Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Chopard · Alpine Eagle
Chopard Alpine Eagle 42 mm Slate Sapphire
Reference 96059OR.33
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Chopard
- Collection
- Alpine Eagle
- Model
- Chopard Alpine Eagle 42 mm Slate Sapphire
- Reference number
- 96059OR.33
- Year / era
- 1950 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 48D — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1950 – 1958
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Chopard Alpine Eagle 42 mm Slate Sapphire sits within Chopard's Alpine Eagle line, introduced in 1950. It carries the house codes established since 1860 — sapphire crystal case case, slate grey dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Chopard
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1860
- Founder
- Louis-Ulysse Chopard
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Alpine Eagle, Happy Sport, L.U.C, Mille Miglia, Happy Diamonds, Imperiale
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Composite and ceramic case materials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Chopard Alpine Eagle 44 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic (1953) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 42 mm Slate Sapphire (1950) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 44 mm Black 18k (1952) · Chopard Alpine Eagle 38 mm Blue Sapphire (2000)
Brand history
Chopard has spent more than 166 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Alpine Eagle, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis-Ulysse Chopard established Chopard in 1860, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Chopard calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1860
Louis-Ulysse Chopard founds Chopard in Switzerland.
1899
Chopard earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Chopard to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Chopard enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Chopard continues to produce Alpine Eagle, Happy Sport, L.U.C and other icons in limited numbers.