Borrowed Time: Reviewing the Alpina Alpiner Regulator Automatic
Alpina was founded in 1883 and revived as the rugged, sporty sister brand of Frederique Constant in 2002 by the latter’s founders. One of the models that put the contemporary Alpina brand on the map was the skiing-themed Avalanche Regulator, which debuted in 2005 and married an unusual, semi-cushion-shaped steel case with a rare-for-its-time regulator-style dial. In 2020, Alpina introduced the successor to that model, which had been largely dormant since 2006, with a more streamlined, round-cased timepiece, the Alpiner Regulator Automatic. I had an opportunity to wear the watch for several weeks, including during some “Alpine” weather conditions in Northern New York’s Adirondack region.
The Alpiner Reulator Automatic is Alpina’s first new regulator-style watch since 2006.
At 45 mm in diameter the watch’s steel case occupies some substantial real estate on the wrist. Its bezel is relatively thin, all the better to frame the expansive, eminently legible dial. The bezel?s subtly curved surface has a brushed sheen; a flat sapphire crystal rises almost imperceptibly above it, contributing to the case?s relatively slender profile. The similarly brushed lugs with polished facets taper sharply toward their ends that connect with the warm brown leather strap. The caseback is solid, with a relief engraved Alpina logo and a mountain motif occupying the center circle; fortunately these engraved forms barely register on the wrist when the watch ...
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