Chopard makes a case for high-beat sports watches with the titanium, 8Hz Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF
Borna BošnjakHigh-beat movements aren’t that common nowadays, as manufacturers have mostly figured out how to make very accurate, “regular” beat movements. For Chopard, this is yet another point of distinction, as many of its competitors simply don’t have this ability to cherry pick attributes. Chopard’s boffins can choose whether they’d like a “run-of-the-mill” automatic, something decorated to the nines from L.U.C, or develop an experimental, limited-run movement into a regular-production model. The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF sits firmly in the latter category, equipping and subtly tweaking the brand’s successful integrated-bracelet design into a rather compelling, high-performance sports watch.
The dial
While I do love the blue of Lucent Steel Alpine Eagle models, the black is a cool reminder that the most subtle of colours can still be striking, without being overbearing. The jet black is achieved with a galvanic treatment, and then given that stunning eagle’s iris texture that has defined the Alpine Eagle. Along with the orange accents of the feather-tipped seconds, high-beat logo, and seconds hashes, I think the Cadence 8HF is rather handsome, despite some feeling like it was Chopard playing it safe.
The rest of the dial is as you’d expect from an Alpine Eagle, with minimal printing including a more obvious flex of its high-beat, chronometer-certified capabilities and the brand name. Indices are all applied, including the Roman XII, which I still feel is a rather curious choice on such a sporty watch. And yes, the date does creep in at that uncomfortable 04:30 position, but it’s at least colour-matched.
The case
There are integrated-bracelet watches out there that don’t fully commit to the bit, or at least look like they were originally not meant to be, before a last-minute pivot to jump on the hype train. The Chopard Alpine Eagle is very much not part of that crowd, as the case and bracelet are integrated in true cohesive fashion, one complementing the other. If I had to nitpick though, and believe you me I will, the one aspect of the design that I’m not so fond of are the crown guard-like protrusions on the left side. And this isn’t a case of playing favourites – it’s not a design element I’m crazy about in any of the integrated-bracelet pieces that have popularised the porthole style. Having said that, it does make the case as symmetrical as it can be, which will surely be aesthetically pleasing to some.
Size-wise, though it may have been inspired by the diminutive St Moritz of the 1970s, the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF bulks up in every dimension. The case sits at 41mm in diameter, but remains impressively thin at just 9.75mm despite a full-rotor automatic movement. But there are basically no lugs, and given that the first bracelet link doesn’t jut out so far to make the case flare, it’s surprisingly friendly to smaller wrists, too.
So much about the design and dimension, but how is the finishing? Apart from the tech we’ll get to momentarily, this is an aspect where the Cadence 8HF stands out for me. Simply put, the finishing is exquisite, especially so on the transitions between surfaces. All too often, manufacturers bank on the novelty of titanium being enough of a draw, but not Chopard. The brushing of the grade 5 titanium is rich and obvious without feeling ham-fisted, the angles are sharp, and the polishing is almost mirror-like. There’s no lacking in details, either, my favourite being the three-dimensional compass rose machined in the media-blasted crown relief.
The bracelet
With any Alpine Eagle model fitted to a bracelet, you could easily talk about it and the case in the same breath. The excellent finish continues down the length of the now-signature brick style, with a raised and polished middle uninterrupted at the hidden butterfly clasp. It might be an odd comparison, but it reminds me of an expensive, artisan chocolate that’s too cool to be made into a classic bar, and just tastes that tiny bit better because it’s been shaped in an odd way. Just me?
I’m normally outspoken against butterflies (the clasps, rather than insects) on sports watches as they don’t offer much in terms of adjustment. However, given how well the bracelet flows on any Alpine Eagle, it’s a worthy trade-off in my opinion, though I do wish for some quick-release tabs on the end-links.
The movement
I think the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF is a compelling enough watch even without its high-beat movement, but given the high price, something special is required. Before figuring out whether the 01.12-C is worthy, I think it’s worth discussing what the point of having a high-beat movement is in the first place. The idea is rooted in statistics, where “high-beat” refers to the number of oscillations the balance wheel makes per second. In most mechanical watches these days, let’s call them “regular-beat”, the beat rate is 4 Hertz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour. This translates to the balance wheel making four oscillations per second, resulting in the seconds hand ticking eight times. In a high-beat watch, be it five, eight, or 10 Hertz, the number of oscillations increases, and therefore has the potential to reduce inconsistencies as they’re averaged over a higher number of oscillations. Additionally, a higher beat rate will also result in improved isochronic rate stability and recovery, meaning that the balance is less likely to err when effected upon by outside influences such as shocks and magnetism, and that it will recover from an error more easily.
TL;DR – more beat = more better.
With the boring bit out of the way, the conclusion is pretty simple. A high-beat movement makes sense in a sports watch, give its likelihood to be subjected to outside forces. The 01.12-C is a development from the Chopard 01.06-L, which was the first COSC-certified, high-beat movement and one that has seen several iterations to end up here, though with some specifications unchanged. The COSC-certified, 28-jewel movement sports a 60-hour power reserve, which is quite impressive for a high-beat calibre, with the impulse pin, pallet fork, and escape wheel all made in silicon for better magnetic resistance and lowering friction to a point where lubrication is not necessary. The balance wheel is expectedly small, a common feature of high-beat watches as they do not require such a high moment of inertia that you may see in slower-beating watches with their signature bicycle wheel-sized balances.
As impressive as the movement is spec-wise, I was surprised to see that earlier iterations of this Chopard movement feature more impressive decoration – which I’m guessing also contributed to the caseback crystal being printed. There is perlage on the baseplate as one may expect, but the bridges are essentially just circularly brushed, with very minimal machine-applied bevelling on their edges, the same applicable to the screw and jewel countersinks. While this won’t affect chronometric performance which the Cadence 8HF’s primary draw, this is still a high-end, luxury watch that Chopard (or its L.U.C division) is more than capable of decorating to an extremely high standard.
The verdict
With the market becoming decidedly oversaturated with integrated bracelet watches of all shapes and sizes (and price points), it’s refreshing to see a brand try something new that doesn’t feel like a cop-out. Curiously, the Cadence 8HF is the only way you can get an Alpine Eagle with a black dial. Along with the orange accents, Chopard has done a good job of making a sports watch look sporty without making it huge or printing “SPORTS” in block letters somewhere on the dial. The dull sheen of the titanium makes it featherweight on the wrist, made all the better by the excellent execution of brushing and polishing. While I’m not sure why the movement decoration is not done to a higher standard, the draw of a high-tech calibre might prove irresistible to watch nerds anyway, justifying the Cadence 8HF’s in Chopard’s current catalogue.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF pricing and availability
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF is available as a regular-production model. Price: US$22,000
| Brand | Chopard |
| Model | Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF |
| Reference | 298600-3020 |
| Case Dimensions | 41mm (D) x 9.75mm (T) |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire crystal front and back |
| Dial | Black eagle iris sunburst |
| Strap and bracelet | Integrated titanium bracelet, butterfly clasp |
| Movement | Chopard 01.12-C, in-house, automatic, COSC, 8Hz |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | US$22,000 |