In one of the more pleasant surprises of the ongoing Swiss watch shows, Chopard has followed up last year’s stellar outing at Watches & Wonders with another slate of classic and, for the most part, uncomplicated watches that prove, definitively, there’s life after Rolex.
In the field of integrated sports watches – our bread & butter here at Boss Hunting – the brand’s flagship release has been the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS. The first watch in the eponymous collection to combine a pinkish dial and small seconds indication, it is nevertheless, just the tip of the iceberg: offering a chapeau to other new sports watches (including a not-insubstantial number of chronographs) that Chopard has just unveiled.
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To that end, we’ve brought together all the other notable new releases to come out of the Chopard 2023 novelties presentation below. Remember to peruse all of this week’s Watches & Wonders coverage here, as more brands unveil their new releases.
Highlights From The Chopard 2023 Novelties Presentation
- Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF
- Chopard L.U.C 1860
- New chronographs in the Mille Miglia collection
- Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph
The Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF
Among a small number of brands globally to have refined the art of high-frequency watchmaking, Chopard has deepened its commitment to this extremely technical field with the new Alpine Eagle ‘Cadence 8HF’. Notably, this is the first time that Chopard have offered an ‘8HF’ calibre wriswatch more widely (with the movement previously having been reserved for limited editions).
This release combines the bracelet, form language and ‘bird’s iris’ dial of the archetypal Alpine Eagle (itself inspired by the St. Moritz) with high-frequency mechanics: in other words, what you’ve got is an extremely accurate and fast-beating timepiece, that backs its sophisticated mechanical pedigree with a case that is both tough and extremely wearable.
In contrast to most pre-existing Alpine Eagle models, the new Cadence 8HF’s case is machined out of titanium. Despite the scratch-resistance and renowned toughness of that metal, all of the traditional case and bracelet finishes you’d associate with the Alpine Eagle remain present – with a healthy number of vertically brushed surfaces contrasted against bevels and the bracelet’s polished centre caps.
Despite the lack of any obvious complication (beyond the date window) the new Cadence derives its name from the high-frequency movement that powers it, operating at a truly breakneck pace of 8Hz – ergo, 57,600 vibrations per hour. Around double the speed of a conventional mechanical watch, the Cadence is capable of sustaining this pace through the aid of monocrystalline silicon – a light, self-lubricating material that has enabled Chopard to develop high-frequency movements “without increased energy consumption”.
Reserve power tops out at 60 hours.
PRICE: $32,400
The L.U.C 1860 – now in Lucent steel
Taking a trip back to 1997, the latest member of the ultra-refined L.U.C collection – sorta akin to Chopard’s take on the Calatrava – draws inspiration from the brand’s first original L.U.C 1860 (now widely regarded amongst collectors of neo-vintage as a modern classic).
The other big salmon-hued Chopard release of 2023, this is the first L.U.C model to fold the company’s proprietary ‘Lucent’ steel (a partially recycled alloy) into the rubric of ultra-thin watchmaking. The case’s slightly pearlescent quality (sized at 36.5mm) is complemented by a dial in pinkish solid gold; and an open case-back through which the movement (calibre 96.40-L) is exhibited.
A descendant of one of the best-looking self-winding movements of the 1990s, the 96.40-L is equipped with a solid gold micro-rotor; Chopard’s distinctive three-plate style of movement construction; and swan-neck regulator. At the movement’s 3 o’clock position, eagle-eyed readers will be able to make out the Poinçon de Genève – an engraved quality seal that signifies this calibre has been finished to a standard that places it “in the upper echelons of contemporary watchmaking”.
Two sequenced barrels give this L.U.C 1860 a power reserve of 65 hours.
PRICE: $36,900
New chronograph models in the Mille Miglia family
The latest foray in a partnership that began in 1988 (which has since spawned 35 watch releases) the new Mille Miglia watches are Chopard’s tribute to the Italian rally of the same name held annually in the city of Brescia – a personal favourite of the brand’s Co-President, Karl Friedrich Scheufele.
For 2023, the brand has adopted a policy of co-mingling modern technology with heritage design cues. Consequently, all four new Mille Miglia releases utilise Lucent steel – a recurring motif at Chopard this year – with a reduced case profile of 40.5mm. According to the brand: “smaller and thus more aligned with the aesthetic of historical cars competing in the 1000 Miglia“.
That interest in historical veracity has also led to the use of ‘glass box’ crystals – a more light-sensitive style of dial covering that “maximises the depth” of each chronograph’s registers and tachymeter scale – surely beneficial during a sustained drive.
Powering all of this rallying-inspired bodywork is a COSC-certified movement: rated for a 54-hour power reserve and an operating frequency of 28,800 vph. Able to time in increments of 12 hours or 30 minutes, this is a fairly classic heritage chronograph (as if the perforated leather straps didn’t make that clear enough).
PRICE: $14,100 (for black) / $14,400 (for cherry red and light green) / $16,900 (for grey-blue)
The L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph
Delivering big ‘green over tan’ thrills, the new 1963 Heritage Chronograph is a good contender for the ‘sleeper’ in Chopard’s 2023 novelties presentation. Positioned as an “ageless timepiece embodying the very essence of the traditional chronograph”, the 1963 combines a number of handsome vintage-inspired details (e.g. pump pushers and a triple-register layout) with a beautiful – almost to the point of baroque – hand-wound chronograph movement.
Aesthetically, the watch’s broadly timeless élan is actually underpinned by (yet again) modern materials. The 42mm case is made using Lucent steel; while the central part of the dial is graduated from 05-60, in place of the traditional 1-12 hour markers.
But, as you’d expect from any stellar high-end chronograph, the Heritage 1963 lies and dies on the appeal of its movement. An integrated movement in every practical sense, the calibre 03.07-L is the latest evolution of the first chronograph that the Chopard fine watchmaking Maison ever made. Thus, making this new calibre part of a storied lineage that includes the Chrono One or those limited editions made to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 1000 Miglia.
The 03.07-L manages to live up to this impressive company, as a result of the aesthetic and technical refinements that have clearly gone into making it. Just for starters: the flyback chronograph function is activated using an unusual system of three pivoting hammers – enhancing the complication’s reliability and “peerlessly soft” haptic action.
In addition, as can be seen from the above image, most of the calibre’s raised surfaces are machined from nickel silver – a bright and oxidative alloy that is frequently used in fine Saxonian watchmaking. Below that, in a treatment that appears rather unusual (at least in this writer’s experience) the entire baseplate is gilt, lending the effect of steel isles floating in a moat of gold.
Made in a numbered 25-piece limited edition.
PRICE: $51,400
