FeatureIntroducing Alpina: The Pinnacle of Luxury Sport Watches

Over 130 years ago, when luxury watch brands were striving to gain a footing, Swiss watchmaker Gottlieb Hauser founded the Vereinigung der Schweizer Uhrmacher (Association of Swiss Watchmakers) to optimise the manufacturing of movements and timepieces. Three years later, the association was renamed the Schweizerische Uhrmacher-Genossenschaft (Swiss Watchmaker’s Cooperative Association). This groundbreaking association, which was a collaboration of Swiss watchmaking forces, led to the birth of Alpina and the aforesaid watchmakers came to be recognised as the ‘Alpinists’ who endorsed the ‘Alpinist principle’. The Watch Guide takes you through their powerful journey towards evolving into a force to be reckoned with.

Mountains To Climb

In its initial years, Alpina embarked on a mission to produce in-house calibres and chronometers. In 1901, the trademark ‘Alpina’ was registered and appeared for the first time on high-end calibres and watches produced by Hauser. In the 1920s, Alpina was already being sold in over 2,000 stores worldwide, as they introduced remarkable technical innovations. With set objectives in mind, Hauser presented the ‘Alpina 4’ model in 1938 to provide sportsmen, engineers, technicians and adventurers with the ideal watch.

Signified by the unmistakable red triangle – reminiscent of the mountains – today the luxury sports watchmaker is a sister brand of Frederique Constant (part of the Citizen group). In the aftermath of the quartz crisis that impacted the entire watch industry, Alpina underwent a tough phase and suffered certain setbacks but made an impressive comeback in the year 2002.

As Aletta Stas-Bax, co-founder and co-president, Frederique Constant shared with us during Baselworld this year, “Frederique Constant is more contemporary-classical, while Alpina is more of a lifestyle-sports brand, with similar values. It’s actually an old brand from 1883, a pioneer of the sports watch, in the ’30s, when Alpina created the Alpina 4 watch that had anti-magnetic and anti-shock properties with water resistance. We bought the company in 2002 and breathed new life into the brand.”

The Beginnings Of A Sports Watch Revolution

The legendary ‘Alpina 4’ concept – dating back to 1938 – that Stas-Bax talks about is essentially a by-product of Hauser’s avant-garde vision. The Alpina 4 principle stresses on the four essential properties for any watch to be considered a true luxury ‘sports watch’, which are antimagnetic, antishock, water resistance and a stainless steel case.

Since its inception, this adventure-seeking brand had set its eye on achieving precision and consistency throughout its offerings. The adroit Alpina watchmakers stationed in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva have been producing and assembling inventive patents and calibres. Every Alpina creation is subjected to a rigorous and step-by-step quality control procedure making the timepiece ready for extreme natural environments, especially at high altitudes and great depths. The functions, materials and usability have been imbibed cleverly to ensure that the wearer can accomplish tough missions while climbing, flying, diving or sailing.

Since splashing back onto the watch scene in 2002, Alpina has engineered five in-house movements: the Tourbillon AL-980, the Flyback Chronograph AL-760, the World Timer AL-718, the Automatic Regulator AL-950, and the Small Date Automatic AL-710. Cementing their position in the horological world, this centenarian watchmaker turned the tide by introducing exemplary timekeeping companions for Alpinists, air force pilots, divers, the navy and the military. With sports watch stalwarts like the Startimer, Alpiner, Seastrong and Comtesse in their kitty, Alpina has stayed true to fine Swiss watchmaking and its innate design tenets that embody archetypal neatly designed and highly functional dials.

Miles To Go Before They Sleep

The Alpina roster of brand ambassadors spans across the board to include 11 ambassadors and three partnerships; the most recent addition being Red Bull Air Race pilot Michael Goulian. Aviation has been a part of Alpina’s DNA for almost a century and the watchmaker has played the role of a supplier of time instruments for military pilots and air forces since 1921. Alpina has had successful collaborations as the official timekeeper of the annual Sun ’n Fun Fly-In and Expo and as a sponsor of the Matterhorn Ultraks 46K and Official Watch of the 2016 Skyrunner World Series.

Built on an unflinching foundation, the Swiss watchmaker has managed to grow from strength to strength and made innovation an essential axiom towards attaining the most exacting horological standards. More recently, the watchmaking brand wowed the world by delving into the engineering of horological sports smartwatches for men and women. The inspiring story of Alpina watches bursts with fervour and poignancy. Flaunting a never-say-die spirit and valiance, Alpina is here to stay.

Alpina watches are available in India exclusively through Ethos; discover the entire Alpina collection here