Chopard's New Sports Watch Collection Revisits A Classic Of The Maison

Chopard’s new sports watch collection revisits a classic of the maison

- Katherine Arteche

The year was 1972, just a couple of years after the quartz crisis, during which Japanese ingenuity with the introduction of the more precise high-beat quartz movement caused Swiss watchmakers to shelve their mechanically operated timepieces. Hence in recognition for a more robust sense of wearing watches, where style could take equal standing with function, luxury steel sport watches made their entrance. It was in pursuit of the same idea: a full metal watch with a clean legible dial, an attempt to bring mechanical movements back into the market.

Until today, the steel sports watch is a coveted silhouette, and the years in between have seen almost every Swiss manufacture create its own interpretation of the staple. For Chopard, it was in 1980 when it inserted itself into the timeline, with the introduction of the St. Moritz. It was a vision set in motion from the mind of the then 22-year-old Mr. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. Right off the bat, the collection carried two-toned and full precious metal versions, with framed bezels and complete with a bracelet to match. The advertising campaigns focused on them as watches that were suitable to be worn for sports, whether on or off the pitch. From golf to skiing to tennis, the watches were marketed as a sporting collective, featuring white and colored dials with a date aperture, and some accented with diamonds for the ladies’ versions.