Alpina, founded in 1883 and acquired in 2002 by the Citizen Group, finally arrives in Italy with its incredible heritage.
The arrival of a new brand on the market is always good news, but in the case of Alpina Italian enthusiasts will have more than one reason to rejoice. In addition to bringing a touch of novelty, Alpina will position itself in the mid-range, with models offering excellent value for money. Ever since the relaunch in 2002 there has been great curiosity for a brand that seemed concrete and fascinating, but not available in our country. As of September, Alpina is also distributed in Italy by a network of dealers in major cities, as well as on the e-commerce of the official website. The price range will be between 1,000 and 3,000 euros, filling the space left vacant by the many (too many?) names that have raised their prices and intercepting the tastes of a large segment of the public, which is being displaced by the increases.
Actually, it is not a debut, but a return, as Alpina was present in Italy for most of the 20th century, until the quartz crisis of the 1970s. In 2002, the brand was acquired by the Citizen group, starting again from the pillars of its corporate philosophy: quality at the right price, robustness and reliabilitywithout ever forgetting its prestigious past.
Alpina's four collections: Alpiner, Startimer, Seastrong and Heritage
History is the main inspiration for Alpina, which remains true to its philosophy of uncompromising robustness.
The catalogue is divided into four collections: Alpiner, Startimer, Seastrong and Heritage. The Alpiner family appears the most varied, with two automatic chronographs (from €2,995), some solotempo (also for women) and the Regulator, a tribute to the first model launched in 2002, after it was sold to Citizen.
The Startimer collection is dedicated to pilot's watches, which Alpina began producing in the 1920s according to the specifications required by the British R.A.F.. The Seastrong family is based on the Extreme case, composed of four elements and resistant to a pressure of 30 atmospheres. Finally, the Heritage collection brings together re-editions of models from the pastsuch as the Seastrong Diver 300 Heritage, an updated version of the Alpina 10, with a 1950s Supercompressor case, or the Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years, with a rectangular case. Approximately the 30% of the references adopts a quartz movement, while the 70% mounts Swiss Made automatic calibres on a Sellita base.
Alpina and extreme sports
Alpina's sports ambassadors.
Meanwhile, ongoing partnerships - and those to come - say a lot about the path Alpina has taken since its relaunch: participation in extreme sports events, such as the Arkea Ultim Challenge regatta (a solo round-the-world race for catamarans equipped with foil technology), or the Freeride World Tour (which groups the world's strongest off-piste skiers and snowboarders) or the French Ski Federation.
Ambassadors include no models or actors, only surfing, skiing, sailing and skateboarding champions. "Extreme sports are our natural habitat because of the quest for robustness and reliability, has always been in our DNA and we will soon have an Italian ambassador,' explains brand manager Oliver van Lanschot Hubrecht.
