Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Chopard Alpine Eagle Skeleton 41 XP TT (Incl. Video)
A lightweight titanium, ultra-thin and skeletonised version of the Alpine Eagle soars into the collection.
Chopard’s first luxury sports watch was the St. Moritz, a somewhat flamboyant 1980s watch with an elaborately shaped bezel and an integrated bracelet with a shiny central link that captured the bling spirit of the 1980s. Overhauled in 2019 to become the Alpine Eagle, the brand’s luxury sports watch has soared to become a veritable success story. Available in a host of materials, dial colours and complications, the first ultra-thin 41mm Alpine Eagle alighted in the collection in 2023 with a salmon dial and a case height of just 8mm. For 2024, Chopard presents a titanium version of its Alpine Eagle 41 XP TT (XP for ultra-thin and TT for technical and titanium) with an openworked dial to enjoy more details of the in-house automatic L.U.C calibre 96.17-S.
Crafted in titanium, which has a slightly darker presence than steel, the case and bracelet are lightweight yet rugged. The titanium is further blended with aluminium and vanadium to make it more resistant to corrosion and salt water. Thanks to the ultra-thin movement, the case has a height of just 8mm, and the flanks and bezel have been trimmed down compared to other Alpine Eagle models, providing a wider opening on the dial. Naturally, the signature features of the Alpine Eagle family are present. The round bezel and eight aligned screws mounted on top of the tonneau-shaped case, the crown guards and the polished central link of the integrated bracelet are all throwbacks to the original St. Moritz. Ensuring the 100m water-resistance of the case, the 6.65mm crown, made in Lucent Steel and decorated with a compass rose, is screwed down.
In the absence of a dial, the openworked mainplate and bridges reveal parts of the sophisticated automatic movement. Chopard has opted for a contemporary style of skeletonisation with the black rhodium-plated and sandblasted bridges, providing a dramatic contrast to the satin-brushed and polished finishings of the case and bracelet. With its series of arcing rounded apertures, the openworked dial is surprisingly elegant and reveals the prominent golden sun-brushed finish of the stacked barrels and the gilded gear trains.
The rhodium-plated hour markers are treated with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova and are attached to the inner bezel ring, creating the illusion that they are floating over the dial. The baton-style hour and minute hands are also luminous, and the markings on the minutes track on the inner bezel are white transfers.
The view from the caseback reveals the off-centred 22k gold micro-rotor decorated with the L.U.C plaque and the openworked black rhodium-plated sandblasted bridges with graceful arcing cutouts. Powered by the ultra-thin L.U.C calibre 96.17-2, which has a thickness of just 3.30mm, it features Chopard’s Twin technology with stacked barrels storing up to 65 hours of power reserve.
Integrated seamlessly into the case, the tapering bracelet in grade 5 titanium has wide blocky links with satin-brushed flanks and the signature polished central link. It is secured to the wrist with a triple-folding clasp in Lucent Steel with safety push pieces.
The price for this new Chopard Alpine Eagle Skeleton 41 XP TT will be CHF 25,200. For more information, please visit chopard.com.
2 responses
Better without the eye of sauron.
What’s a little bit disappointing is that this “openwork” dial isn’t new and wasn’t made specifically for the Alpine Eagle. It was first made for and used on the LUC XP Skeletec and has been fitted to the Alpine Eagle without the slightest change apparently. I personally think that the Alpine Eagle would have deserved a newly and specifically designed openwork movement.