Alpina’a venerable Alpiner collection has no shortage of eye-catching dial textures, complications, and even experimental pizzazz. But perhaps what it was missing was a model that exemplified both the 1933 origins of the line and its future as an iconic Swiss sport watch.
Enter the new Alpiner Extreme Automatic, sporting a dial color that makes so much sense, it’s a little baffling that Alpina hasn’t tapped into it before. The glacier blue hue of the face immediately conjures images of icy slopes, and the repeating Alpine summit triangle motif that texturizes the dial and brings the design straight to the Alps.
The Alpiner Extreme Automatic also hangs onto distinctive design features that make it instantly recognizable: the rounded square cushion case, measuring at 39 x 40.5mm, in chilly steel. A vertical brushed satin finish on the bezel (matching that of the three links on the bracelet) contrasts the mirror-polished case, and the triangle motif can be found again on the six exposed screws that circle the bezel.
A screw-down crown with a rubber ring of glacier blue both assures the Alpiner’s 200m water resistance, and brings a unified sense of color and form to the fringes of the design. A slightly-lighter blue outer minute track with white markers runs around the perimeter of the dial, adding some dimension to the face of the watch, while applied silver, luminous indexes mark the hours. A date window at 3 o’clock, hand-polished silver and luminous hour and minute hands, and a polished silver second hand with a red triangle counterweight round out the iconic Alpiner look. All of this is topped off by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and secured to the wrist via an integrated brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet, with a folding push-button buckle. Powering the new Alpiner is an AL-525 automatic movement that promises a 38-hour power reserve—easily visible through the engraved and see-through case-back.
Alpina’s reputation for crafting heavy-duty sports watches with a touch of style is thoroughly upheld and built upon with the new Alpiner. The glacier blue and silver color scheme brings the model to thematic cohesion, which should elevate it above its peers in the Alpiner lineup and in the sports watch market at large.
The Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic is slated for release in May 2025, with a retail price of $2,195. Alpina
