Alpina Watches Review: What to Expect and Are They Good?

Alpina watches might not be a familiar brand for everyone unless you are a seasoned watch enthusiast. Regardless, Alpina is a renowned French watch brand and is famous for its sports watch collection. As you are here, we believe you are looking for more information about Alpina watches review. Therefore, we would share our thoughts on whether Alpina watches are worth your money. 

The first question that pops up in your mind might be “Are Alpina watches good?”. Well, yes! Their reputable and outstanding history says it all. Alpina has been around since 1883 as a Swiss brand. Throughout that journey, the brand made several significant impacts in the watchmaking industry. 

Swiss watchmaking with a long history, you definitely can expect more from this brand to create a range of impressive timepieces. If you are eager to know more about the Alpina watch brands and their line-up, we’ll cover the information in the following sections.

A Brief about Alpina Watch Company

Alpina watch company has an interesting journey to talk about. Let’s start with, “who owns Alpina watches?” The company started its journey in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser and was located in Geneva, Switzerland. However, the company is owned by Peter Stas and merged together as part of the Frederique Constant Group.

At first, Alpina was only a watch manufacturer that later optimized the production and ended up developing its own calibers. The company managed to assemble four movements since 2002, they are Small Date, Regulator, Tourbillon, and World Timer. 

There are several significant impacts made by Alpina throughout its journey until the present day. Some of them are Flieger-style timepieces for pilots designed with a big crown and long leather strap. The release of Alpina 4 in 1938 also made a huge turn in horology.

It was considered the first sports watch equipped with four compelling characteristics which are anti-magnet, anti-shock, water resistance, and a robust stainless steel case. Even since the release of this model, Alpina began to grow its global popularity. 

The story continued with some popular releases, such as Alpina Seastrong Diver and the latest modern line-up that we can enjoy in the present day.

Read more: Explore the Beauty of Alpina Automatic Watches Collection

Are Alpina Watches Any Good?

Despite its long and outstanding journey, you might still question, “are Alpina watches good?” Our answer is yes. However, it’s best to give the answer by looking at some pros and cons of Alpina watches as listed below.

Pros of Alpina Watches Review

• Alpina is part of Swiss Watchmaking which you can rely on in terms of reliability and durability. The brand also makes its own caliber fully in-house. Moreover, the price range of Alpina watches is something that you would love about this Swiss brand.
• Alpina watches come at affordable prices which is one of the attractive features of the brand. The watches are mostly sold for under $2000. 
• As a brand with a long history, Alpina respects its rich heritage by carrying them in modern collections. Therefore, most of the watches still have traditional styling. 

Cons of Alpina Watches Review

• As we’ve mentioned before, not everyone knows about the Alpina brand unless they’ve been around in the world of horology. 

That makes Alpina has less brand recognition while some people might want to have prestige from the brand of a timepiece they are wearing.

• Alpina does make a compelling watch design but most watches have large sizes measuring between 42 to 44mm. That might be a big no for people with small wrists.

Alpina Watches Review (Popular Line-up)

Established in 1883 allows Alpina to introduce several popular collections that can still be enjoyed today. Below, we’re going to have a look at some Alpina watches review on its popular line-up.

Alpina Alpiner

The Alpiner line is a collection designed for outdoor adventurers with reliable performance and quality. As such, the watches exhibit rugged construction designed to stand extreme conditions whilst remaining reliable and comfortable. The collection is the real resemblance of the brand that set the standard of modern and luxury sports watches, and is presented in Alpina 4.

The most popular model in this line-up is definitely the Alpina 4 which is the predecessor. As mentioned before, it features four impressive traits, anti-magnet, anti-shock, water resistance, and a robust stainless steel case. This collection ranges from $800 to $2,000.

Read more: 9 Best Outdoor Watches for the Bold and Adventurous Soul

Alpina Startimer

The Startimer lineup is a collection consisting of aviation watches. Alpina’s journey in making pilot watches started in the 1920s with the aim to help pilots navigate their travel during that period. Ever since then, the brand is also synonymous with pilot watches that stay faithful until the present day.

The watches carry the rich heritage of the past that displays neat and legible dial along with oversized crowns and dimensions. These traits are indeed common for watches made for a pilot for a better wearing experience. The Startimer collection ranges from $600 to $1,500. 

For this line-up, you might want to take a look at Startimer Pilot Automatic 44mm Shadow Line and Startimer Pilot Automatic White. Both watches come at a reasonably large size at 44mm diameter and have big crowns. They also offer optimal legibility with big markers, clean dials, and well-applied SuperLuminova for the dark environment. 

Alpina Seastrong

From the land to the sky, now we go to the ocean edition. The Alpina Seastrong lineup is a dive watch collection inspired by the 60s and 70s models. The watches exhibit reliable features for water sports lover that stays faithful to Maison’s legacy. 

The Seastrong collection has become one of the brand’s proud editions established over the last century. To further elevate the reliability, the watch can resist water for up to 300m. Our recommendation for the Seastrong collection is the Seastrong Diver Heritage Bronze Creme.

The Diver Heritage Bronze comes in a vintage package with a bronze theme. It draws inspiration from the first Alpina Compressor from the 60s. Powering the watch is the modern AL-525 automatic caliber for a reliable, robust, and accurate movement. 

Alpina Comtesse

The last lineup from Alpina is the Contesse line consists of watches with delicate designs and small sizes. Alpina collections are mostly for men’s watches but this one is like a special corner for women and those with smaller wrist sizes. Not only that the watches feature small cases but also more delicate elements.

The overall design still radiates a sporty look but is enhanced with an elegant side to present the ladies’ look. Well, the fact is that Alpina was the leader of women’s watches in the 1920s. The watches in this lineup range from $800 to $1100.

Final Thought

In the end, have you already had your answer? Are Alpina watches good? The answer depends on your preference and how you want your watch to be. In short, Alpina is a good choice, especially if you look for a Swiss brand with a sporty design and affordable price. 

However, Alpina might not be the best fit for those with the smaller wrist as most of the collections have large sizes. But it would always be a great choice if size doesn’t bother you so much. There are many values to look at Alpina as a watch brand that carries its long history. 

You might also like: Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 Black: A Legit Diving Buddy