Hands-on with Chopard´s new releases during Watches & Wonders

Text/photo: Mia Litström

One of the big ”talking points” during the fair was among others Chopard and then above all about their ambassador, Julia Roberts, who was there with her well-known smile. The company was extremely early in only using gold from controlled and approved suppliers, so-called ethical gold. In addition they use a steel of their own making, Lucent Steel, which has been used for the Alpine Eagle models. During Watches & Wonders, via a press conference with Julia, it was told that at the end of 2023 all of their steel watches will be made in their own Lucent Steel which consists of 80% recycled steel. 

Expansion of Alpine Eagle

With their own steel it feels natural to start precisely with one of their biggest new releases which is a continuation in their Alpine Eagle collection, Alpine Eagle 41 XPS. We have previously written about it here and now we have also got to feel it. The colour of the dial is salmon pink, a trend that is still holding on and where several brands presented different shades of the colour. Chopard have named theirs Monte Rosa Pink after a named alpine area in Switzerland.

The salmon pink shade is really pleasant and really needs to be experienced in reality because the dial's pattern, which is meant to resemble the iris in the eagle's eye, makes the dial wonderfully alive and it changes depending on how the light hits the pattern. That makes the salmon pink colour relatively difficult to photograph. I have not experienced that before with, for example, the dark blue dial which has such a deep colour. But with with this one much more happens. Pleasant is also that it's so clean, only one extra small dial for the seconds display. Beyond that it's clean and nice which makes it sportily elegant. 

The hope is that it will also come in a smaller size in the future, 41 mm is a good size but not as unisex as for example 36 mm. What is extra delicious with this one is precisely that it has an automatic movement from L.U.C called L.U.C 96.40-L which has been given the Poincon de Genève marking, which guarantees the quality, and the stamp can be seen on the back at the edge of the case. Alpine Eagle is the sports watch that in my opinion keeps growing all the time and it's really delicious with its salmon pink dial. It's now also extra interesting with their investment in the recycled steel which they will develop even more going forward. Nothing that is really visible but which feels good for the soul. 

Two new releases from L.U.C

The next new release is the most elegant of them, L.U.C. 1860, where the inspiration for the watch comes from their very first L.U.C. model that was presented in 1997. These watches are held at an extremely high level so it has of course also been given the Poincon de Genève marking. The new version of the classic model has here also been given the sought-after colour salmon pink which in this case is extra delicious thanks to the dial, which is in gold, having been given a handmade guilloché pattern. The case is also in their own Lucent steel and it's the very first time they use that steel for a model in the L.U.C. series That they have chosen to keep the watch in a smaller size is fantastically nice! It would not at all have got the same feeling in a larger size but is perfect with its 36,5 mm. 

The automatic movement is the same as the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS, L.U.C 96.40-L, which has a height of 3,30 mm which means that the height of the case is only 8,20 mm. The open back also shows the beautiful mircro-rotor which is in 22-carat gold. 

The other new release is the L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph and it's limited to 25 pieces. It has a green colour that is easy to fall in love with, Chopard themselves have named it English-green. The size is 42 mm and it's a chronograph with a flyback function. The case is also in Lucent steel and in it sits a hand-wound movement, L.U.C 03.07-L. An interesting and nice detail is that the scale in large Arabic numerals is on a scale from 05-60 for seconds and minutes to show a nice retro racing connection. The brown calfskin strap suits the whole and a nice detail is the coarse green stitching. This is a watch that suits someone who loves to combine the model together with classic cars.

This year's Mille Miglia model

Finally we have the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph. In total it's four models that are launched. I got the chance to look at two of them. The four colours are black, red, blue and light green where it's the two first mentioned that I looked more closely at. What distinguishes the one in black is that it has a strap in rubber with a surface that is reminiscent of a car tyre, and then not just any car tyre but it's inspiration from Dunlop's tyres from 1960. Chopard have a strong connection to the car world, especially classic cars since they have been the official timekeeper for the venerable car race Mille Miglia for a long time back. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has personally taken part in every race since 1989, which over the years has also resulted in many beautiful racing-inspired watches that have been developed in connection with this race. 

One change they have made is that it's smaller in size so as not to become too much on the wrist while driving. Now it's 40,5 mm and this one too is in their own Lucent steel. The chronograph pushers and the crown are also in steel apart from the model with the blue dial which has a case ring, crown and chronograph pushers in gold. That this one in particular is smaller in size and that the chronograph pushers assert themselves and are not so slimmed in against the case makes the whole really delicious but a nice retro feeling. And then, that the smaller chronograph dials get to assert themselves in that way by encroaching on the large numerals showing the hours makes the dial alive and fun. These are the watches for those who love the whole classic car atmosphere and especially Mille Miglia. All the models have an automatic movement based on the ETA A322-11. 

Read more about the watches at Chopard