Refinement Rules At Chopard: The New Lucent Steel Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow” And L.U.C 1860 With An Areuse Blue Dial

Although eagles are not an endangered species, you don’t see too many of them around, especially the very thin ones. Alpine Eagles, I mean. Luckily, refinement rules at Chopard, and that means the hatching of the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow,” an 8mm-thick version of the brand’s luxury sports watch in bright Lucent Steel with a champagne dial. Also in Chopard’s proprietary steel, but a completely different “beast” is the L.U.C 1860 with an Areuse blue dial. That’s a shade named after the Swiss Areuse river, which flows from Saint-Sulpice in the municipality of Val-de-Travers.

Chopard never disappoints when it comes to Watches and Wonders novelties. And the new pieces for Watches and Wonders 2026 are no exception. Two personal highlights among them are the steel Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow” and L.U.C 1860 with an Areuse Blue dial.

Introducing the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow”

Chopard expands its already impressive Alpine Eagle collection with a new ultra-thin 41 × 8mm model in Lucent Steel. Its 100m water-resistance helps make it a practical watch, and the vertically satin-brushed case middle with polished bevels and a bezel with eight visible screws set at a tangent gives it a luxurious appearance with a retro vibe.

Underneath the glare-proofed sapphire crystal is a champagne-tone dial that Chopard calls “Mountain Glow.” After all, the brand wants to keep the connection to nature alive. That’s why the dial also has the now-familiar textured surface inspired by an eagle’s iris. As you would expect from a watch of this level, the dial features applied hour markers and numerals in white gold. A touch of Grade X1 Super-LumiNova on these, paired with matching ethical white gold baton-type hour and minutes hands, ensures legibility in low light. I’m sure that you also noticed the small seconds at 6 o’clock.

Thanks to an updated bracelet with a more pronounced taper toward the clasp, the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow” will be even more comfortable on the wrist than its ultra-thin predecessors. But the biggest improvement is the micro-adjustment system, which allows for an up-to-5mm extension.

L.U.C inside

Powering the slender Eagle is the 176-part self-winding L.U.C caliber 96.40-L. This 27.4mm-diameter movement has a lovely 3.3mm profile and uses a 22K gold micro-rotor to wind twin stacked barrels, providing a 65-hour power reserve. It is certified by COSC as a chronometer and includes a stop-second function and a swan’s-neck regulator for fine adjustment. The watch also proudly wears a badge of honor, the Poinçon de Genève. This Eagle was born in the Canton of Geneva, and the seal indicates that top-level finishing standards were applied to both the movement and case. This is not that common for steel watches.

At the time of writing, Chopard has not disclosed the price for the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow” (ref. 298623-3003).

The new Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with an Areuse blue dial

Pretty and funny — you can’t ask for much else. The new Lucent Steel Chopard L.U.C 1860 with its hypnotizing Areuse blue dial (ref. 168860-3005) is just that. You can see why you can put the label “pretty” on it, but why is it funny? Well, this watch marks the 30th anniversary of its Fleurier manufacture. The new creation, with its 36.5mm diameter and 8.2mm thickness, closely follows the proportions and layout of the original model. The case combines polished surfaces with vertically brushed case sides that look particularly good in the bright Lucent Steel alloy. So far, nothing is funny. Just wait for the punchline. The water resistance is rated at 30 meters, which is no joke, but since we’re dealing with a dress watch, it’s nothing to complain about.

The river-blue dial is made of 18K white gold and features multiple hand-guilloché patterns produced on traditional machinery. The satin-brushed chapter ring is also a thing of beauty. Applied hour markers and dauphine hands in white gold are paired with a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, while the absence of a date keeps the layout symmetrical and uncluttered. Inside this contemporary-looking dress watch, which comes on a gray grained calfskin strap with a steel pin buckle, beats the same automatic L.U.C caliber 96.40-L as in the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow.”

Get ready for the punchline

Now, without further ado, here’s the punchline. The new L.U.C 1860, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of Chopard’s Fleurier manufacture, surprisingly enough, is not Qualité Fleurier certified. Instead, it meets the requirements of the Poinçon de Genève. So the celebratory L.U.C 1860 was not made at Chopard’s Fleurier atelier in the Canton of Neuchâtel but around 120 kilometers to the south, in Geneva. Now that’s peak-level watch humor.

Just like the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS “Mountain Glow,” the blue-dial L.U.C 1860 doesn’t have a price yet. Still, let me know what you think of these Chopard novelties in the comments below.