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Alpina watches are characterised by their Swiss watchmaking art, which impresses with high quality and performance. There are 12 different calibres of Alpina watches, all of which are developed and manufactured in-house. High quality material, many functions and great design complete the quality requirements. These watches are designed for athletes, divers, pilots and also for everyday use, so that you always have a faithful companion.
With our Alpina watch test 2021 we want to help you find the right watch for your needs. We have divided the Alpina watches into collections for you. The collections are divided into Alpiner, Startime, Seastrong and Horological Smartwatch. We have compared and contrasted these collections for you and show you the advantages and disadvantages of each collection. We have also listed some tips and tricks to help you make your decision.
Contents
- 1 Weekly newsletter with the best personal finance tips
- 2 Summary
- 3 The Best Alpina Watch: Our Picks
- 4 Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying an Alpina watch
- 5 Decision: What types of Alpina watches are there and which is the right one for you?
- 5.1 What is Alpiner and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
- 5.2 What are Startimers and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
- 5.3 What is Seastrong and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
- 5.4 What are Horological Smartwatch and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
- 6 Buying criteria: You can compare and rate Alpina watches based on these factors
- 7 Facts worth knowing about watches from Alpina
Summary
- Alpina has been around for over 130 years and marks an old Swiss watchmaking tradition that keeps its finger on the pulse.
- Alpina offers 4 collections that differ in 12 different calibres with different functions, different design and price range.
- Watches from Alpina are intended for pilots, divers, sports enthusiasts, innovators and people who appreciate quality and performance.
The Best Alpina Watch: Our Picks
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying an Alpina watch
What distinguishes an Alpina watch from other manufacturers?
Alpina evolved from being manufactured in-house by skilled watchmakers to the brand they embody today. Alpina watches are a product that stands out for its quality, tradition and timeliness, thanks to many years of experience and constant development.
Through cooperation with other companies, Alpina offers high-quality watches at an attractive price. Furthermore, you can also purchase traditional classics from Alpina watches.
Alpina tests the watches after each manufacturing step to ensure the quality.
Before you buy or receive your watch, it has been tested several times, even personally by the employees by hand.
In which price range are watches from Alpina
The different calibres and the different collections differ in their functions, design and price. Basically, Alpina watches cost between 500€ and 4,000€.
| collection | price range |
|---|---|
| Startime | 500€ to 2,900€ |
| Alpiner | 700€ to 4,000€ |
| Seastrong | 600€ to 1,600€ |
| Horological Smartwatch | 600€ to 1,000€ |
What are the alternatives to Alpina watches?
Similar to Alpina watches are for example Omega watches. Omega watches are similar in price to Alpina watches. In terms of design, Omega watches tend to be simpler and more elegant.
(Image source: unsplash.com/ Aron Visuals).
Decision: What types of Alpina watches are there and which is the right one for you?
In the following, we have compared the collections of Alpina watches and listed their advantages and disadvantages to make your purchase decision easier.
In summary, these are the following collections:
- Alpina
- Startime
- Seastrong
- Horological Smartwatch
What is Alpiner and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
Alpiner watches are divided into the Alpiner 4 and the Alpiner Quartz. The Alpiner Quartz watches are a lot cheaper than the Alpiner 4, but the Alpiner 4 watches are among the oldest and most traditional models that have been developed from the beginning.
What are Startimers and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
Startimers are the so-called pilot watches. We distinguish between the Pilot Heritage, Pilot Automatic, Pilot Chronograph and Pilot Quartz.
What is Seastrong and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
The Startimer watches are specially designed for divers and diving enthusiasts. The big difference to the other watches is that you can dive up to 300 metres with this watch.
What are Horological Smartwatch and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these watches?
Alpina smartwatches are divided into Ladies, Comtess and Seastrong, which are equipped with numerous functions.
