Introducing: The Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic 140 Years
Alpina released the very limited Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years to great applause earlier this summer. The watch community seemed to agree that the concept and the design were spot on. Unfortunately, since the watch was built around rare calibers from 1938, the model was limited to just 28 pieces. Chances are you either missed out or felt the €5K price tag was a little too much for an impulse purchase. Well, either way, you get a second chance today!
The regular-production models introduced here have already been on sale at certain online retailers, as some sharp-eyed Fratelli have noticed. This has caused some confusion since they were not formally announced yet. So you may have already spotted these elsewhere, but now we can finally share the official announcement.
The hand-wound Alpiner Heritage Carrée with a movement from 1938
Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical
To provide some context, let’s have a quick look back at June’s release. Alpina announced the Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical to celebrate the brand’s 140th anniversary. The rectangular watch came in two versions — black and silver. Both had a distinct vintage appeal, which was emphasized by the use of the brand’s old logo.
The biggest news came in the form of the movements inside. Alpina used its caliber 490, dating back to 1938, and housed it in these new watches. Since so few of these calibers were still available, the resulting watches were, well, limited in numbers. Only 14 units in each color were produced.
As mentioned above, the watches were met with great excitement from the community. So if Alpina did not already have a regular-production version in the works, I am sure the powers that be would have considered one then. With these landing so shortly after, however, this was clearly a coordinated effort all along.
The new non-limited automatic version
Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic
So here we have the non-limited versions of the Alpiner Heritage Carrée. At first glance, you might very well mistake them for their 28 spiritual predecessors. But if you look closely, you will find plenty of small and not-so-small changes.
For starters, these are made of stainless steel rather than silver. Although silver is in perfect keeping with the era that inspired these pieces, steel is the superior material for wristwatches. For a more cost-effective and durable production model, steel makes a ton of sense. Second, these house automatic AL-530 calibers instead of vintage handwinders.
But there are more subtle differences too. For instance, the overall size of the case grew from 29.5mm × 35.7mm × 9.71mm to 32.5mm × 39mm × 9.71mm. That means the width-to-length ratio has been maintained, just scaled up. The keen observer will also spot differences on the dials. The minute tracks and typography are a little different. So is the placement of the sub-dial, a result of the different movement architecture.
The specs
Inside the new, slightly larger exterior ticks Alpina’s AL-530 caliber. This is an adapted version of the Sellita SW200 with small seconds and no date. That means you get a 28,800vph beat rate and a 38-hour power reserve.
The beautifully sculpted case is made of just two parts, with one being a steel and sapphire case back. The domed front crystal is also made of sapphire for optimal scratch resistance. As you might expect from a vintage-looking dress-style watch like this, the case has a water resistance rating of 3 ATM.
The silver version comes with a two-tone silver dial, and the hands and printing are executed in black. For this model, the sub-dial is rectangular. The black version comes with beige printing and hands. For that one, the sub-dial is executed in a circular format.
The earlier hand-wound limited editions
Initial impressions
I was among those excited to see the original Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical. I love how consistently Alpina executed the vintage design language without resorting to faux aging. If you follow my articles, you know me to be a typography nerd, and I was happy to see it done right. In my eyes, those beautiful calibers completed the package superbly.
To see regular-production models now makes perfect sense. The upsizing was probably required to house the round calibers, and that is okay with me. I appreciate how Alpina maintained the overall aesthetic with some minor tweaks. All in all, I think the logic behind this release is solid. The steel case and the caliber are smart simplifications, while the beauty of the originals is maintained through the intricate cases, well-executed dials, and matching ostrich straps.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to try these on!
Pricing of the new Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carrée Automatic
The original Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical was priced at €4,995, making it rather costly for an Alpina watch. Luckily, the simplifications here have led to a much more stomachable RRP of €1,450. The price is the same whether you pick the black AL-530BA3C6 or the silver AL-530SAC3C6.
What do you think of the new Alpiner Heritage Carrée models? Let us know in the comments below!
