Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium Watch Review
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium (reference: 298600-3020) features a stunning Pitch Black dial and is the latest addition to the brand’s raptor-themed collection. Housed in a Grade 5 titanium case, measuring 41 mm in diameter, the watch is fitted with an integrated titanium bracelet. Beneath its handsome exterior sits a high-frequency, chronometer-certified movement, the Chopard 01.12-C. Carl Eady begins by looking back into the Maison’s history, including the St Moritz, the watch that inspired the creation of the Chopard Alpine Eagle.
Chopard depuis 1860
Chopard can trace its origins back to 1860 when Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a talented young watchmaker, established his company in Sonvilier, a town located in the Swiss ‘Bernese’ Jura region. The firm’s focus was on producing precision pocket watches and chronometers. Noted for their quality, precision and attention to detail, Chopard’s timepieces attracted clients across Europe and Russia. By 1885, Tsar Nicolas II was the company’s most noteworthy client, albeit it was the firm’s partnerships with the Swiss Railway Company and Tir Fédéral (the Swiss federal shooting association) that ultimately brought the Chopard name to prominence.
In 1937, Paul-André Chopard (Louis-Ulysse’s Grandson) decided to relocate the business to Geneva, home to the world’s finest horological marques. Chopard remained in the ownership of the family until 1963 when it was sold to Karl Scheufele III and his wife Karin.
Karl Scheufele acquires Chopard (1963)
Before the Scheufele family acquired Chopard, the company employed just a small handful of people. However, since 1963, the Maison has enjoyed exponential growth and today has over 2000 employees worldwide. Clearly, the family has successfully navigated Chopard through the challenging waters of the luxury sector.
Chopard’s visionary approach
The Maison has a visionary approach to business, investing in its own foundry in 1978, establishing Chopard Manufacture in 1996 and opening a further facility in the Val de Travers, namely, Fleurier Ebauches, in 2013.
Image – Chopard Manufacture
Moreover, again in 2013, the Maison embarked on its ‘Journey to Sustainable Luxury’. This initiative led to Chopard paying close attention ‘to the social and environmental impact facing the watch and jewellery industry’. The brand has since walked the talk, switching to Fairmined gold and Lucent Steel (comprised of at least 80% recycled steel).
Image – Lucent Steel
Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
In 2001, Karl Scheufele III handed the reins of the family business to his children, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and his sister Caroline Scheufele. The siblings both hold the title ‘Co-President’ and have played to their respective strengths. The company remains in rude health and is held in the highest esteem. Caroline Scheufele is highly creative, an attribute that came to the fore back in 1985 when she sketched ‘a clown with a tummy full of diamonds and coloured stones’. Caroline is supported by an extensive team of talented individuals, working on numerous creations; however, she will forever be associated with masterminding many ‘Happy Diamonds’ products and numerous ‘Happy Sport’ watches.
Image – Chopard Happy Clown designed by Caroline Scheufele
The watch division is primarily overseen by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. The brand has two facilities in Fleurier and a further atelier in Geneva. Across the sites, there are various functions, including R&D, design, movement manufacture, case making and assembly. Indeed, the firm is a perfect example of a vertically-integrated Maison.
Image – Caroline Scheufele
The firm’s product portfolio is impressive. Its collections include Happy Sport, Happy Diamonds, Alpine Eagle, L.U.C, L’Heure du Diamant, Mille Miglia and Imperiale. While all collections are paragons of luxury, they each have their own distinct characters, appealing to a broad array of potential clients and making Chopard a highly competitive brand operating in the watch and jewellery sector.
Image – Karl Friedrich-Scheufele GPHG 2021 ©GPHG
Chopard sports watches
In recent years, the men’s sports watch category has emerged as the most competitive market segment. Since 1988, Chopard’s Mille Miglia motorsport collection has proved a winner for the brand. Likewise, in 2019, the Maison unveiled the Alpine Eagle collection, tapping into the widespread affection for versatile sports watches that don’t look out of place with a shirt and tie. The release of the Alpine Eagle represented a serious challenge to the market’s established players.
Chopard St Moritz (1980)
The story of the Chopard Alpine Eagle can be traced back to the late 1970s when 22-year-old Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, then under the stewardship of his father, created a watch known as the ‘St Moritz’. Designed to meet the sophisticated tastes of the Alpine elite, the St Moritz was a departure from the traditional gold-cased creations that Chopard was known for at the time. Launched at Basel in 1980, it had a radical screw-down bezel, integrated bracelet and was fashioned from stainless steel. At the time of its unveiling, it was something of a gamble for Chopard but proved to be an enormous hit in the decade that followed.
Image – St Moritz advertisement from the 1980s
Chopard Alpine Eagle (2019)
Some 40 years later, history repeated itself when Karl-Fritz (Karl-Friedrich’s son) was instrumental in the development of a new sports watch. The design was clearly influenced by the St Moritz, yet included all the essential attributes and refinements expected by today’s discerning consumer.
Launched in 2019, the Chopard Alpine Eagle proved an instant success and is now an important member of the brand’s product portfolio. The vision for the Alpine Eagle collection is driven by the family’s passion for the natural Alpine environment and the desire to create a watch that embodies the values, and meets the requirements, of life’s high-achievers. Such is Karl-Friedrich’s commitment to preserving the Alps, that he was a founding member of the Alpine Eagle Foundation in 2020.
Image – white-tailed eagle ©Remi Chapeaublanc – Alpine-Eagle-Foundation
Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium – case
The Alpine Eagle collection has grown over the years to include 36, 41 and 44 mm case sizes. Models are available in a variety of case materials, including the aforementioned Lucent Steel along with bi-metallic and 18k variants. The latest model, the Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium, as its name implies, is housed in a Grade 5 titanium case and fitted with a matching, integrated bracelet.
