Chopard has re-interpreted one of the true icons of its line, with the release Friday of the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF, a numbered limited edition of just 250 timepieces.
Related: Watch review: The new Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Chrono
The Alpine Eagle collection, launched in 2019, is a modern interpretation of the St. Moritz watch. That was the first horological creation by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in the late 1970s. Friday’s release is 41 mm, housing the Chopard Calibre 01.12-C, the high-frequency mechanical self-winding movement with central rotor. It’s produced by the Maison’s watchmaking workshops.
What a stunning piece this is. It’s a modest 9.75 mm thickness. So it’s surprisingly light, thanks in part to the use of titanium, with that outstanding calibre (beats twice as fast as a standard automatic movement) and maximum precision. The Lucent Steel A223 is shiny and hard, looking at it, while the titanium has a darker colour. The bezel, case middle and wide bracelet links are satin-brushed.
Chopard: Another chapter in the Alpine Eagle collection
The Vals Grey colour on the dial was inspired by the village of the same name in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. That’s a place known for its houses with quartzite-tiled roofs. Try to take one for a test. It makes such a bold, confident statement. Price for the new Chopard is $25,200 CDN. Check it out here:
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF in titanium: Click on image to enlarge and view gallery
The most expensive luxury penthouse currently available in Dubai is…
Here’s something the most-interesting-luxury-real-estate-news front. A five-bedroom penthouse triplex located in Atlantis The Royal Resort & Residences is selling for $49 million USD. This is the most expensive luxury penthouse currently selling in Dubai. Metropolitan Premium Properties has the listing.
It’s ridiculous, really: 25,000 square feet, six bathrooms. The property has its own affinity pool adorning an expansive outdoor deck, full views of the sea. There’s a private lounge and beach. Five-star amenities galore. Metropolitan reports a strong overall demand from international buyers: 30 per cent of their transactions last year were from international buyers. Those were led by CIS, the UK and other parts of Europe including France, Germany and Austria. That has been the trend this year as well.
A 25,000 square foot triplex
According to Nikita Kuznetsov, Partner Metropolitan Group and CEO of Metropolitan Premium Properties, there’s been a spike in the number of transactions for villas and townhouses. That’s especially true with waterfront and shoreline properties. Average sale price for high-end homes in Dubai this year has doubled to $2,722,500 USD, he adds.
“Dubai has some of the most luxurious properties in the world and continues to offer its residents an unmatched lifestyle,” he says. “The city emerged as one of the safest and more open cities in the world. That gave residents and investors confidence in the real estate market. The people who are buying are choosing Dubai due to the high levels of safety and security the country offers. That’s especially true for high-net-worth individuals.”
Designed by KPF architects, Atlantis The Royal Dubai sits on the crescent of The Palm, and is made up of 231 luxury apartments, 693 hotel rooms and 102 suites.
It’s coming: Using cryptocurrency to buy luxury real estate
A few years back we were speaking with a financier about buying real estate in the Caribbean. He talked about how he expected that soon, Canadian and international real estate investors would be using cryptocurrency to buy real estate in countries where it’s challenging to get a mortgage, like Mexico.
That’s what makes this morning’s announcement from the Hudye Group, a real estate and business investment company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, so interesting. Hudye has listed a new collection of luxury condos within Scottsdale Waterfront Residences (image), at a starting price of $1.6 million. They are accepting Bitcoin and Ethereum transactions for the first time.
Canadian real estate investors have a particular fondness for Arizona. Maybe the future is arriving faster than we thought.
Paul & Shark announces new partnership with the Atlanta Hawks’ Danilo Gallinari
Italian luxury sportswear brand Paul & Shark knows a good thing. The Atlanta Hawks are one of the NBA’s rising teams, and 13-year pro Danilo Gallinari is a big part of that team.
So this morning’s announcement the brand has joined forces with the Italian basketball star makes sense, with a new NBA season coming up fast. Gallinari joins Italian National Soccer team Head Coach Roberto Mancini and Formula 1 Driver Antonio Giovinazzi as official brand ambassadors for Paul & Shark. Nice fashion to match up with that Chopard watch.
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
Check out my stories, and email me direct at mkeast@regardingluxury.com
