The Alps Are Calling, and the Alpine Eagle Must Go!

It’s no secret I have a love-affair with the Alps. I’m typing this up right now, in fact, in a bar at a town called Wengen, nestled in the breathtaking Lauterbrunnen valley. I’ve even done a 3 month Workaway stay with a host family in Rick Steve’s favorite alpine village Gimmelwald in 2023. So naturally it makes sense that I’d eventually find myself on the lookout for a watch that tugs at my Swiss Alpine heartstrings. Enter the Chopard Alpine Eagle, stage left.

I’ve had the Alpine Eagle Cadence LE since March of 2024, and I’ve even been to the Alps a few times since then. But after starting this blog, I realized one of the things I looked most forward to was to do a write-up of the Alpine Eagle in its spiritual homeland. I had originally planned on writing this post during an excursion into the Alps this past summer (2024), but detailed in an earlier post of its unfortunate movement demise and subsequent visit to the Zürich Chopard boutique.

But echoing the words of General Douglas MacArthur: I have returned. This is the story of the Alpine Eagle’s triumphant return, and what better way to commemorate it than with a visit into the mountains directly after I’ve re-secured it from the Zürich boutique? Hint: there isn’t.

I opted for the titanium cased Alpine Eagle Cadence Limited Edition over its Lucent Steel brethren for one reason: In addition to its Alpine identity, I found its cutting-edge titanium construction and novel 8 Hz movement (read: 57,600 vph!!) rather harmonious with my equivalently high-tech vocation as a software engineer. Two birds with one stone am I right?

Our journey starts looking out the window of Esther’s Guesthouse where I decided to stay during my visit to Switzerland this time around, a great affordable option for when you want to occasionally cook your own food instead of footing the exorbitant bill of dining out in Switzerland.

Part of the joy of being in the Alps, and in particular the Lauterbrunnen Valley, is just being here without a predetermined agenda. And indeed, this constituted a good portion of this visit, especially since I hadn’t taken any PTO and had to be on the clock eight hours a day.

Should any monotony creep in, a combination of fraternizing with fellow guests at Esther’s and meeting up with my friends in Switzerland helps keeps things fresh. A lunch with my friend Tony takes me to Bern one morning, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to snap a photo of the Eagle with Bern’s most famous Sehenswürdigkeit, the Zytglogge.

Titanium, while I wouldn’t recommend it for a first time watch buyer due to its potentially less premium feel as a result of its light weight, has really earned my adoration in the watch box for the exact same reason. Light weight = supreme comfort. It’s really palpable after a day with my heavy Submariner, for example.

A good portion of my time in the valley was unfortunately marred by suboptimal weather and visibility. This put a damper on photo ops with the Eagle, but fortunately I had remembered to snap a few photos with the Eagle during one of my previous visits, of course with the genius foresight that I’d need them later down the line.

I really have to take a moment to cast a spotlight on the Alpine Eagle’s exceptional level of finishing. The bracelet and the brushed finish on the bezel make for total eye candy, and while the finishing on the Caliber 01.12-C might be seen as industrial by some, I personally think it’s underrated and overtly downplayed. Put it to the loupe and it’s actually really nice.

The last time I loitered in the Alps with the Alpine Eagle, I took the liberty of hiking around the famous Oeschinensee. It was overcast even then (Europe as a whole had a pretty overcast summer in 2024), but eventually it cleared up enough to get a shot of the lake.

In the summer between spending time with my Swiss friends, I sometimes hang out at the Mountain Hostel and grab a beer (which by the way, tends to taste about three times better at 4,000+ ft in elevation). Near the end of this particular visit, I met two lovely American ladies and spent a day with them on a hike in the Gimmelwald-Mürren area. Sadly the weather was atrocious and afforded no views, but we made up for it by simply ascending above the clouds via the Schilthorn cableway.

If you ask me, this limited edition version hits all the right chords over its non-limited edition black dial linemate. First of all, not only does the grey dial simply look better to me, the color’s official name is Vals Grey, named after the Swiss Alpine village of the same name known for its gray, quartzite stone exports. Another connection to the Swiss Alps? No need to beg me. And though not exclusive to this LE version, I’ve read somewhere that the Alpine Eagle bracelet is supposed to resemble the glimmer of the snowcapped peaks of the Alps. As someone who’s witnessed both, I can verify.

Chopard’s decision to list the Alpine Eagle at 41mm is a puzzling one to say the least. I don’t think I’ve come across such misjudgment since the Seahawks’ Fail Mary touchdown call against the Packers in way back when. Indeed, according to my own calipers, at no point-to-point does the Alpine Eagle measure 41mm (unless across the “ears”, which doesn’t count), and it accordingly wears like the 39mm watch it should be. Meaning, if the 41mm measurement seemed big, worry not! Feel free to remain confused why it’s listed as such in the first place though.

The rest of this trip proceeded like my normal visits to Switzerland, albeit this time with much more volatile weather. My old host family and I enjoyed a nice late summer meal together, and soon I was on my way back to stay my last night in Zürich before flying back home. Of course the weather would suddenly turn amazing the moment I left the mountains. It’s the same phenomenon as only seeing the most beautiful of sunsets in your local grocery store parking lot.

Conclusion

The Alpine Eagle Cadence is a joy to travel with. The lightweight titanium and relatively under-the-radar status gives both peace of mind and peace of…physical security to simply set-and-forget it on your wrist. And that’s not even counting the joy you get by just staring at the smooth sweeping seconds hand and/or holding the piece to your ear to listen to the furious 8Hz soundtrack for a little while before setting it on your nightstand for the night.

I got injected with a jolt of relief once I made it back home and slotted the Eagle into its rightful abode in the watch box. Do I sometimes wish the bracelet tapered a bit more? Sure (only sometimes). Or that the caseback crystal wouldn’t have that dumb “Cadence 8Hz” printed onto it? 100%. But do its idiosyncrasies like the Formula 1 speed beat rate, sublime titanium construction, and mesmerizing case/bracelet finishing make me feel uniquely eclectic owning it? Natürlich.

Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 Cadence 8Hz Limited Edition

Case Diameter: 41mm (Wears more like 39mm, because it really is 39mm)
Case Material: Grade 5 Titanium
Case Thickness: 9.8mm (via my own calipers)
Lug-to-lug length: 46.3mm
Weight: 100g/3.53oz (with 3 links removed)
Lug Width: N/A
Width at buckle: 20mm
Beat Rate: 57,600 vph/8Hz
Movement: Caliber 01.12-C