Credits: Article and images by Sabine Zwettler @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2022/04/02/chopard-unveils-alpine-eagle-flying-tourbillon-at-watches-and-wonders-2022/
In 2019, when the luxury sports watch with integrated bracelet design was gaining unprecedented momentum among top-tier brands, Chopard introduced the Alpine Eagle, its vision of this sought-after and now very trendy watch category.
Inspired by the beauty of the Swiss Alps and its majestic avian inhabitant, the Alpine Eagle is distinguished by a minimalist case and bracelet design combining polished and satin-finished surfaces, a round bezel with eight screws, a crown guard, and a gorgeous dial texture reminiscent of the iris of the regal bird of prey.
Chopard pulled out all the stops by developing the special alloy Lucent Steel A223 for the case, which has three exceptional properties: it is hypoallergenic, 50 percent harder and more abrasion-resistant than conventional stainless steel, and, thanks to homogeneity based on its crystal structure, features an intense sheen resembling the radiance of white gold.
The inner workings didn’t fail to impress either: the first generation of the Alpine Eagle was equipped with automatic manufacture Caliber 01.01-C, which offers a 60-hour power reserve and an official C.O.S.C. chronometer certificate. As it was to be expected, the original three-hand executions were soon joined by some technically more complex models, including a flyback chronograph in 2020.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
At Watches and Wonders 2022, the Swiss manufacture unveiled another Alpine Eagle with a sophisticated complicated escapement: a flying tourbillon. While there was a time not too long ago when the high-end market seemed to be flooded with this tiny whirlwind, I think there could not be a better place for a flying tourbillon than the “Aletsch” blue dial of the Alpine Eagle.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
The rugged beauty of the stamped radiating décor makes for a perfect background for the filigree one-minute tourbillon that lives up to its name by forgoing an upper bridge, thereby creating the illusion that it is floating, like an eagle flying freely and graciously over the Alps. This combination is also a powerful demonstration that sports watch style and complicated mechanics can go very well together.
Back of the Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
The star of the show is the flying tourbillon that incorporates indication of seconds. This is integrated into automatic manufacture Caliber L.U.C 96.24-L ticking inside the 42 mm case, which is only an ultra-slim eight millimeters in height.
Chopard Caliber L.U.C 96.24-L flying tourbillon movement
Immaculately finished and decorated in accordance with the requirements of the Geneva Seal, the movement offers a power reserve of 65 hours provided by the brand’s twin spring barrel technology and features a hacking mechanism for setting the time to the second in addition to a micro rotor in 22-karat gold for powerful winding.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
For more information, please visit www.chopard.com.
Quick Facts Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
Case: 41 x 8 mm, Lucent Steel A223
Movement: automatic manufacture Caliber L.U.C 96.24-L with one-minute flying tourbillon, 25,200 vph/3.5 Hz frequency, 65-hour power reserve, official C.O.S.C. chronometer certificate, Geneva Seal
Functions: hours, minutes, (hacking) seconds
Price: €111,500
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Credits: Article and images by Sabine Zwettler @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2022/04/02/chopard-unveils-alpine-eagle-flying-tourbillon-at-watches-and-wonders-2022/
