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Chopard Gilds and Straps its Alpine Eagle XL Chrono

Chopard adds a 44mm two-tone chronograph to its high-flying Alpine Eagle collection and, in a collection premiere, attaches the watch to a leather strap.

Previously available in Chopard’s own Lucent Steel alloy and/or cased in ethical rose gold, the sporty Alpine Eagle XL Chrono range now includes this model newly and luxuriously cased in ethical rose gold and a ceramic/ titanium alloy.

Chopard’s Alpine Eagle XL Chrono range now includes this model luxuriously cased in ethical rose gold and a ceramic/ titanium alloy.

Like all of the Alpine Eagle models, the dial here retains a radiant pattern meant to evoke the iris of an eagle. But the darker version visible on this new edition is a reference to the “intense black of mountain nights when wildlife reclaims its rights,” according to Chopard’s Co-President and creator of the collection, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.

The new chronograph maintains the collection’s fairly sleek profile, which here means the chronograph pushers are integrated on either side of a protective bumper adjacent to the crown.

The dial is easy to read. Its black counters for the 30-minute, small seconds and 12-hour indications are nicely proportioned. For those measuring average speed times, the tachymeter is clearly graduated and the chronograph seconds hand is tipped with red.

Beneath the dial of the new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model Chopard fits its excellent 03.05-C flyback chronograph movement with column-wheel and vertical clutch, an in-house design featuring COSC-chronometer-certified operation and three patents. (See specifications below for details regarding the patents).

Chopard’s 03.05-C flyback chronograph movement with column wheel and vertical clutch.

As noted earlier, this new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is the collection’s first series-produced timepiece with a black calf leather strap. Previously, only the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono created for the recent Only Watch charity auction included a leather strap. Here, the strap features hints red bridle stitching to echo the dial’s red accents.

Price: $34,500.

Specifications: Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono

Case: 44mm x 13.15mm ethical rose gold and ceramized titanium. Pushers in vertical satin-brushed rose gold with polished chamfers, crown guards in bead blasted ceramized titanium, case band in ethical rose gold, bezel in ethical rose gold with eight screws set at a tangent. Water resistant to 100 meters.

Movement: Chopard 03.05-C column-wheel chronometer-certified (COSC) chronograph with integrated construction. 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. Open-worked ethical 22-karat rose gold central rotor.

Dial: 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 SuperLumiNova, black inner bezel ring and chronograph counters, gilded baton-type hours and minutes hands enhanced with Grade X1 SuperLumiNova. Gilded, red-tipped arrow-type seconds hand with eagle feather counterweight, gilded, red-tipped chronograph counter hands.

Strap: Black calfskin with red bridle stitching and gilded titanium inlay, pin buckle in engraved bead-blasted ceramized titanium.

 

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The Watches

Chopard Unveils Lacquered Ode to the Year of the Tiger

Each year Chopard dedicates an elaborately decorated L.U.C XP ultra-thin watch to the sign of the Chinese zodiac year. For 2022, the Year of the Water Tiger, Chopard unveils the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Tiger timepiece, an 88-piece limited series dedicated to the beast of honor. The Year of the Water Tiger will begin on February 1, 2022.

The new Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Tiger.

With its ultra-thin case, and powered by Chopard’s excellent L.U.C 96.17-L movement, the watch glows thanks to its dial adorned using the Urushi Maki-e technique combining lacquering and gold dust.

Chopard teamed with the workshops of the century-old company Yamada Heiando and Master lacquer artist Minori Koizumi to create the new series. Koizumi, who requires no less than 160 hours to decorate the dials, followed the traditions of the Maki-e technique. Koizumi places gold flakes between layers of lacquer made from tree sap to create the background. Then, the artisan adds the tiger into the image above a bay surrounded by cliffs.

The gold mined to create the 39.5mm rose gold case is sourced from an ethical supply chain pioneered by Chopard. The thin case takes full advantage of the caliber inside, which measures a wispy 3.30mm thick. This is why Chopard can size the entire watch at a mere 6.8mm thick.

Chopard’s thin L.U.C movement 96.17 boasts a gold micro-rotor and two barrels.

