Chopard just launched a new titanium Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF that features a “pitch black” colored dial and some rather attractive orange accents.
The new high-frequency timepiece belongs to the wider Alpine Eagle family – Chopard’s 2019 answer to the integrated bracelet sport watch trend – and maintains most of the design cues of its 41mm “Lucent” steel predecessor. As mentioned, dial-wise, the Cadence 8HF does have a few notable cosmetic differences, but the main point of departure here is the titanium casing and bracelet as well as the technically advanced in-house high-frequency movement. Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF released a limited version of this high-frequency watch back in 2021, which was also produced in titanium. The specs remain pretty much identical: 41mm in diameter, 9.75 mm thick, satin-brushed case and bezel with eight screws, a tapered satin-brushed bracelet with polished central caps, sapphire crystal exhibition case-back printed with “Cadence 8HF,” the Roman numerals at 12 o’clock and the ever notorious 4.30 date window.
The key update to this 2023 version is the new black colored dial, which still features the sunburst pattern (intended to be reminiscent of an eagle’s iris) and now also includes an orange arrow-type seconds hand with eagle’s feather counterweight, an orange “high-frequency” arrow symbol and matching orange railway-track minutes circle. Sounds like a lot of orange, but as you can see above they are small accents that balance out the black dial rather nicely.
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Calibre 01.12-C beats at the frequency of 8 Hertz, meaning twice as fast as a standard automatic movement. This is a technical detail that is commonly understood as a means to improve precision and stability. The logic goes like this: The faster the movement beats, the less effect each impact has on the average rate. This high frequency means high speed, thus implying rapid recovery of the isochronous rate.
Chopard has been working on chronometer-certified high-frequency movement since 2012, namely in its L.U.C Haute Horlogerie collections. The Calibre 01.12-C however, will remain exclusively for the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF models. This is a fun addition to the Alpine Eagle family. While I’m more of a yellow-gold Alpine Eagle gal, I was still drawn in by the aesthetics of this watch. (Hey, I’m trying to be more open-minded about my watch identity these days.) The stark contrast of the black and orange against the dark titanium gives the Cadence 8HF a super sporty feel – almost like a Porsche Design watch or a kooky driving watch from the ’80s. I think I’ll have to get my hands on this one at the show to decide whether it’s really for me. Maybe this is the beginning of my new sporty identity. Stay tuned!