How The Chopard Alpine Compares To Audemars Piguet, Rolex, And Patek Philippe Watches
Let’s start with the brand, shall we? Every customer who’s ever had a bit of exposure to the communication style (or lack thereof) of all four of these companies will be able to make up their minds on which brand they find to be more or less likable. I find no hardship in ranking AP and Patek in accordance with their ridiculously condescending and lofty attitudes. Meanwhile, Rolex has not exactly been at ease with its global (and well-deserved) follower base, as its waiting lists for steel Rolex watches in the $8,000-$13,000 segment grew to compete with Tolstoy’s War and Peace in length. Meanwhile, those seeking status help populate the waiting lists for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus — both retailing for double the Alpine Eagle and running for up to four times as much on the pre-owned market.
Among those “enlisted” is another breed of watch-lovers, too, those who simply wanted a combination of these things: a) a luxury watch; b) in steel on a steel bracelet; c) with extremely high quality of execution; d) designed to be worn in the office, during the weekend, and on vacation, all year ’round; and e) from an established luxury brand. The Chopard Alpine Eagle ticks all of those boxes, with the only thing missing being the unmistakable taste of condescension that some customers seem to require, or at least associate with dealing with a high-profile luxury watch brand. However, for a consistently growing, ever-more-experienced group of global luxury watch buyers, it is becoming clear that the status of a luxury brand can be achieved through means other than being, for one, unavailable on the market and, for two, being borderline-hostile to customers.
Conclusion
I will say that, if this new product weren’t on par with any of those usual suspects in terms of quality, I wouldn’t be making this comparison. Merely being comparably designed and equally capable (i.e., being a luxury steel sport watch) doesn’t automatically make for a basis of comparison against the tyrants of the segment. But the Alpine Eagle is, bar none, comparable to those — and it comes at half the price.
As such, if all you want from your next luxury steel sport watch purchase is being recognized for having a watch that your peers don’t, then, by all means, keep on harassing your Rolex, AP, or Patek dealers. However, if you want your next luxury steel sport watch for the reason the Royal Oak and the Nautilus originally achieved their popularity — by pairing extremely high quality of execution with proper all-around wearability — then the Chopard Alpine Eagle, especially in Lucent Steel A223 or in two-tone, in the 41mm version, will suffice to make you very happy. And it will make you stop guessing where you might momentarily be on that waiting list.
At launch, the Chopard Alpine Eagle 41mm is available in three versions: in all-Lucent steel with a blue or gray dial or in a two-toned combination of Lucent Steel and 18k rose gold with a gray dial. The smaller Chopard Alpine Eagle 36mm is available in a number of other variations, including all-gold models with or without diamond-set bezels and bracelet center links.
Prices for the Chopard Alpine Eagle watch in 41mm are $12,900 for the full Lucent Steel A223 version, while the Chopard Alpine Eagle watch in 41mm in two-toned rose gold and Lucent Steel A223 costs $19,700. Prices for the Chopard Alpine Eagle watch in 36mm start at $10,100, and two-toned versions can be had for $14,400, $16,000, and $20,400 depending on the dial. There is no all-gold version in 41mm yet, but the 36mm line contains a few of those variants with prices ranging between $30,000 all the way to $45,200 with diamonds. You can learn more at chopard.com.
