He adds that while gold founding is a physical task that involves a great deal of hand-eye coordination and dexterity, creativity and emotion are also a part of the process. It’s a little bit like baking. First he measures out the raw materials and combines them in a proportion of 75% gold, 12.5% copper and 12.5% silver, placing them into the crucible. Then he fires up the furnace and when all of the solid metal has melted down into liquid form, that liquid gold is poured into an ingot mold where it is allowed to anneal at room temperature.

In addition to ethical gold, the Alpine Eagle is also offered in Lucent Steel A223 which was developed collaboratively by Chopard with voestalpine High Performance Metals Suisse and voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl, both of whom are leading providers of specialty materials, in particular, steel. Lucent Steel A223 is a premium steel alloy made of up to 70% recycled stee, that is 50% harder than other types of steel, hypo-allergenic thus comparable to surgical steel, and forged twice such that it achieves a high level of purity. This final characteristic gives Lucent Steel A223 a most enviable quality: a unique sheen comparable to white gold.

An Original Identity

The Meyrin manufacture serves as Chopard’s global headquarters and is the site where all activities related to case, dial and bracelets, as well as jewelry making and gem-setting, are brought to completion. A significant area here is devoted to T zero processes such as stamping, machining, cutting, shaping and molding, with areas clearly segregated into two functional areas, one exclusively for steel components and another for gold components. In operation since 1976, the Meyrin manufacture however does not encompass movement making.

That activity is done in Fleurier at either the Chopard haute horlogerie manufacture established since 1996 for L.U.C calibers, or the Fleurier Ebauches manufacture for non-L.U.C calibers, established since 2009. Alpine Eagle movements are primarily produced at Fleurier Ebauches with the exception of those models that run on L.U.C calibers such as the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS, the Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon and this year’s Alpine Eagle 41 XP TT.

The Alpine Eagle has a distinctive case shaped with two notches on either side, completed with a round bezel featuring a pair of screws at each of the four cardinal points — a nod to the 1980s St Moritz watch which incidentally was Chopard’s very first steel watch and its first sports watch as well. Fascinatingly, in the early 1980s, Chopard staged a watch and jewelry exhibition in Singapore, drawing over 600 visitors to admire the maison’s latest novelties and stand a chance to win a St Moritz watch.

Indeed the Alpine Eagle shares many of its physical traits with the St Moritz, but there are other equally strong connections between the two watches which are rather less seen and more felt. The St Moritz was produced after much persuasion by Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele to his father, Karl Scheufele III. Likewise, the Alpine Eagle only came to fruition after Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was persuaded by his son, Karl-Fritz, to reprise a luxury sporty timepiece designed for modern customers and that pays homage to the St Moritz. All this to say that the Alpine Eagle would not be what it is today if Chopard isn’t such a heritage-rich family-owned company.

Detailed Fine Craftsmanship

And it is precisely because Chopard is family owned that the Alpine Eagle could be so thoroughly infused with horological finesse. Its case, bezel and bracelet, for instance, are finely finished by Chopard watch polishing artisan Rodeline who has worked with the manufacture since she was an apprentice at the tender age of 15. Watch polishing is a laborious process involving numerous steps even before the actual polishing can begin. Says Rodeline, “When I first see a brand new piece, I look at the material, the angles, I think about how to approach it, to work it. Each material has its little quirk, it doesn’t react the same way. You have to get into it, work it, caress it. And just because a material is very hard, very resistant, doesn’t mean you should force it. You have to really work with the material to make it shine.”

The first step is to eliminate machining marks by emerizing the surfaces. “I do a lot of touching up. It’s quite normal that we have to touch up. Pieces are used, handled, picked up, screwed down, handed over, taken over there, put into trays… I find it really satisfying to save pieces. Not being able to save a piece would be a failure, to have to call it a write-off. I always find a solution in the end,” she shares.

Next, Rodeline prepares the piece for polishing by running it on a disc polishing machine set with felt fabric rolls. This is followed by a similar procedure involving a buffing machine which creates a radiant shine on the piece. Only then can she actually start polishing the piece. In pieces that have alternative brushed and polished surfaces, Rodaline covers the polished surfaces with a protectant before putting the piece under a rotary brush machine, controlling the piece with the precision of her own hands. At times she uses a wooden stick coated with emery paper in order to satin-brush the very minute surfaces.

Specific to the Alpine Eagle, she reveals, “Each brushed link is made to measure, the graining catches the light in the material and for me machines can’t do things like this. You can have 50 pieces but each one is unique. If you can give a piece even more wow factor, you do it.”

Indeed, the bracelet plays a huge role in assuring the success of an integrated bracelet sports watch, not just in establishing its aesthetic identity but more important in providing a comfortable fit to the wrist. The Alpine Eagle’s bracelet is gently tapered from the case to the clasp, and it comprises a single ingot-shaped link topped by a raised central cap. This design is similar to that of the St Moritz while also reminding us of Chopard’s in-house mastery of gold foundry and its steadfast commitment to ethical gold.

Other than that highly distinctive case and bezel, the Alpine Eagle is also known for its beautifully embellished dial with an eagle-iris motif which is unique in the industry. Arriving first in galvanized blue and grey, the range has now expanded to include a kaleidoscopic range of hues such as salmon pink, forest green, yellow gold, pink gold, Vals Grey, Zinal Blue achieved by PVD treatment and most recently a lovely Bernina Grey in the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono made fully in ethical rose gold. These dials are stamped in the traditional method before being placed in a galvanic bath or going through PVD treatment.

The last five years have been nothing short of spectacular for the Chopard Alpine Eagle. Soaring higher with every turn of a new chapter, it has totally come into its own, earning the affection of watch enthusiasts and novices alike. Though it is one of the newest entrants in this space, the Alpine Eagle proves a quick study indeed, punching far above its weight and over-delivering on horological value no matter which way you look at it.