Chopard goes all Frank Sinatra with their blue-eyed new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue
Jamie Weiss- Chopard’s biggest chronograph makes a big splash with a tasteful light blue dial
- Paired with a black rubber strap, it’s one of the most contemporary Alpine Eagle expressions
- An in-house flyback chronograph movement provides horological heft
Frank Sinatra famously took his skiing holidays in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. Still, we reckon Ol’ Blue Eyes was probably no stranger to the glitzy slopes of St. Moritz – the glamour of which inspired Chopard’s St. Moritz timepiece in 1980, which itself inspired the Alpine Eagle, Chopard’s latest luxury sports watch. There are plenty of reasons to like the Alpine Eagle, chief of which is the alluring texture of its dial, which is designed to resemble an eagle’s iris and has been outfitted in several tasteful tones including dapper Bernina Grey, stealthy Shikkoku Black and classy Monte Rosa Pink. Now a Maritime Blue dial joins the range, this time with the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono.
Light blue dials, whether you call them ice blue, turquoise or Tiffany blue, are very much on-trend at the moment. Chopard explains that the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue’s dial “is reminiscent of the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea bordering the southern slopes of the Alps” – personally, it reminds me of the Blausee, one of Switzerland’s loveliest alpine lakes that’s about an hour away as the crow flies (or should that be how the eagle flies?) from Chopard’s manufacture in Fleurier, Canton Neuchâtel.
The iridescent light blue dial is punctuated by brilliant rhodium-plated indices filled with Grade XI Super-LumiNova and black printed scales. The chronograph seconds, minutes and hour hands all feature orange tips, and the tachymeter scale features orange 100, 160 and 240 graduations for a little bit of extra visual flair. It’s subtle but works well. Chopard has elected to pair this Maritime Blue with a black rubber strap – a slightly unusual choice, as the darker Aletsch Blue and Pitch Black variants of the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono boast colour-matched rubber straps. That said, the black rubber pairs pretty well with the light blue dial, lending the watch an utterly contemporary and sporty look.
The Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue features a fairly substantial 44 mm case in Lucent Steel, Chopard’s exclusive ultra-resistant and light-reflective steel alloy. Chopard is a jeweller as well as a watchmaker, and Lucent Steel is as brilliant as any precious metal: mostly brushed surfaces dominate the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, but its polished surfaces really shine. Under the hood beats Chopard’s in-house 03.05-C movement, a COSC-certified flyback chronograph movement with an innovative unidirectional gear drive system, vertical clutch, column wheel and hacking seconds.
Frank Sinatra was famously a pretty short dude, so I’m not sure if he’d wear a watch as big as the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue… But that beautiful blue dial is something he’d definitely find pretty appealing. It’s definitely a watch for a Chairman of the Board.
Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue pricing and availability
The Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue is a Chopard boutique exclusive and is available now for inquiries. Price: USD 20,620.
| Brand | Chopard |
| Model | Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue |
| Reference Number | 298609-3006 |
| Case Dimensions | 44mm (D) x 13.15mm (T) |
| Case Material | Lucent Steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Brass dial, stamped sunburst iris pattern in Maritime Blue; applied numerals and hour-markers, rhodium-plated with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova; snailed Maritime Blue chronograph counters |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Strap | Black rubber strap with titanium insert + Lucent Steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Chopard 03.05-C, COSC, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, flyback chronograph, hacking seconds |
| Availability | Boutique exclusive, available now for enquiries |
| Price | USD 20,620 |