Creating sports watches for over 140 years, Alpina has been criminally underrated for a number of years now. Their collections encompass Air, Sea and Land themes, built on the principles of impact resistance, non-magnetic, water resistant and a solid construction out of stainless steel. 2023 sees the brand honouring its 1930s heritage with the release of the Alpiner Heritage Caree Automatic 140 Years, a watch that draws on models from their archives, enriching their collections through a tangible connection to their heritage.
This new series of watches not only draws inspiration from a 1938 reference, it also draws inspiration from a tribute made to this model. June 2023 saw the release of just 14 pieces of this re-creation, each housing an authentic period movement – the Calibre 490, housed in silver. Carrying on the spirit of Art Deco, the new Alpiner Heritage Caree Automatic 140 years evolves this aesthetic, keeping its design rooted in the past, but updating the functionality and wearability for today’s taste.
Taking this inspiration from the 1938 model, and the recently created tribute, the Alpiner Heritage Caree presents in an Art Deco style with a sector dial that was commonly seen in dial design in this era. Its rectangular stainless steel case measures in at 32.5mm in width, and 39mm in length, with a thickness of only 9.71mm, giving it elegant proportions.
Two dial variants are available, a black dial with gilt-look Arabic numerals, a circular sub-seconds track, and beige hands, as well as a two-toned silver dial variant, with black Arabic numerals featuring a serif font, and a more Art-Deco style square sub-seconds track.
Both are powered by what Alpina calls the AL-530 calibre (a Sellita base movement) that is visible through a see-through case-back, with 38 hours of power reserve, and automatic winding, running at 4Hz. Both watches are delivered on a tan ostrich strap with white stitching, and is fastened by a pin buckle.
Taking inspiration from the past and the present, the new Alpina Alpiner Heritage Caree Automatic 140 Years is a natural evolution of a model that connects Alpina to its history, with two models faithfully harkening back to the days of Art-Deco. With these two models, the echoes of the Roaring Twenties come full swing, with elegance in form and function being the key elements of this watch. With these models, Alpina defines itself as not just a sports watch maker, and successfully draws upon its heritage to show that it is capable of diverse creations, and is worthy of the attention of any watch enthusiast.
Technical Specifications
References: AL-530BA3C6 (Black), AL-530SAC3C6 (Silver)
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Small Seconds
Movement: AL-530 Caliber, Automatic, 38 Hour Power Reserve, 28,800 alt/h, 31 Jewels
Case: Polished stainless steel 2-part case, Dimensions of 32.50×39 mm, Height of 9,71 mm, Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, Water-resistant up to 3 ATM/30m/100ft Engraved and see-through screwed case-back
Dial (Black): Black dial with matt finishing, Beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation, Beige hour and minute hands, Small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand.
Dial (Silver): Silver dial with matt finishing, Black printed Arabic numerals and black graduation, Black hour and minute hands, Small second counter at 6 o’clock with black hand Strap: Light brown Ostrich leather strap with off-white stitching, Pin buckle