Alpina, one of the rare independent and family-owned watchmaking manufactures of the world, has recently announced the start of a new collaboration with its ambassador Aurélien Ducroz. The famous Swiss brand and the 2-time freeride world tour champion are joining forces this year to help solve water sustainability issues. Together, they will be supporting the Swiss foundation Race for Water, which is dedicated to water preservation, raising public awareness about the urgency of water preservation, and implementing practical solutions to make a difference.
As announced by Alpina, Aurélien Ducroz will perform all of his forthcoming ski expeditions and races on behalf of the foundation, while the Manufacture will contribute by donating part of the profits from sales of its special new limited edition watch.
The Alpiner 4 Chronograph Race for Water is a special rendition of Alpina’s new sporty chronograph. This time, the Apliner 4 Chronograph is painted in the foundation’s recognizable colors, and it arrives in a small limited edition that comprises 400 pieces worldwide. The Alpiner 4, which was launched earlier this year at BaselWorld 2014, is based on a simple concept that reunites four essential traits of a sports watch in one single case. It is anti-magnetic, anti-shock, water resistant and made of stainless steel. The Race for Water edition measures 44mm in diameter, and it comes with a silvered-colored dial with blue counter rings.
The bi-compax layout of the dial reveals a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock and a small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. Both are decorated with snailed pattern and rimmed with a distinctive blue ring. The chronograph hand is also painted blue and marked by an open-worked white triangular counterbalance. Additionally, the watch is topped with a 360° bi-directional turning compass bezel, while the inner flange features the 24-hour scale.
The Alpiner 4 Chronograph Race for Water is powered by the AL-860 automatic chronograph movement, which is based on the Sellita SW500 chronograph movement that has been modified in-house to feature a bi-compax arrangement. The movement, which beats at 28’800/h and provides around 46 hours of power reserve, is housed behind the solid case-back. It is sealed against the ingress of water to up to 100 meters, and able to withstand exposition to a direct current magnetic field of 4 800 A/m. In addition, it also complies with the ISO 1413 shock-resistant standard.
The Alpiner 4 Chronograph Race for Water (AL-860AD5AQ6) is priced at CHF 2,990, and it comes in a special presentation box. Alpina will contribute 50 CHF from every purchase to the Race for Water foundation.
TAGS: Alpiner, Automatic Watches, Bidirectional Bezel, Leather, Limited Edition, Mechanical Watches, Men's Watches, Power Reserve, Race for Water, Sapphire Crystal, Selfwinding Watches, Stainless Steel, Swiss Made, Water Resistant