Buying criteria: You can compare and rate Alpina watches based on these factors
Functions
In the following table, we have listed the different models with their most important functions and price to give you a good overview:
| Collection | Model | Most important function | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpiner | Alpiner 4 | Flyback Chronograph | 1.200€ to 4.000€ |
| Alpiner | Alpiner Quartz | Luminova Indexes | 600€ to 800€ |
| Startime | Pilot Heritage | GMT | 1300€ to 2.900€ |
| Startime | Pilot Automatic | E-Strap | 900€ to 1.300€ |
| Startime | Pilot Chronograph | Mechanical Chronograph | 900€ to 2.000€ |
| Startime | Pilot Quartz | Very Simple | 500€ to 600€ |
| Seastrong | Diver Heritage | Diving Ring | 1.500€ |
| Seastrong | Diver 300 | Extra Rubber Strap | 1.000€ to 1.300€ |
| Seastrong | Diver GMT | Luminous Indexes | 700€ to 800€ |
| Seastrong | Diver Horological Smartwatch | Many Functions via App | 600€ |
There is also the Horological Smartwatch collection, which is characterised by its various functions via smartphone. These include various sleep functions, the 24 time zone function and the cloud back-up.
Alpina's latest collection is the AlpinerX. These watches cost 900€ and are characterised by functions for athletes. Above all, the heart rate monitoring function is included in all AlpinerX.
Calibre
Alpina watches are divided into 12 calibres. These calibres differ in terms of their functions, price and design. In 2002, Alpina launched 5 new calibres, which they developed and manufactured themselves.
Calibres:
- AL-760 Flyback Chronograph Manufacture - This calibre consists of 233 components and is ideal for sporting activities.
- AL-980 Tourbillon Manufacture - This calibre is characterised by extreme accuracy and a very low weight.
- AL-718 Worldtimer Manufacture - This calibre is designed for pilots. With 24 time zones and a day/night display, pilots are well equipped.
- AL-950 Regulator Automatic - This calibre is the first to be specially developed after the comeback.
- AL-710 Automatic Manufacture - This reliable and precise calibre has a central second hand.
- AL-880 Regatta Countown - In this calibre, a mechanical module was developed that can be used especially for a countdown. Furthermore, you can stop and restart the countdown with this calibre.
- AL-860 Automatic Chronograph - This chronograph calibre has been designed with a bi-compax counter configuration for maximum legibility.
- AL-725 Automatic Chronograph - Here, the second hand has been removed to create a vertical and easy-to-read automatic chronograph.
- AL-435 Small Seconds Hand-Winding - This calibre shows you hours, minutes and seconds at 6 o'clock. It also manages to create a special connection because you have to wind your calibre yourself.
- AL-525 Automatic - This calibre has been developed especially for extreme use and difficult conditions, such as extreme diving.
- AL-535 Small Second Automatic - This calibre has a small second hand at the 6 o'clock position.
- AL-650 Regulator Hand Winding - This calibre was originally intended for pocket watches. In order to offer the calibre to everyone, a customer-friendly series was made of it.
(Image source: unsplash.com / nne Nygård).
Size and weight
The different collections hardly differ in size. . Alpina watches are medium in size and average between 100g and 400g. Furthermore, Alpina watches are round in shape.
Material
Alpina watches are available in full stainless steel or stainless steel mixed with a leather strap. All watches have a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal to ensure quality. The sapphire crystal keeps your watch looking beautiful and like new.
Facts worth knowing about watches from Alpina
In this section you will learn some background information about Alpina. Dive into the world of Alpina watches and become an "Alpinist", that is the mission of the Alpina company.
How long has Alpina been producing watches?
Alpina has been around for over 130 years and was founded in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser. In the beginning they produced parts of watches and organised the manufacturing. By 1920, Alpina already had more than 2,000 shops worldwide.
The tradition and experience has paid off. Alpina now has manufactories in 73 countries worldwide where they produce and sell their watches.
How popular are watches from Alpina?
Alpina watches do well in product tests. The average rating for Alpina watches is a 2.
However, if you have ever had an Alpina watch, you know for sure that quality and function are a big plus and that you can rely on it.
Where are Alpina watches made?
Basically, Alpina is a Swiss company and the headquarters are in Geneva. Over the past 30 years, other companies have joined and in 2016, the company was bought by the Japanese company Citizen.
Alpina still tries to bring innovative products to the market and this goal is always achieved in the production in Geneva.
What other products does Alpina offer?
In addition to the various calibres in the different collections, Alpina also offers watch straps and additional measuring devices for athletes.
In addition to the various Alpina products, there is also Alpina TV and News. Alpina TV is a YouTube channel where Alpina provides videos about their watches and other products, as well as about the company.
Image source: Alpina Watches/ flickr.com
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