Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch
A high-precision chronograph embellished with a unique natural Swiss stone dial in support of the Monegasque Association Against Muscular Dystrophy
Chopard has once again committed itself to the Only Watch sale by offering a one-of-a-kind timepiece inspired by nature: the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch chronograph, specially created in support of the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy. Since 2005, this charity project has brought together more than 50 watch manufacturers in a formidable creative drive.
Bearing ultimate testimony to the expertise and inventiveness of Chopard’s watchmakers, the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch is distinguished by its dial in Swiss granite from the Graubünden region, speckled with blue and green inclusions recalling the colours of the Alpine massif seen from the sky. It brings two novel touches to the Alpine Eagle collection: for the first time, a case made of beadblasted Lucent Steel A223 and a calf leather strap. Three patents have been filed for the chronometer-certified Chopard 03.05-C flyback chronograph movement that powers it.
An original design inspired by the beauty of the Alps
Above and beyond its technical prowess, the Alpine Eagle collection has been a guarantee of aesthetic finesse ever since its launch, entirely aligned with Louis Sullivan’s “form follows function” doctrine. The new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch fully reflects this principle. On the right-hand side, the chronograph pushers are subtly and discreetly integrated on either side of the protective crown guards so as to preserve the Alpine Eagle’s characteristic harmony of form and symmetry.
With the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch, harmony also reigns supreme on the dial, which is adorned with a carefully selected natural Swiss stone: an exceptional granite quarried in the canton of Graubünden. Its blue and green inclusions have been chosen to evoke the beauty of the Alpine forests and lakes as seen from the sky by an eagle.
One of these breathtaking landscapes is the Lauenensee. This lake in the canton of Bern is a place dear to Only Watch founder and organiser Luc Pettavino, who liked to go there with his son Paul, whose illness gave rise to this charity project. It is also an iconic landmark for Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who presented the Alpine Eagle collection there for the first time in 2019, along with his father and son. Their shared admiration for this place of refuge justifies the rich decorative work gracing the dial, and exuding a sophistication that contributes to the aesthetic originality and symbolic value of the watch.
The addition of the black counters for the 30-minute, small seconds and 12-hour indications – respectively placed at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – is carefully designed to highlight the natural hue of the granite. To enhance the legibility of measurements, the dial transfers and the three hands linked to the chronograph function match these precious inclusions, as well as the tachymeter scale, also discreetly punctuated by blue-green transfers at the 100, 160 and 240 graduations. Divided into four steps, the scale features intervals varying from 5, 10, 20 or 40km/h per line. This arrangement facilitates the reading of average speed measurements.
The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch is the first timepiece in the collection to be fitted with a black calf leather strap.
A cutting-edge chronograph movement
The extra-wide 44 mm-diameter case of the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch is sculpted in Lucent Steel A223, an innovative steel alloy made from 70 percent recycled material and developed by Chopard for its anti-allergenic properties and its robustness, as well as its incomparable brilliance achieved through a meticulous resmelting process. In another first, this material has been beadblasted, thereby creating an even nobler texture and accentuating the avant-garde spirit of Lucent Steel A223.
At the heart of the case beats a sophisticated chronograph movement manufactured by Chopard’s Artisan Watchmakers and endowed with a precision chronometer, certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Chopard Calibre 03.05-C has a 60-hour power reserve and also features an elaborate design guaranteeing accurate adjustments and optimal use of the timekeeping functions. Equipped with a column wheel, it represents the culmination of several technical innovations for which Chopard has filed three patents resulting from the daring approach of its research and development teams.
Firstly, it is equipped with a unidirectional gearing system that avoids energy losses while ensuring fast winding, a function particularly appreciated for chronographs which are known to be consistently energy-hungry. In addition, its vertical clutch mode guarantees an accurate start for time measurements. This chronograph calibre is also of the flyback variety, enabling smooth and seamless short-time measurements thanks to three elastic-armed pivoting hammers that facilitate zero-resetting the counters.
Chopard and Only Watch, a heart-felt partnership
The ninth edition of Only Watch – considered the world’s most important charity watchauction – will be held on 6 November in Geneva. More than 50 watch manufacturers have each donated a unique timepiece, specially created for the occasion. The profits from this sale will be entirely donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy to help fund research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic neuromuscular disease affecting 250,000 children, adolescents and young adults worldwide. Since its creation in 2005, Only Watch has already raised over 70 million Swiss francs.
“We are delighted to support the cause of major scientific research into a disease that affects so many children and adults”, says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. “Ever since our first participation in 2005, this longstanding commitment has enabled us to develop unique and daring models stemming from lengthy aesthetic and technical research, endowed with powerful distinctive features that our collectors have not necessarily expected.”
The Alpine Eagle collection: reinterpreting an icon
Devised by three generations of gentlemen in the Scheufele family, the Alpine Eagle collection is a modern reinterpretation of the St. Moritz, the first horological creation by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in the late 1970s. With its pure and assertive design, Alpine Eagle enriches this heritage with powerful inspiration drawn from Nature. Featuring a round case with stylised flanks; a material exclusive to Chopard (Lucent Steel A223); a crown engraved with a compass rose; a bezel with eight functional indexed screws; a textured dial with deep colours and luminescent indications; and a seconds hand shaped like an eagle’s feather, Alpine Eagle radiates a resolutely contemporary look of refined elegance.
Chopard’s independence and integrated skills enables the Maison to perform the entire range of the collection’s production and assembly stages in its own workshops, from movement to bracelet as well as components and case.
Technical details
Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch
in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
One-of-a-kind model
Case:
Beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
Total diameter 44.00 mm
Thickness 13.15 mm
Water resistance 100 metres
Crown in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
with compass rose 8 mm
Crown guards and pushers in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
Caseband in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
Bezel in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223 with eight screws set at a tangent
Glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition case-back with glare-proofed sapphire crystal and Only Watch logo
Movement
Mechanical movement with automatic winding Chopard 03.05-C
Column-wheel chronograph with integrated construction
Number of components 310
Diameter 28.80 mm
Thickness 7.60 mm
Number of jewels 45
Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve 60 hours
Annual balance with balance-spring featuring a flat terminal curve
Patented chronograph zero-resetting system with pivoting hammers and elastic arm
Patented seconds hand zero-resetting system
Patented vertical coupling clutch
Openworked tungsten alloy central rotor
Chromometer-certified (COSC)
Dial and hands
Dial made of granite from Switzerland’s Graubünden region
Black counters with white transfers
Applied rhodium-plated numerals and hour-markers enhanced with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova®
Black inner bezel ring and chronograph counters
Rhodium-plated baton-type hours and minutes hands enhanced with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova®
Rhodium-plated, turquoise-tipped arrow-type seconds hand with eagle feather counterweight
Rhodium-plated, turquoise-tipped chronograph counter hands
Functions
Central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds
Semi-instantaneous date display between 4 and 5 o’clock
Chronograph with flyback function
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
12-hour counter at 9 o’clock
Small seconds at 6 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap and clasp
Black calfskin strap with black bridle stitching and beadblasted titanium inlay
Triple folding clasp in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
Ref. 298609-3005 – in beadblasted Lucent Steel A223
One-of-a-kind model created for Only Watch
