A rare case in which reality is more beautiful than fiction

Chopard and Torres Joalheiros, one of the top watch and jewellery retailers in Lisbon, teamed up to organise the first exhibition in Portugal dedicated entirely to the Swiss brand’s Alpine Eagle watch.

The history behind Chopard’s most discussed timepiece in recent years is as rich as the watch itself – a tale intrinsically linked to the life story of Karl-Fritz Scheufele, Innovation Manager at Maison Chopard and son of Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.

Karl-Fritz is largely responsible for the Alpine Eagle collection and the member of the Scheufele clan’s third generation most involved in the family business.

Essential Algarve had the chance to speak to one of the figures that will undoubtedly shape the future of Chopard; to learn more about a man who is, above all, extremely passionate about fine jewellery and the family business.

He first suspected that his family had something to do with the world of watchmaking because his father always wore a watch. “And when I say always, I mean always,” says Karl-Fritz Scheufele with a smile. “And several different ones, depending on the occasion. He had a specific type of watch for cycling, another to take to work during the week, and something different for leisure time. As an eight-year-old, it was also interesting how we always talked about watches at home.”

His parents gave him the freedom to be whatever he wanted, something Karl-Fritz recognises today as invaluable, but without even realising the time he spent in the design studios of the brand cultivated a taste for the world of watchmaking that led him down a path of no return.

At just 13 or 14 years of age, Karl-Friedrich’s son joined Chopard as a trainee, which sparked a natural curiosity that would ultimately lead him to where he is today.

Around the age of 17, he was in his father’s office, doing his homework one day, when he opened a desk drawer containing several St. Moritz models waiting to go to a museum after being reconditioned.

Karl-Fritz had his ‘Eureka moment’: the integrated steel bracelet he was looking at, the likes of which he had never seen from the brand, created an immediate connection with St. Moritz, from which an idea was born and the realisation that there was room in the range for a new sports watch. Here, the Alpine Eagle took its first steps.

“My father wasn’t convinced at first, but my grandfather gave me the strength to push for the project and the two of us spent a lot of time discussing ideas for the design and the final size,” he recalls. When his father finally saw the potential in the model and got involved in the process himself, it was time for the next stage: technical aspects, innovations and materials.

The timing of the Alpine Eagle’s gestation was perfect for the marriage with Chopard’s certified steel, dubbed Lucent Steel, and the watch was the perfect piece to complement a whole new sustainability theme that the brand had started in 2018 with Ethical Gold.

Since its launch in 2019, the Alpine Eagle has soared to the top of the market in terms of visibility and recognition, and is now one of Chopard’s most important watches and a benchmark for the entire sector.

In just five years, the brand recognises that many existing customers – and even more first-timers – have rediscovered other Chopard ranges thanks to the Alpine Eagle, which sparked their interest in the brand, its products and the employment of sustainable materials, of which Chopard is a pioneer.

For Karl-Fritz, this is fantastic news and further proof that the market is knowledgeable, values quality design and engineering, and most importantly, that interest from new generations in the world of fine watchmaking is real.

“It’s our responsibility to keep people interested in the craftsmanship of our watches, the analogue and human aspects of production and the individuality of our brand. Staying connected with the past and doing things with passion and respect is absolutely fundamental, as is balancing these ingredients with an imperative need for continuous innovation. I have great faith in the future of Chopard and the industry as a whole,” he says.

After a visit to the exhibition and the chance to discuss some of the technical details of the Alpine Eagle, time has run out and our meeting with Karl-Fritz Scheufele comes to an end.

Chopard is a unique example of a brand that, due to its family roots, continues to tread its own, very rich path. The past is always present, and the future is, fortunately, in safe hands.

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