The Watch:A circa 2000 Chopard St. Moritz 8379. Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A, was founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier Switzerland. The house stayed in the Chopard family for its first 100 years, before being sold to Karl Scheufele in 1963. Around 1980, Karl turned to his 22-year-old son, (another Karl, and currently President of Chopard) for a new design. He produced The St. Moritz, named after the resort town that housed Chopard’s flagship boutique.
Like the Royal Oak for AP, it was a step into sporty design from a brand that previously only used precious metals for jewelry and dress inspired cases. Today, Chopard produces the Alpine Eagle as their haute-sports watch, and the lineage is clear. It started with this line.
This reference was launched in 1998. It’s 38mm, but wears a bit larger. It houses a Frederique Piguet 1150 movement with a 100 hour power reserve, a true bit of high horology. The bracelet (which Chopard calls an ‘ingot’ design) will fit a wrist up to 7”. The case is well-worn and the bezel has a ding at 1-2, visible in the photos. A great daily wear with a lot of history already. The overall feel is thick, square, brickish. Robocop as a watch.
Two lovely bits of design: The way three angular planes meet to form a lug, and the center of the dial mirroring the design of the bezel.
