The Brand
From the very beginning, as far back as 1883, Alpina has been associated with horological innovation. Whether it was our innovative way of creating an excellent working environment, or through the introduction of new quality control criteria before anyone else, Alpina has always sought ways to improve how things are done.
Alpina History
He was convinced that Alpina would grow to become supremely successful worldwide for the quality, durability, precision and design of his watches. He wanted to provide sportsmen, engineers, technicians and adventurers with the ideal watch. Hauser turned his vision into reality with the introduction of the “Alpina 4” concept in 1938.
In that year, Hauser revolutionized the sports watch by imposing the four essential principles for any watch that wanted to be considered a true “sport watch.” He insisted that a sports watch had to have each of the following four characteristics:
140 years of watchmaking history
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The Timekeeper of choice for Alpinists
Through strict adherence to these principles and properties, the legendary “Alpina 4” watches became the timekeeper of choice for Alpinists, air force pilots, divers, the navy and the military.
In all domains where absolute reliability was critical to accomplish a mission, an “Alpina 4” became the mainstay of reliable timekeeping.
The ongoing adherence to the truly innovative “Alpina 4” manufacturing requirements saw the company achieve unparalleled success until the 1970s, when the so-called “Quartz Crisis” made a heavily negative impact on Swiss mechanical watchmakers.
In the 1920s, Alpina was already being sold in over 2,000 outlets worldwide, an exceptional figure for those days. It is no exaggeration to say that Alpina was one of the first leading manufacturers of Swiss watches.
Today, the ideals and innovation upon which Alpina was founded are still alive in our Geneva manufacture, where we make professional sport watches to the most exacting horological standards.