In recent years Alpina have focused their efforts in two directions. On one side you have their Heritage collection and on the other side their robust adventure watches in the form of the Seastrong Diver and Alpiner. However, one collection that has fallen to the wayside is the Startimer Pilot, which hasn’t received much love recently. Until today that is with the relaunch of the Startimer Pilot Automatic featuring a completely new case, movement and aesthetic redesign.
Starting with the case, it has been reduced in size from 41mm to 40mm. A small but meaningful change that makes the watch more wearable for a variety of wrist sizes and even brings the piece into the realms of unisex design. It’s also 10% thinner with a new thickness of 10.14mm. The finishing on the case has also been updated with new bevelled edges adding a more sculpted look and a circular brushed bezel that keeps it looking like a practical tool watch rather than a fully polished dress piece.
The dial has undergone a complete restructuring. It’s now multi-layered with a raised minute scale wrapping around the recessed central disk that now features a soft grain texture. The Arabic numerals are larger, making them easier to read in conjunction with new triangle indices next to each numeral. They’re also made from solid blocks of lume, boosting low light legibility and giving them a cool graphic quality during the day.
There are four dial colours available, black, blue, green and then a second black version with beige lume instead of white. That second black model also has a black PVD case to further distinguish it.
Beneath the updated dial is the La Joux-Perret G100, their 68-hour power reserve automatic model with date. Though Alpina have renamed it the AL-525, which is very confusing because that’s also what they called the Sellita base and ETA base versions in the past. The LJP though is a significant step up in specs and has become one of the premium movements among accessible and mid-range independents and microbrands.
I really like this relaunch. It feels like the Startimer Pilot has more of a distinct aesthetic personality now, thanks to the layered and textured dial. Plus, while the case and movement have both been improved, the price hasn’t changed significantly. The previous Startimer Pilot Automatic was £1,095 and the new collection is £1,195 for the standard models and £1,295 for the PVD edition. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Startimer has just leapfrogged to become my favourite Alpina model.
Price and Specs:
More details at Alpina.
