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Alpina Updates a Heritage Carrée Automatic 

Alpina launches a new version of its retro-styled Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years, now with a modern automatic movement instead the vintage caliber used in the model launched earlier this year. 

You might recall that in June the Geneva-based watchmaker launched a celebratory Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years outfitted with an authentic hand-wound Calibre 490 from 1938.

Now, Alpina is replicating the same watch’s retro-style with two unlimited models of the watch, one of which (the silver-dialed model) will be sold in the U.S. The second model with a black dial is available internationally outside the U.S.   

Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years. The silver-dialed model pictured above is available in the U.S.

The watch still uses a retro-sized cased, though at 32.5mm by 39mm, it’s still three millimeters larger than the initial model from June. The new watch’s dial also features a 1930s-style ‘sector’ dial with period Arabic numerals, dauphine hands, square small seconds sub-dial and the original Alpina logo.

Inside Alpina offers its AL-530 caliber, an automatic Sellita-based movement. Other contemporary updates include a domed sapphire crystal and a see-through back. Price: $1,595. 

Specifications: Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years 

(Ref. AL-530SAC3C6)

Movement: AL-530 caliber, automatic, 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 vph. 

Case: Polished 32.50mm x 39mm x 9.71mm stainless steel two-part with anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal. Water-resistant to 30 meters, engraved and see-through screwed case-back. 

Dial: Silver with matte finishing, black printed Arabic numerals and black graduation, black hour and minute hands, small second counter at 6 o’clock with black hand.  

Strap: Light brown Ostrich leather strap with off-white stitching and pin buckle.

Price: $1,595.  

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Alpina Celebrates 140th with Vintage Carrée

To celebrate its 140th birthday, Alpina releases a limited edition rectangular watch with a restored manual-wind caliber made in 1938.

The new Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years.

The new Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years features Caliber 490, which was designed, assembled and finished in 1938 by one of the firms in the Union Horlogère, Alpina’s original entity. Such fully in-house construction was not typical of the era, when generic ébauches (movement-blanks) were more commonly used throughout the Swiss market.

Alpina has created two rectangular silver-cased models as a tribute to its anniversary. One new series features a black dial and is available in the United States and globally; the other offers a silvered dial and is available outside the United States. 

Alpina explains that the slow frequency (18,000 vph) rectangular-shaped movement was built to provide extra protection against water and dust and was elegantly finished with a sun-brushed ratchet and fully beveled components.

The Alpina 490 Caliber.

Only a few of the movements still exist, and Alpina has done well to shape the new watch’s case to fit the shaped movement.

Alpina’s records indicate that the original case for a watch using the movement was made from steel or gold depending on the model. Alpina made the new 29.5mm x 35.7mm by 9.71mm case from mirror-polished silver and has placed anti-glare sapphire crystal on the front and back, which allows a clear view of the Caliber 490.

The Alpina 490 Caliber, pictured showing front and back.

Both of the limited editions (of fourteen pieces each) display Alpina’s period logo, two thin central hands and a typical 1930s small seconds. A period-true rail track minute circle runs around the dial.

On the U.S. version, Alpina places solid Arabic numerals on the black dial accompanied by beige hands and a circular small second hand display. The other version (not pictured here) sports a silvered dial, black hands and 1920s-style Arabic numerals. Alpina finishes the watch with a light brown ostrich leather strap, with vintage white stitching and pin buckle. 

Price: $5,395.

Specifications: Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years
(AL-490BA3C10, a limited edition of 14 pieces) 

Movement: Alpina vintage AL-490 caliber, hand-winding with 42-hour power reserve, 18,000 vph.  

Case: Polished silver 2-part, 29.50mm x 35.70mm by 9.71mm, anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 30 meters, engraved and see-through screwed case back.

Dial: Black with matte finishing, beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation, beige hour and minute hands, small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand. 

Strap: Light brown Ostrich leather with off-white stitching, pin buckle.

Price: $5,395, available starting in July.  

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Alpina

Alpina Goes on Tour 

Alpina’s new Alpiner Extreme Automatic Freeride World Tour 2023 is the official tour watch of the Freeride World Tour (FWT), a five-stage skiing and snowboarding competition.

Alpina’s new Alpiner Extreme Automatic Freeride World Tour 2023.

Available this year within Alpina’s full collection, the 41mm by 42.5mm cushion-case watch (with a round bezel) proudly displays the Tour’s logo on the existing Alpiner Extreme patterned dial.

 

The pattern itself mimics Alpina’s own triangle logo, a natural tie-in to the Freeride World Tour and one that echoes the Alpine summits for which the brand is named. Alpina’s long-standing red triangle seconds-hand counterweight just underscores the Alpina-FWT partnership.

