New Alpina Alpiner Quartz Watches

By: Andrew Gatto

To many, Baselworld 2019 was underwhelming for a number of reasons including fewer brands present, leaked photos of new models before they were announced and not very many affordable new releases. However, one brand stood out with a new affordable sports watch that may be a worthy addition to many people’s collections. Alpina, the Swiss manufacturer owned by Citizen, released four new Alpiner Quartz watches that belong to their growing Alpiner Collection.

The Alpiner Collection is inspired by Alpina watches from the 1950s which had clean case shapes, easy to read dials, reliable movements and Swiss finishing the world has come to expect. Like all of their sports models, the new Alpiner Quartz watches were developed and manufactured around the “Concept of 4”; anti-magnetic, anti-shock, water-resistant and stainless steel construction. These four important characteristics have defined Alpina sport watches since 1938 and can be found in all of their models today.

The new Alpina Alpiner Quartz watches feature a 42mm stainless steel case with your choice of a blue sunray, silver sunray or black sunray finished dial. All dial colors are available on a three-link stainless steel bracelet and the blue sunray dial is also available on a light brown leather strap.

All dial versions feature hand-applied luminescent hour indices, a 6 o’clock date window with white date wheel and luminescent hour and minute hands. The second hand is tastefully adorned with Alpina’s signature triangle as its counterweight. Along the outside of the dial, a chapter ring displays the minute track in white for the blue and black dials and in black for the silver dial.

All dial versions appear to be highly legible with a reasonable amount of lume for use in dark environments with ease. To aid in quick time telling, the minute and second hands extend all the way to the chapter ring’s markers to ensure an accurate reading of the time.

Ticking away inside is the Alpina AL-240 quartz movement, which is likely manufactured by Citizen. The AL-240 is a basic 1 jewel, three hand movement with a date and a 45-month battery life. The time and date settings are accessed by using the signed crown located at the 3 o’clock position. The raised signature Alpina triangle can be found again on the crown, done in a subtle matte finish against the polished crown.

Alpina Alpiner Specs:

• 42mm in diameter
• 100m Water Resistance
• Sapphire Crystal
• Super-LumiNova
• AL-240 Quartz Movement

Being a quartz watch, Alpina was able to make these new Alpiners a comfortable 9.4mm thick (or thin depending on how you look at it). At this thickness, they should easily slip under a shirt cuff and not feel too top heavy on the wrist. To increase durability and to reduce the chances of scratching, they opted to fit these new models with sapphire instead of the more common mineral crystal glass. Sapphire crystals are commonly found on watches costing hundreds of dollars more so I applaud Alpina for being able to offer it at this price point.

Like any good everyday sports watch, the new Alpiner Quartz is rated to 10 ATM or 100 meters of water resistance. This is plenty of water resistance for washing your hands, wearing in the rain, swimming in a pool and even shallow snorkeling/diving without fear of water intrusion.

Alpina may not have received much fanfare from this year’s Baselworld but their new Alpiner Quartz watches are a great option for watch shoppers looking for a no-nonsense sports watch that won’t break the bank. With their inoffensive looks and beautiful dial options, I am hoping Alpina continues expanding this line with smaller case options for us to choose from.

Alpina Apliner Quartz Watch Dial Options

• AL-240NS4E6: Blue sunray dial, brown leather strap. MSRP $795 USD
• AL-240NS4E6B: Blue sunray dial, stainless steel bracelet. MSRP $895 USD
• AL-240SS4E6B: Silver sunray dial, stainless steel bracelet. MSRP $895 USD
• AL-240GS4E6B: Black sunray dial, stainless steel bracelet. MSRP $895 USD

Photo Credit/More Info: Alpina Watches