Chopard’s L.U.C collection is definitely one of the silent giants in the world of truly refined, high-end watchmaking. Having owned (and eventually released, to a very eager colleague and friend) a L.U.C Twist some years ago, I adored the watch’s superior materials, daring dial intricacies, and oh-so-beautifully finished manufacture 1.96 movement complete with the Geneva Seal hallmark, during my affair with it. “Patek Phil..who?” Anyway, to those in the know, Chopard is about a lot more than exquisite jewelry, and their watches are among the best you can find, especially on the level of finish, movement quality, and attention to detail–the sorts of things that make luxury watches worth the pursuit in the first place. I’ve written about Chopard’s watches before, and I’m certain this won’t be the last time.
While many of the L.UC. range is on the dressier side, with precious metal cases and luxurious exotic leather straps, Chopard has also not neglected its sports heritage, and the watch seen above is one of variants of the revised Alpine Eagle line first seen in 2019. Those, in turn, are a direct nod to the St. Moritz line of sports watches the family-owned Chopard brand debuted in the early 1980s. This subtly stunning addition to the Alpine Eagle line offers a movement with a deliciously fast frequency for exceptional chronometric performance, with of course, the subtle visual delights of a supremely smooth second sweep…to keep the alliteration flowing. While its integrated bracelet, form, and even the (actually functional) aesthetically aligned bezel screws certainly call to mind the most famous 70s era sports watches which preceded it, such as the Royal Oak, the Nautilus, and IWC’s Ingenieur, that doesn’t detract from the Alpine Eagle’s appeal in any way. This is a superbly made watch, and its fit and finish competes well with anything in the upper tier. Only, this one isn’t wrought from the finest stainless steel as you might expect; instead, it’s executed entirely in titanium, which despite the toolish fundamental nature of that material, has all the subtle brushing, polishing, and faceting of a regal, high luxury sports timepiece. The difference is in feel–which like the wings of its namesake–proves maneuverable and agile, as well as extremely light in weight. Being of Grade 5 titanium, the hardness of this material is quite superb, so you can be assured your Alpine Eagle 8Hz won’t see the rough look that many titanium watches with lower grades of this metal tend to show off after some time in the role of a daily wearer.
The dial is fascinating and intricately unusual, in a good way. It has a very tightly bound pattern of organic, coarse striations that curve out slightly as they reach towards the dial edge, an appearance deliberately intended to evoke the intensely precise irises of the aquiline sky-kings for which the Alpine Eagle collection is named. Said dial also contrasts very well with the rich grey of the titanium, and keeps the watch’s luxury appearance on the stealthy side. A close look at the dial’s text reveals two interesting signatures beyond that of the brand itself, the first an “8Hz Chronometer” marking, and the kinked arrow above the six o’clock position. What do they signify? The transparent caseback reveals the answer, as the soft ticking of the balance wheel whispers in a extraordinarily rapid cadence, “I’m not your average 28,800 vph kind of escapement!”
The Chopard developed 01.12-C HF takes things up a substantial notch from the aforementioned and quite common 4Hz frequency. While 4Hz has proven itself an excellent standard for precision and rate stability, hence its wide adoption by many an outstanding maker, Chopard has chosen to push the boundaries of oscillation much further with this and a few other models in its lineup. At a speed twice that of the typical 28.8 balance wheel–57,600 vibrations per hour to be exact–this watch’s finely polished and rhodium-plated second hand will complete sixteen tiny jumps per second, appearing as an nearly motionless sweep across the mesmerizing striations of the dial. While such a high beat rate certainly isn’t necessary to achieve exceptional, chronometer levels of precision, and poses many more manufacturing and adjustment challenges for the creator, Chopard has ensured that each has obtained a COSC certificate, a good statement of their confidence in the basic performance. It also speaks of a commitment to cutting edge mechanical horology, advanced materials and the maker’s desire to improve performance at all costs and hassle, even if the rewards are largely theoretical.
Several horological tricks are at play to achieve the galloping 8Hz beat rate, including an impulse pin, pallet lever, and escape wheel all of high efficiency, lightweight and vitually lubrication free silicon. As can be seen, that escape wheel has a significant number of teeth–quite a few more so than a more conventional one–and the gaps between each are very small and shallow, aiding the efficiency of its mating with the distinctly shaped pallet fork as the two components complete their hyper-speed pas de deux. The small diameter balance wheel also aids in the efficiency of the escapement, keeping power reserve at an absolutely acceptable and modern 60 hours—something you might not expect given how frenetic and energy hungry the escapement is.
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF joins a very small number of limited production hyper escapement watches the brand has produced over the last recent years. This one should be a delight to it’s owner, and not just because of the cool factor inherent to its cutting edge manufacture caliber. At 41mm in diameter, and just under 10 mm in thickness this is a watch equally at home in casual or formal situations, with the necessary (100m) water resistance to keep up with an active, and even aquatic, lifestyle. A true companion that embodies elegance, innovation, and restrained luxury–the type that rewards you with close examination and in-depth knowledge. But as with all things high performance, the production will be limited, in this case to an edition of 250 pieces. For collectors, I think this one will be a very nice addition–or outright no-compromise performance alternative–to established supreme sports watches from the Holy Trinity and other up and comers in the haute horlogerie realm.