WATCHES & WONDERS: Chopard collection overview
Borna BošnjakEditor’s Note: Watches & Wonders means a bombardment of fresh releases, so we’re offering a quick overview of each brand’s new novelties – touching on each new reference or collection and their headlining points. Stay tuned throughout the week for deeper coverage, some of which will include live pics and our hands-on perspective. But for now let’s run through each of the new watches – here are the Chopard novelties of Watches & Wonders 2022.
Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
From its origins in the ’80s as the St Moritz, the Alpine Eagle has enjoyed quiet success since its reintroduction in 2019. For Watches and Wonders 2022, the Alpine Eagle family welcomes its most complicated member to date, the Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon. Hewn of Chopard’s in-house Lucent A223 steel alloy, the integrated bracelet and sharp case give of a signature sheen. This is matched by the Aletsch glacier-inspired blue sunburst dial. Missing from this new model is the slightly awkward 4:30 date window found on the three-hander. The sunburst finishing emanates from the tourbillon aperture, rather than the pinion on other Alpine Eagle models, and is a nice touch. Beautifully executed with Cotes de Geneve throughout and perlage on the baseplate, the micro-rotor movement proudly displays the Poincon de Geneve and is deserving of it. Still a sports watch at heart despite its tourbillon complication, the watch retains a 100-metre water resistance. At 41mm with an impressive 8 mm height, this bird will perch beautifully on the wrist as it nestles at the very top of the Alpine Eagle collection.
| Case Material | Lucent Steel A223 |
| Diameter | 41mm |
| Thickness | 8mm |
| Water-Resistance | 100m |
| Dial | Aletsch Blue, crafted in gold and stamped with tourbillon-centred radiating pattern |
| Strap | Integrated Lucent Steel A223 Bracelet |
| Movement | L.U.C. 96.24-L |
| Power Reserve | 65 hours |
| Price | $173,500 AUD |
Happy Sport and Happy Sport Chrono
Masterminded by Chopard’s design director and co-president Caroline Scheufele, Chopard hopes that the Happy Sport will serve the modern woman with easy style and nonchalance. Since its conception in 1993, the Happy Sport has extensive presence in the Chopard catalogue, from simple three-hand models to tourbillons and high jewellery pieces. Introuced here as two ethical 18-carat rose gold variants with signature dancing diamond dials are the Happy Sport 33 mm and the all-new Happy Sport Chrono. Chopard has made a commitment to ethical gold since 2018 and has been using it for both watches and jewellery. The dials are in tune with the rosy tones of the case and retain Chopard’s high quality finishing. Guilloche centres and recessed subdials are surrounded by markers filled with Super-LumiNova which helps with the overall sporty aesthetic of the Happy Sport Chrono. The time-only model is more subdued here, with polished hands and markers that do not stand out too much from the sunburst dial. Both are powered by automatic movements, with the Happy Sport sporting an in-house Chopard 09.01C.
Happy Sport Details
| Case Material | 18-carat ethical rose gold |
| Diameter | 33mm |
| Thickness | 10.84mm |
| Water-Resistance | 30m |
| Dial | Gilded sunburst satin-brushed |
| Strap | 18-carat ethical rose gold bracelet |
| Movement | In-house Chopard 09.01-C |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Price | $48,100 AUD / $60,400 AUD with diamonds |
Happy Sport Chrono Details
| Case Material | 18-carat ethical rose gold |
| Diameter | 40mm |
| Thickness | 13.90mm |
| Water-Resistance | 50m |
| Dial | Sunburst satin-brushed with guilloche centre |
| Strap | Midnight blue alligator leather with 18-carat ethical rose gold buckle |
| Movement | Automatic COSC-certified chronograph calibre |
| Power Reserve | 54 hours |
| Price | $27,500 AUD in two-tone / $48,300 AUD in rose gold |
L.U.C. XPS 1860 Officer
The L.U.C. XPS 1860 Officer is a captivating watch in a myriad of ways, not least for its lavish dark green dial and 18k yellow gold case. The sector dial is divided between a smooth outer ring for the applied gold indices, while the centre is home to a mesmerising hand-finished guilloché pattern within a grid of honeycomb pieces. Not only does it add a touch of complex elegance to the watch, but it also gives the almost rocket-shaped hands a lot of definition. With a date display at 6 o’clock, the symmetry and attention to detail makes the front of the L.U.C. XPS 1860 Officer a joy to view.
However, the rear of the watch is just as mesmerising with that same honeycomb motif echoed and enlarged for the solid gold caseback. The term ‘Officer’ is derived from pocket watches, which also forms the inspiration for this watch’s most fun complication. With a push of the crown, the caseback pops open to reveal the COSC-certified and gorgeous L.U.C. Calibre 96.01-L — an ultra-slim movement that packs an automatic micro-rotor, date display and sub-seconds complication into just 3.3mm. The entire watch is only 7.7mm even including the hinged cover. With a limited run of only 50 pieces, just be careful you don’t drop any crumbs in there when you’re showing it off at parties.
| Case Material | 18-carat ethical yellow gold |
| Diameter | 40mm |
| Thickness | 7.70mm |
| Water-Resistance | 30m |
| Dial | Green with guilloche centre |
| Strap | Brown alligator leather with 18-carat ethical yellow gold buckle |
| Movement | Automatic COSC-certified L.U.C. 96.01-L |
| Power Reserve | 65 hours |
| Price | $51,900 AUD |
The Sound of Eternity
There are three holy grails in the highest echelons of watchmaking — the perpetual calendar, the tourbillon, and the minute repeater. All three are incredibly difficult and expensive to manufacture, but the minute repeater holds the particularly special aspect of interactivity that engages more of your senses. With ‘The Sound of Eternity’, Chopard have released three astonishing new watches that revolutionise the core principals of minute repeater complications, along with several other feats that each require their own deep-dive.
If you’ve ever put your phone down on a table and heard the sound quality improve, you’ll be familiar with the concept of resonance. When a vibration is powerful enough to emit sound, larger surface areas are capable of producing a wider range of frequencies. With the L.U.C Strike One, Full Strike Tourbillon and Full Strike Sapphire, the gongs that get hit to ring out their chimes are cut directly from the underside of the sapphire crystal covering the dial. This not only creates a wildly different look to a minute repeater that we’re used to, but also gives the sound a much fuller tone.