Alpiner4 Automatic: Back to its Alpine roots

Uncanny coincidences happen. Take the prevalence of the number 4 at Alpina, for example. One of the brand’s core models is the Alpiner4, which has 4 indications on its dial. And established the 4 fundamentals for sports watches. The Alpiner4 Automatic range now comprises 4 different 44 mm models with this revival being 4 years in the waiting. Emblematic of Alpina, the Alpiner4 has also become the oldest sports watch. When its designer Gottlieb Hauser laid down the foundations in 1938, no one suspected that his vision would lead to almost a century of Swiss watchmaking devoted to sport!

Simply put, he identified a must-have that still seems unsurpassable today; a sports watch that had to be anti-magnetic, shock-resistant, water-resistant and rust-resistant. Before even thinking about precision or finish, Gottlieb Hauser established a set of technical prerequisites that no so-called "sports" watch should be able to avoid. Even now, his vision influences the making of contemporary sports watches. With its four guiding principles, this is what brought the Alpiner4 Automatic to life.

 

Alpina is now adding two new variations to the existing line. Both incorporate the clean aesthetic of the original designs, allowing 4 pieces of essential time measurement information to be displayed: hours, minutes, seconds and date. The two new dials are totally exclusive. They have been adorned for the first time with horizontal lines and enhanced by a sunray-brushed finish to diffuse the light over their entire surface. With this latest aesthetic development, Alpina continues in its quest to achieve perfect readability, creating a pattern that ideally diffuses the light. Whether recessed or raised, every surface catches it differently and guides it towards the hour markers, crown and date. Helping to open-up the dial and make it easier to read, this technique adds a third dimension to a dial that was until now a flat surface. The two new variations share the same 44 mm diameter, luminescent applied hour markers and luminescent hour and minutes hands. The seconds hand ends with a red triangle shaped counterbalance, symbolising the Alpine peaks where Alpina comes from.

As for the movement, each piece is powered by the same AL-525 automatic calibre, perfectly protected within its stainless steel case, which ensures the new Alpiner4 Automatic is resistant to a magnetic field of 4,800 A/m (Ampere/metre). This shield provides total resistance to everyday harm from magnetic fields; as one of the objects most frequently kept near a watch, a mobile phone produces only 2 A/m, for example.

This same 44 mm case has also been designed to absorb the most violent of shocks, like suddenly dropping the watch on a hard surface from a height of one metre.

Bold and contemporary, the first version can be identified by its forest green dial and flange. Mounted on a versatile stainless steel strap, collectors are sure to approve of the alternating brushed and polished finishes on each of its three links. The second variation draws on the vintage quality of the brand, which was founded in 1883. It features a grey dial reminiscent of the rocky Alps, where Gottlieb Hauser and his rope partners laid the foundations for the modern sports watch. As at that time, it features a leather strap with off-white.