The longer it is around, the more I think people appreciate the Chopard Alpine Eagle collection. That is especially true with the larger Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, the sportier cousin of the “non-XL” standard model, mostly in three-hand dial variants. The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono first debuted in 2020 as an all-steel model. Coming in at 44mm wide (versus 41mm wide of the standard men’s Alpine Eagle watches), the chronograph version of the Alpine Eagle competes directly with other luxury sports lifestyle watches from companies such as Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Vacheron Constantin, Roger Dubuis, and more.
Chopard brings a very competitive product to the table with the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, but it was never destined to be an immediate hit. That’s because, by nature, the design needed to mix new elements with familiar ones. This resulted in a design that people weren’t sure if they had seen before, was freshly new to their eyes, or would age well. What Chopard’s designers understood is that by mixing new and historical elements they would be giving the overall Alpine Eagle more mid to long-term success as the design gracefully settled into the community and the value proposition of the watch and its virtues more slowly penetrated the minds of collectors. The watches are very well made, not particularly assertive but nevertheless bold, and are comfortable and legible. That will be enough to earn the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono a longer lifespan as more and more consumers recognize its appeal.
For 2024, the two major new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono watches Chopard has released (so far) are on opposite ends of the weight spectrum. Earlier in the year on aBlogtoWatch, I covered the classically luxurious Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono on a bracelet in solid 18k rose gold. That is a beautiful but heavy beast of a watch, that is a domineering wrist presence in addition to a nicely made chronograph timepiece. The pictured reference 298609-3008 Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono comes on a rubber strap and has a case made from grade 5 titanium. It sports a light “Rhone” blue dial with anthracite subdials. The colors are oddly just as summery as they are wintery, with a clear reference to the sky and water, and gray for the mountains.
The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono case is 44mm wide, 13.15mm thick, and water-resistant to 100 meters. I love the elegant integration of the chronograph pushers that barely seem to be there (but are easy to press). The titanium is very well finished, and the overall watch feels light on the wrist even though it is large. You might want to compare the pictured all-titanium Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono with a two-tone titanium and 18k gold version (also with some ceramicized steel). At this time, I do not believe that Chopard has produced a matching titanium bracelet for this watch, though it does produce a bracelet for the smaller, standard 41mm wide Alpine Eagle. It is probably only a matter of time before a titanium bracelet option becomes available for this watch; that would be a useful accessory in addition to the comfortable rubber strap. Oh, and kudos to Chopard for putting a standard pin buckle on the strap, as opposed to some elaborate yet uncomfortable (and unnecessary) deployant system.
Inside the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is Chopard’s in-house caliber 03.05-C automatic chronograph movement. This is one small step underneath the brand’s L.U.C movements (which have a lot more hand decoration) and an overall very good performer. The 12-hour chronograph has a flyback function, and the movement also indicates the time and date. The movement operates at 4Hz with about 60 hours of power reserve and comes with a COSC Chronometer certification. Chopard uses a very attractive date wheel, which also happens to be color-matched to the dial. You can view the automatic movement through the sapphire crystal caseback window on the back of the watch.
The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono dial is very nicely made, and beautiful in many ways. That said, I think it is the first thing Chopard will probably want to alter when giving the Alpine Eagle a facelift at some point. The problem with the dial, in my opinion, is that the Roman numeral 12 o’clock hour marker feels too generic, and the chronograph subdial markers are a bit too evocative of the vintage Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona watches. I want to see some more dial elements that clearly speak “Chopard” to me, and I think that can eventually happen. But these are minor points. I will give a pass to the near-useless tachymeter scale around the periphery of the dial, as I know how Chopard is passionately into classic cars. Otherwise, I would have suggested Chopard use this space for something more “mountainy.”
Compared to an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is much more affordably priced. From what I can recall, it is on par with many of the Hublot Big Bang UNICO collection models. That said, it is an expensive watch for solidly wealthy people, especially since you don’t need to spend this much for a pretty titanium watch with an in-house-made chronograph movement. You can spend about $5,000 or $6,000 and get something pretty nice from Longines (for example). The appeal of the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is the Chopard Maison (brand) and the effortless handsome looks. This is a status men’s jewelry object first and a sports watch second. No, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have what it takes to serve as a performance timepiece, but rather the allure is in the beauty and prestige as opposed to the functionality. More so, even though Chopard has its less expensive Mille Miglia chronograph watch models with sourced Swiss Made movements, the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is the one with the fancier caliber that is also made in-house (meaning that people can’t complain you can get the same movement for appreciably less money). Price for the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Titanium reference 298609-3008 watch is $25,000 USD. Learn more at the Chopard website.
