Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy: Alpina Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph

Today on "Vintage Eye," we'll be focusing our gaze on Alpina's new Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph, a neo-vintage bicompax monopusher chronograph released earlier this fall The model has two subdials, one for running seconds at 9 o'clock, the other for a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o'clock Sweeping over the dial, with the printed Alpina logo at the top, are two slim hands accented with lume, while a simple pointer tallies chronograph seconds.

This is not to say it couldn't have been - as Alpina did use helmet-style cases for its chronographs during the era, and this model's monopusher style of chronograph had risen in popularity since the late 1960s - but there is a noticeable lack of photographic evidence Interestingly, Alpina eschewed adding a date window to this model, working to keep the model simpler and cleaner while also differentiating it from historical racing chronographs that used this design, and typically included a calendar complication Other modern differentiating factors can also be seen in the overall finishing of the model, its use of both brushed and polished metal, and the use of the monopusher mechanism - which, while seeming to be a modern addition, nonetheless recalls a vintage trait.

The new chronograph is the latest neo-vintage addition to Alpina's growing Startimer collection, the previous addition being the original Pilot Heritage watch, launched in 2018, which used a 70's-style alarm-watch design remixed into a modern mechanical GMT The new monopusher shows a continued effort by the brand in this space, with Alpina once again recalling their historical designs to create something new and unique. . Source