Alpina: Alpiner Extreme Regulator
*note: I started this post 12/22 just finishing today 1/3
I'll make a post later about my full adventure yesterday at Feldmar's, this post is about the result 🙂 .
So this watch ticked off 3 items on my current wishlist:
Alpina
Regulator
Small Seconds
I have been enamored for some time by this brand and as soon as I saw the regulator in-person I was all in. Alpina uses a triangle as part of its logo, and that theme shows up a lot. The dial has an amazing triangle texture with the logo integrated into it:
The bezel has a really cool looking triangle insets in it's fasteners: (not actually sure if those are actually fasteners)
It has a very nice looking exhibition caseback:
and the screw-in crown has a really cool gripping inset.
The sub-dials (hours / seconds) are nice contrasting color with a cool concentric circular pattern.
The integrated bracelet is a little on the light side, but is comfortable to wear.
I would say the watch wears a little bit larger than the 41mm, but on my 7.25 wrist it is totally fine.
Overall this watch feels like a fine luxury watch, and although it takes a bit to get used to reading a regulator, I quickly realized that most of the time I know what the hour is, so just checking the minute hand is what I am doing.
The specs are:
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds
Movement
AL-650 caliber, automatic
38-hour power-reserve, 31 jewels, 28’800 alt/h
Case
Brushed and polished stainless steel 3-part case
Diameter of 41x42.5 mm
Height of 12.00 mm
Scratch-resistant convex sapphire crystal
See-through case-back
Water-resistant up to 20 ATM/200m/660ft
Screw-in crowns and case back
Engraved case back
Dial
Blue dial with triangle pattern
Blue outer ring with silver-tone markers
Applied silver color indexes filled with white luminous treatment
Grey hour counter at 10 o’clock, hand-polished silver color hour hand filled with white luminous treatment
Hand-polished silver color minute hand filled with white luminous treatment
Grey second counter at 6 o’clock, hand-polished silver color second hand filled with white luminous treatment
Lifetime lover of watches, recent addition to the world of watch collecting.
Looks great Mike. How has the wearing experience been?
It's ok....the integrated lugs tend to stick out a little far. It would be nice if they dropped down a bit more than they do. I've since added a rubber strap (it took almost 4 months to get it, I ordered when I bought the watch)
The bracelet is actually really nice with a butterfly clasp, but I think it wears a little better on the rubber strap. But the strap has a really funky deployment though that makes it hard to get on the wrist. I guess overall I am not as happy with this watch as I thought I would be. I love the look of it, but it just doesn't wear as nicely as I'd want. I'm sure that's different for everyone.