Alpina is one of those Swiss brands that kinda gets overlooked. Yes, it is owned by Citizen these days, so that detracts some street cred points for the collectors out there. But the watches are what this magazine is all about, not the politics of ownership.
To give you one example, we love the entry level Tissot Powermatic 80 watches, which undercut lots of other Swiss made watches using adapted ETA 2824 or Sellita SW200 movements. You get more modern movement tech, more hours of use, for less money. Nice deal we think.
So let’s not get obsessed with some Swiss made watches being inherently superior, depending on who ultimately owns the company.
OK, Alpina has a new Alpiner 4 chrono watch for 2022 and it’s worth a look. We can’t see a price on the website but let’s guess at £1200-ish.
Here’s the word;
Alpina is revealing a new line of chronographs which draws its sap from the heart of the Alpine forests with its lakes and mountains.
Flashback: in 2021, Alpina probed its community about creating three timepieces of a sustainable nature, made using existing components and produced as part of the Community Watch project, officially presented last 11 December on the occasion of the International Mountain Day and in support of the Salomon Foundation, which helps mountain professionals who have suffered accidents as well as their families.
2022: given the success of these watches, and above all that of the Alpiner4 Chronograph “Granite” model, Alpina has decided to introduce it into the current collection to meet demand and to complete it with two other models in the same vein.
When Alpina decided to produce three new timepieces to mark its eco-responsible commitment, its community suggested…5,900 different names for them! And hundreds of variations of cases, straps, dials and hands.
The Alpiner4 Chronograph “Granite” is one of the names that emerged as the winner from this outpouring of enthusiasm. This acclaimed timepiece is now being included in the collection as the “Alpiner4 Chronograph Automatic” to meet the demand of its community.
The strap, also made of steel, is a strong material which meets one of the basic criteria of a sports watch whose solidity must be guaranteed – makes it the perfect tool watch, ready for climbing peaks. Because its light-blue dial, inspired by Alpine lakes, is bang on trend!
All attributes that have won over the Alpina community and which will now be offered to all the collectors of fine Swiss Made watchmaking. But that’s not all…
Between forests and granite
Harnessing the spirit and inspiration of the initial model, Alpina is completing its new Alpiner4 Chronograph Automatic line with two other variations. The first inherits the feature of its elder sibling: a strong steel 44 mm case waterproof to 100 metres with an engraved back, anti-impact and anti-magnetic, sapphire glass, steel strap, bi-directional rotary bezel and 24-hour graduated flange.
But use of the “granite” colour is pushed to the limit, with a brand new grey sunray dial. With the colour shade varying with the position of the sun, it allows the chronograph’s red minute hand to stand out providing perfect readability for extra accuracy and increased reading comfort.
The third version reconnects with the Alpine forests, thanks to a fir green, sunray, lively and contemporary dial. To complete the sylvan metaphor, the piece is worn on a cork brown, calfskin strap with off-white overstitching.
Like the two other models, this version has luminescent steel hands and is driven by the AL-860 movement, (based on the Sellita SW500) automatically wound, with 28,800 vibrations per hour and guaranteeing 55 hours of power reserve.