Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic – The Aviation Icon is Back

Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic:  the Aviation Icon is BackAlpina has been dedicated to pilots for over 50 years. As an official supplier to various air forces, it has specialized in meeting the requirements of pilots at work by delivering steadfast resistance, unfailing precision, and perfect readability. For fans of air travel comes the new, limited edition Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic with a new design and a new case, in addition to its famous hunter case-back. A rare piece for collectors of great pilot watches.

Flashback

The Startimer Pilot Heritage is well-known among collectors. In 2015, Alpina paid glorious tribute to the heroes of aviation with its cult favorite manual winding 50 mm Startimer Pilot Heritage watch, limited to 1,883 pieces. It came complete with a hunter case-back, an historic hinged case back that opened with a click to reveal the Swiss Made mechanics of the calibre inside.

A tribute to the 21st century      

Building on this wonderful momentum, Alpina is excited to unveil the Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic in an ultra-resistant 44 mm steel case. Limited to 1,883 pieces, Alpina is returning to the origins of large diameter pilot watches. Presented against matte black, the hours and minutes stretch out in luminescent beige, carefully chosen to replicate the shade that was used on vintage dials. Large hand-polished steel hands in the same luminescent shade hover over a 24-hour counter designed with long-haul flights in mind.

The devil is in the detail

Collectors are bound to appreciate the vintage touches that reveal just how much care Alpina took in drawing on vintage watches. Firstly, the “Alpina” logo features the original font used by the Geneva-based brand founded in 1883. Then, there is the legendary Alpina triangle, symbolic of the Swiss peaks. Located at 12 o’clock, it helps differentiate between “II” and “I”, 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock respectively, during flights. The watch is also distinguished by the red counterbalance on the large seconds hand, hovering over the date display at 3 o’clock.

As for the case, the hunter case-back makes its big return. Decorated with a delicate perlage pattern, it reveals the sapphire crystal through which the Swiss Made AL-525 movement can be seen, a high frequency calibre oscillating at 28,800 beats per hour.

The brand has also revived the grooved design for the crown at 3 o’clock, making it easier to grip, even when wearing gloves. Finally, the brown calfskin strap is embellished with topstitching in the same vintage beige as the hands. As the watch develops a patina over the years, each piece takes on a life unique to its owner.

Aviation and the parks

 

With this launch, Alpina is excited to continue its support of the National Park Foundation as an official partner and celebrate the long history of Aviation in the parks. For every Startimer Pilot Automatic 40mm purchased through the US website, Alpina will donate $100 to the parks.

ABOUT ALPINA

SWISS MANUFACTURER OF ALPINE SPORTS WATCHES SINCE 1883

Founded in 1883 and famous for its iconic red triangle, Alpina is a Swiss watch manufacturer based in Geneva. The brand set out to design luxury sports watches offering exceptional accuracy and reliability in the most challenging sporting environments, like the Alps.

A true pioneer of the watchmaking industry, Alpina has been the source of numerous patents and innovative calibres over the past 137 years. At the beginning of the 20th century, Alpina became the official supplier of watches to military pilots, before revolutionising the concept of sports watches in 1938 with the legendary Alpina 4.

True to its long tradition of innovation, Alpina launched the first Swiss Horological Smartwatch in 2015, setting the stage for a new segment in the luxury Swiss sports watch industry. In 2020, the brand introduced the AlpinerX Alive, a new generation of connected watches equipped with a heart rate monitor and GPS, among many other features. Also committed to protecting the planet, Alpina created the Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range using recycled plastic from the oceans.

Inspired by the Alps from the very beginning, Alpina has always been heavily involved in outdoor activities and mountain sports. The brand has built strong partnerships demonstrating its commitment to this world, as well as a team of ‘Alpinists’, including athletes and friends of the brand working in the most challenging environments.

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