the year.

Useful and symbolic, the Traditional Chinese Calendar invites fine watchmaking enthusiasts to consider different approaches to the concept of time as complementary. The 50 individually numbered timepieces composing this 2022 series bear fresh witness to this wealth of diversity.

 

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar Edition

References:  00888J-3431-55B - Platinum 45 - Edition
 
Complications
Traditional Chinese Calendar
[double-hour indication, signs of the zodiac, date and month of the Chinese calendar. Indication of the
five elements, the celestial stems and the leap months]
Specificities

• ∙ Gregorian calendar
• ∙ Moon phases
• ∙ Under-lug correctors
• ∙ Secured movement
• ∙ White grand feu enamel dial
• ∙ Oscillating weight set with a Madagascar ruby
• ∙ Sself-winding

Case

Platinum
Red Gold

Case thickness:     15.00 mm
Case diameter:     45.00 mm
Water resistance:     3.00 bar
Between horns:     23.00 mm
Sapphire back: Engraved on the - "Chinese Calendar - № ХX/50 Piece"
Dial
Full fired enamel
White Grand feu enamel
Movement
Calibre 3638
Reference:   3638   

Frequency - 4Hz

Self-winding
Calibre thickness:  8.30 mm
Calibre diameter:  32.00 mm | 14'''
Power reserve in hours:  168
Jewels:  39
3 mainspring barrels
Secured movement
Titanium free sprung balance with gold regulation screws
Components:   464
Strap/Bracelet
Alligator lined with alzavel
Black color strap
Platinum folding clasp

Available in Blancpain Boutiques - Only  Limited edition of 50 Piece


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Press release - 2021
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Blancpain S.A.
Le Rocher 12
1348 Le Brassus
Suisse
International PR: Lucie Notar
Tel.  (+41) 21 796 3619
Fax (+41) 21 796 3637
E-mail: pr@blancpain.com
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