And despite its small size, the L.U.C 96.17-L with its strong micro-rotor and two stacked barrels, offers the wearer an impressive 65-hour power reserve.

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The Watches

Chopard Races With Mille Miglia 2021

Just ahead of the annual Mille Miglia, the 1,000-mile classic car race in Italy slated for June 16 to 19, long-time race sponsor and participant Chopard has released its ode to the race, the new Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition.

The new Chopard Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition, with a 44mm steel case A second model offers a rose gold and steel case.

While this year’s race will run in the reverse direction (counter-clockwise) starting in Brescia, on to Rome and returning to Brescia to pay homage to the race’s original 1927 route, Chopard moves forward, offering two models of the new watch.

The steel and rose gold version of the Chopard Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition.

Chopard is making one of the new Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition chronographs with a steel case, limited to 1,000 units, and will also make a second model cased in both steel and rose gold, limited to 250 units.  

Each is a sporty 44mm chronograph with either a stainless steel or polished ethical rose gold bezel with a black ceramic insert with white ceramic markings. Chopard has designed the bezel to mimic dials and gauges of the types found in classic automobiles that annually participate in the Mille Miglia.

The watch also sports a grey dial with a circular satin-brushed finish, all highlighted by red accents on the chronograph hands and for the race’s historic ‘Red Arrow’ pennant.

Chopard secures the back with screws and engraves a checkered flag, the ’1000 Miglia’ logo and the inscription ‘Brescia > Roma > Brescia.’ Though it’s not visible, the ETA-based COSC-chronometer-certified automatic movement offers a 48-hour power reserve, stop-seconds function, water-resistance to 100 meters and a glare-resistant sapphire crystal.

And finally, the watch’s calfskin leather bracelet features perforations and red or black stitching reminiscent of 1960s Dunlop racing tires, echoing examples from previous years.

Prices: $7,610 (steel model) and $11,000 (steel and ethical rose gold).

 

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Chopard Unveils Mille Miglia Watches

Just ahead of the Mille Miglia classic car competition, now underway in Italy, Chopard unveiled its latest Mille Miglia watch, an annual debut for the watchmaker/jeweler ever since it partnered with the race’s organizers in 1988.

The New Chopard Mille Miglia Race Edition 2020, with DLC-treated case.

This year Chopard commemorates the race with the Mille Miglia 2020 Race Edition, a watch offered in two versions. For one version, the 42mm chronograph is cased in bead-blasted, DLC-treated stainless steel similar to the satin black and gunmetal finishes of vintage cars.  This handsome, sporty all-black model is a 1,000-piece limited series. Price: $6,700.

The new Chopard Mille Miglia Race Edition 2020, with ethically sourced 18- karat gold bezel.

The second edition is a 250-piece limited edition made with bezels created using bead-blasted ethically sourced rose gold ($8,400).

 An ETA-based, chronometer-certified automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve powers both new Chopard Mille Miglia Race Edition 2020 watches. And both models boast a sapphire crystal case-back bordered by the 1000 Miglia logo and the edition number of each piece. Chopard pairs each model with a black, perforated leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching and a rubber lining designed to mimic a pattern based on a 1960s Dunlop racing tire.

Concept model

In addition, Chopard will make a futuristic cushion-shaped concept watch, a 20-piece limited edition called Mille Miglia Lab One, featuring Chopard’s first non-round self-winding tourbillon movement (Chopard 04.03-M.)

The new Chopard Mille Miglia Lab One.

The contemporary styled Lab One is made with a blackened titanium cushion-shaped 48.6mm by 46mm case framing an openwork dial that looks like a racecar grille. Additional racing references include a movement that echoes a racing cylinder head and a gas-gauge-like power reserve display.

Caliber Chopard 04.03-M

Another function, the tourbillon stop, is inspired by a disc-brake system. The tourbillon carriage is brought to a halt by axially mounted levers that are activated as soon as the crown is pulled out. Racecar material like carbon fiber and rubber continue the references. The Mille Miglia Lab One will be sold only at Chopard boutiques. Price: Upon request.

 

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