Grade 2 titanium has a slightly dull, grey appearance, whereas Grade 5 titanium facilitates polishing, hence the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium features a combination of vertical satin-brushed and polished surfaces. Grade 5 titanium is an alloy comprising 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium. Termed an ‘alpha beta titanium alloy’, it is costlier than Grade 2 titanium and more expensive to process. An additional benefit of using Grade 5 is that its much stronger than its cheaper counterpart.
The Alpine Eagle, an evolution of the St Moritz design, has dialled back the pronounced curves found on the ’80s watch that emanated from the bezel screws. The overall look is less decorative but imbues the Alpine Eagle with a more contemporary appearance. All eight mirror polished screws punctuating the bezel follow its curving profile.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium – eagle iris dial
Perhaps the most striking detail of the Alpine Eagle collection are the dials, with each example stamped, galvanised and varnished, replicating the appearance of an eagle’s iris. Paying tribute to the eponymous bird of prey, the dial motif is dramatic and confers a superb depth surpassing that achieved with traditional sunray finishes. In this instance, the Cadence 8HF features a pitch black dial, inspired by the night skies over the Alps. It provides a wonderful backdrop to the vibrant faceted hands and dial markers.
The Rhodium-plated hour markers are generously filled with Grade X1 Super-LumiNova® and sit proud of the dial, once again, adding a sense of depth. In a change from regular Alpine Eagle models, the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock Roman numerals have been replaced by simple baton markers, save for noon where the numerals ‘XII’ sit on high.
The sports styling is enhanced by a fine centre seconds hand with a counterweight shaped like an eagle’s feather. Its bright orange hue is repeated on the minuterie and the arrow-shaped high-frequency logo.
Chopard Calibre 01-12-C
The term ‘8HF’ refers to the high-frequency movement within this watch, the Chopard Calibre 01-12-C. In 2012, Chopard unveiled its first high-frequency movement, L.U.C 01-06-L, employed within a contemporary L.U.C model.
Image – Chopard L.U.C 8HF reference 168554-3001
More recently, in 2021, Chopard released the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF reference 298600-3005, featuring a Vals Grey dial, a titanium case and limited to just 250 pieces. This was the first time a high-frequency movement had appeared within an Alpine Eagle model. Now, the movement, the Calibre 01.02-C, makes a return in the new Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium reference 298600-3020.
Image – Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF reference 298600-3005
This self-winding movement has a frequency of 57,600 vph (8Hz) and contains 28 jewels.
The key advantage of increasing the frequency of the movement is that it is less sensitive to shocks and, by default, delivers greater precision. The potential drawbacks of high-frequency movements are that they often use more energy, consume more lubricants and can suffer more wear. To surmount these potential drawbacks, Chopard re-engineered the regulating organ, reducing the size of the balance wheel and most notably fitting the movement with a silicon impulse pin, pallet lever and escape wheel.
Image – Chopard 01.12-C, housed in the Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium reference 298600-3020
Silicon is light and its surface is friction-free, often obviating the need for lubricants. Furthermore, silicon can be used to make elaborately shaped components not possible using conventional CNC, EDM or stamping methods. In this case, the geometry of the escape wheel has been optimised and features more teeth than you would normally see on 3 Hz or 4 Hz movements, making the operation of the Calibre 01.02-C more efficient.
By improving efficiency and minimising friction levels, Chopard’s engineers have created a supreme engine, which only needs servicing every 5 or so years, and, assuming the watch is fully wound, will run autonomously for 60 hours.
The integrated bracelet appears as a natural extension of the watch case. Also finished in Grade 5 titanium, it is tapered. The flanks of each link are satin-brushed to complement the bezel, whereas the central caps are presented in highly polished form. Expertly engineered, each link of the bracelet is interlocked to ensure an optimal fit and eliminate any gaps. Extra security is provided by a triple-folding titanium clasp with steel blades and safety pushers.
Closing thoughts
In recent years, it appears every established luxury watch brand worth its salt is fighting to compete in the sports watch category. All the right boxes need to be ticked for a timepiece to grab the attention of today’s discerning collector. Style, comfort, durability and a quality movement are essential requirements; however, buyers yearn more, seeking watches that have their own persona and evoke emotion in the eye of the wearer.
In terms of the Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium, intelligent design is evident throughout. Its lightweight exterior is enhanced with subtle and tasteful sporty accents, making it a truly eye-catching timepiece. Furthermore, in creating the Calibre 01.02-C, Chopard has crafted a superb movement that is attractively finished, highly reliable, chronometer-certified (COSC) and requires little servicing – all of which make a compelling case for selection.
The Cadence 8HF Titanium is an inspired timepiece and is my favourite Alpine Eagle model to date. Indeed, family succession, the re-interpretation of a past classic, inspiration from nature and progressive engineering have all played their part in creating this highly desirable contemporary classic.
Further reading
https://www.chopard.com/en-gb/
Technical specification
- Model: Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Titanium
- Reference: 298600-3020
- Case: Grade 5 titanium, diameter 41 mm, height 9.75 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to front and exhibition case back
- Functions: hours, minutes, centre seconds, date, stop seconds
- Movement: Chopard 01.12-C, frequency 57,600 vph (8 Hz); 28 jewels, power reserve 60 hours, certified chronometer (COSC)
- Bracelet: Tapering bracelet in grade 5 titanium, wide links with satin-brushed sides and polished central cap, triple folding clasp in grade 5 titanium with steel blades and safety pushers
- Price: £18,500 (RRP as of 1.2.2024)