Alpina Heritage Gold Chronograph

Heritage Gold Chronograph is a wristwatch by Alpina.

Restart of a traditional brand

On 26.2.2002 100% of the shares of Alpina Watch International SA were bought by the present shareholders. The name Alpina was still a known term for watchmakers but forgotten by most of the customers. Also the still existing small company lacked a real pioneering prospect. Looking for a future perspective, the company succeeded in bridging the traditional past of Alpina and the current customer needs. And so the Heritage Gold Chronograph emerged. The historic Alpina Gold Chronograph from the thirties provided the basis for the new, larger model that was developed using the latest watch manufacturing technologies. The Heritage Gold Chronograph preserves the original design and at the same time corresponds to today's requirements. The case in solid gold is very resistant and gives the watch a maskuline note. The movement is decorated very tastefully, the dial captivates by its attractive appearance, and the alligator leather strap is quality crafted. The current Alpina Heritage Chronograph Gold pays tribute to the rich past of Alpina. With this unique timepiece - available in a limited edition of 99 pieces - Alpina is back as a producer of valuable watches that meet the highest quality standards.

Chronograph functions

The Alpina Chronograph is a "complicated" watch with an additional mechanism. In addition to the normal time indication measurements of intervals with a length between one fifth of a second and 30 minutes are possible. The elapsed time is recorded on the additional dial whose hands moves further every minute after the start of the measuring process. Up to the thirties nearly all chronographs had a single button, but the Alpina chronograph had two.

The tachymeter scale of the Alpina Chronograph is used for measuring the velocity of a body in movement. The measurement range is one kilometer. The tachometer scale on the dial measures speeds of up to 60 km/h. If you measure the speed, start the chronograph in the moment in which, for example, a vehicle passes the starting point of the measurement path and stop it as soon as it passes through the end point. The indication of the hand corresponds to the average speed (in km/h).

The Alpina Chronograph is also equipped with a telemeter. With the telemeter scale a distance can be measured due to a visible and audible event, e.g. during a thunderstorm. The division on the dial is based on the speed of sound in air (340 meters per second). Start the hands in the moment when you see the flash, and stop it when you hear the thunder. The hand tells you how far away the storm is. It is obvious that the telemeter function plays a special role in mountaineering.

Old and new movement

The heart of the first Alpina Gold Chronograph was the Valjoux Calibre 23 with 13 lignes and 17 jewels. The movement of the legendary Valjoux 23 manual winding chronograph is seen as a forerunner of modern chronographs. The new Heritage Gold Chronograph however is working with a ETA ebauche movement. After this had been adapted and improved by Alpina, the calibre AL-850 had arisen. The original was a manual winding movement and had no date display. In contrast, the new Alpina Heritage Chronograph Gold has both an automatic movement and also a date display. The rotor is PVD coated and thus particularly well protected. On an extra stainless steel plaque it carries the Alpina trademark.