This article was originally published in the November/December 2022 Issue of the WatchTime print magazine.

Chopard?s highly successful Alpine Eagle sports watch collection took off with a new dial color in the late months of 2022, available exclusively for the 41-mm size in stainless steel or gold. Like the ?Aletsch Blue,? ?Bernina Grey? and ?Pitch Black? colorways before, the new ?Pine Green? dial is inspired by the iris of an eagle, and also an expression of Chopard?s continued commitment to ?preserve the Alpine environment and its biodiversity.?

Back in 1980, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, then a 22-year-old employee at the watchand-jewelry firm that his father had acquired, presented his idea for a watch called the St. Moritz, which would be not only Chopard?s first sports watch, but also the brand?s first watch in steel. The St. Moritz became one of Chopard?s best sellers of the era, but was eventually replaced by the Mille Miglia collection that Scheufele established in 1996 upon ascending to the co-presidency of Chopard. In a case of (family) history repeating itself, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele?s son, Karl-Fritz, suggested reviving the St. Moritz for a contemporary audience, a watch that, too, became an instant success when introduced in 2019 under the name ?Alpine Eagle.?
The watches are almost completely made inhouse, except the crown, sapphire crystals and hands; even the dials are technically made inhouse, by a specialized dial-making company owned...