Alpina sun-brushes the steel case and attaches it to the wrist with a black rubber strap. The crown is located at 3 o’clock and has been fit with a rubber grip for ease of use even if the owner is wearing ski gloves. Inside, Alpina places its automatic caliber AL-525, a Sellita-based movement  beating at 4Hz (28,800 vph), which is visible through the sapphire caseback. 

Price: $1,895

Specifications: Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic Freeride World Tour 2023

Movement: Automatic Sellita-based AL-525 caliber, 38-hour power-reserve, 28,800 alt/h.

Case: 41mm by 42.5mm by 11.5mm brushed and polished stainless steel 3-part, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 200m, engraved and see-through screwed case-back, screw-in crown. 

Dial: Black with triangle pattern, Freeride World Tour logo, black outer ring with white markers, applied silver color indexes filled with white luminous treatment, date window, hand-polished silver color hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment, polished silver-color second hand with red triangle. 

Bracelet: Black rubber strap, folding buckle with push button.

Price: $1,895

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Alpina

Alpina Blackens Pilot Heritage Automatic Monopusher

Alpina expands its Startimer Pilot Heritage mono-pusher chronograph collection with the Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic Chronograph Blackout, two black-cased models that offer a choice of dial: black or silver. 

The pair adds a bit of darkness to the existing blue and silver models that characterize this impressive vintage-tinged pilot series.

Alpina offer the Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic Chronograph Blackout with a black or silver dial.

The new contemporary color touch again serves to highlight how this cushion-shaped mini-series differs from its mostly round brothers within the Startimer Pilot Heritage collection. 

Here with a polished and brushed black-PVD case, its vintage-inspired single-pusher and bicompax subdial layout set the watch further apart both within its own brand and from the vast majority of other Swiss-made aviation chronographs available.

The fact that Alpina fits the watch with a customized single‐push‐piece chronograph designed by La Joux‐Perret enhances its interest among collectors, especially given the watch’s $2,995 price tag. 

The chronograph measures short time intervals (30 minutes) and also offers a 55‐hour power reserve, nearly 45% more than its predecessor.

Both variations of the watch offer a case that is polished black on the sides and satin‐finished on top. Circular guilloché counters assist light diffusion while sturdy hour and minute hands are topped with SuperLuminova.

Alpina is offering each version (black and silver-dialed models) as a limited edition of fifty, so expect some competition. 

Price: $2,995. 

Specifications: Alpina Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic Chronograph Blackout Edition

Movement: Alpina AL‐727 caliber, automatic mono‐pusher chronograph designed by La Joux‐Perret, 55‐hour power reserve, 28,800 alt/h. 

Case: 42mm x 40.75mm by 14.5 mm black PVD coated stainless steel 2‐part. Scratch‐resistant and convex sapphire crystal, water‐resistant to 100 meters, engraved case back, screw‐in crown and case back, chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock. 

Dials: Silver-dial model: Silver dial with sunray finishing and applied silver indexes filled with white luminous treatment, black outer ring with tachymeter graduation, silver hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment. Black seconds counter at 9 o’clock with sunray finishing and white hand, black chronograph hand and black minutes chronograph counter at 3 o’clock with sunray finishing and white hand.

Black dialed model: Black dial with sunray finishing and applied silver indexes filled with white luminous treatment, black outer ring with tachymeter graduation, hand‐polished silver hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment, black chronograph hand,
silver-color seconds counter at 9 o’clock with sunray finishing and black hand, silver color minutes chronograph counter at 3 o’clock with sunray finishing and black hand. 

Strap: Black leather strap with white stitching.

Price: $2,995. 

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Alpina

Alpina Dives into Green-Dialed Seastrong

Alpina presents the Seastrong Diver 300 Heritage in a new dark green dial paired with a color coordinated green rubber strap. Measuring 42mm in diameter and water-resistant to 300 meters, the watch’s two-piece stainless steel case mounts two screw-down crowns; one for time setting and winding, the other for rotating the inner rotating rehaute specifically for timing a dive – or any other event up to a one-hour limit.

The new Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 Heritage.

This retro-inspired design revisits the brand’s Super Compressor 10 Seastrong dive watch, first introduced in 1969. While dive watches have long tended to have neon bright yellows and safety orange dials, Alpina dove head-first into the current trend for green colors with this quite dark seaweed-green dial and British racing green strap. Bold hands are luminous, as are the indices on the inner bezel.

As with external bezels, diver down times are shown with by Seastrong’s internal black rehaut, which can be adjusted using the upper crown positioned at the two o’clock mark. Unlike most internal bezels, the Seatrong’s can be rotated in either direction before being locked in place by screwing the extra crown down.

The stainless steel case is polished and brushed on the sides with a solid steel case back engraved with Alpina’s namesake Alps as well as a trident as a nod to the nautical nature of the watch. Inside is the Sellita-based AL 520 automatic winding movement beating at 28,800 with 38 hours of power reserve. Price: $1,695.

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