Thoughts on the Chopard Alpine Eagle, and Chopard as a whole?

[JParm]

Having moved away from the VC Traditionnelle that I thought I wanted and dress watches in general, I'm now shifting my attention towards Chopard's elegant sports watch, the Alpine Eagle.

Like others, I initially thought that the Alpine Eagle was a Genta-esque copy and nothing more when it was first announced a couple years ago (who would buy such a thing?!). Well, as the world turns...

I've found myself gawking at a watch with an integrated bracelet that I can actually obtain, money or waitlists be damned. After having done more research, I find the history of the Alpine Eagle interesting (it's based off of Chopard's own St. Moritz from the 80's), love that it's made from a harder, shinier steel than other watches, and most importantly really like the look.

What are your thoughts on the watch and Chopard in general? From what I've seen thus far, owners of the Alpine Eagle seem to really love it, but I'm not finding too much on Chopard itself.

Some photos off the internet here, and I might drive up to Santa Clara / SF to check out the brand sooner rather than later: