ALPINA – HERITAGE Carrée Mechanical 140 Years Anniversary Limited Edition 2023
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Alpina celebrates its 140th anniversary with two historic mini-series
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Founded in 1883, Alpina
turns 140 in 2023, and in honour of the occasion, the Swiss watchmakers
are unveiling a timepiece that revives their illustrious heritage. This
isn’t some re-edition or a piece inspired by a predecessor: it really is
the original, made in 1938. Alpina has unearthed two 14-piece series of
the authentic Calibre 490, released exactly 85 years ago; only a very
few of these are still in existence. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 
The fully-restored movements,
dubbed Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years, have been housed in a
rectangular silver case in tribute to an outstanding wristwatch in
Alpina’s history. One series features a black dial, the other a silvered
dial. The feeling when you behold a perfectly-finished,
rectangular-shaped movement with a sedate frequency (2,5 Hz), already
fitted out with early levels of protection against water and dust, is
indescribable. These are two highly limited editions, produced for
History. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 
“If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going” is
a saying that applies to most art forms – and all the more so in
watchmaking, where progress has involved a process of accretion over a
period of 250 years that continues to inform the watches we wear today.
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In its
140th anniversary year,
Alpina has thus sought to provide a reminder of the contribution made by
its
Calibre 490 movement to contemporary watchmaking. It represents
something of a crossroads: a shape and top-level finishing typical of
the refined elegance befitting distinguished watches, intersecting with a
number of innovations bearing witness to
Alpina’s concomitant desire to
launch into the world of sturdy and robust watches designed by the firm
today. In sum, it’s a rare and valuable calibre, unveiled at a key
moment in
Alpina’s history.
A highly accomplished movement
Back in 1938, the Calibre 490 already
embodied Alpina’s emerging vision. It features a patented crown
incorporating protection against dust – an key milestone, already making
the case airtight and a first step on the way to the watertight case
that would later become standard.
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The movement, protected by
Swiss registered
patent no. 158882, is characterised by a simple, robust construction
but no less perfectly finished for that: all of its components are
bevelled, and the ratchet is sun-brushed. It’s also worth noting that
this is a genuine in-house calibre, designed, assembled and finished by
one of the firms in the
Union Horlogère,
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Alpina’s original entity – a particularity seldom seen in the
1930s when generic
ébauches (movement-blanks) were the market norm and manufacture movements the exception.
Only a few period examples of this historic
calibre have survived;
Alpina has found and restored a small number of
them to mark its
140th anniversary celebrations.
An avant-garde construction
This exceptionally rare witness to Alpina’s
golden age is thus making a comeback in its original form in 2023. It’s
a shaped movement in the finest watchmaking tradition, according to
which the movement should reign supreme, dictating the shape of the case
rather than the other way around.
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Hand-wound like almost all calibres of its
day, it comprises 17 jewels and oscillates at
18,000 vibrations per hour
(
2,5 Hz), the standard frequency for Thirties timepieces. Its 42-hour
power reserve is notably capacious for its time; another distinctive
feature is the slender anchor design required to fit within the
rectangular layout of the
Calibre 490.
A highly robust case
Back in the day, the case was made from
steel or gold depending on the model. One steel case was itself
protected by a patent (No. 207378) and described as being ‘stainless’,
offering further evidence of Alpina’s obsession with making its
timepieces resistant to wear and tear.
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The few such cases that have survived are
equipped with a number of components designed to maintain two seals
under pressure to achieve some degree of watertightness. Several firms
went on to draw inspiration from the patent in question in pursuit of
the same goal.
Clad in silver
Today, Alpina has designed a new bespoke
case to house its Calibre 490, naming the new model after it: Heritage
Carrée Mechanical 140 Years. Made from mirror polished silver, it
measures 29.5 x 35.7mm.
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With a thickness of just
9.71 millimetres, it
features an anti-glare sapphire crystal on both front and rear, through
which the venerable beauty of the period
Calibre 490 can be admired. The
timepiece comes on a light brown ostrich leather strap, with vintage
white stitching and pin buckle.
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Two variations of the piece are available,
each in a
limited edition of
14. Both feature Alpina’s period logo, two
slim central hands and the small seconds hand display at 6 o’clock so
typical of the
1930s. A ‘railtrack’ minute circle, also typical of the
period, runs around the dial.
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On one version the dial is black with
solid Arabic numerals, accompanied by beige hands and a circular small
seconds hand display. The other version sports a silvered dial, black
hands and the squarer outline Arabic numerals favoured in the Roaring
Twenties, along with a square small seconds hand display.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Model: HERITAGE Carrée Mechanical 140 Years Edition
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Reference
AL-490BA3C10 - Black dial
Reference
AL-490SA3C10 - Silver dial
Movement
AL-490 caliber, hand-winding
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42-hour power reserve,
18’000 alt/h,
17 jewels
FunctionsHours, minutes, small seconds
CasePolished silver 2-part case
Dimensions of
29.50 x 35.70 mm
Height of 9,71 mm
Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
Water-resistant up to
3 ATM/30m/100ft
Engraved and see-through screwed case back
DialBlack dial with matt finishing
Beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation
Beige hour and minute hands
Silver dial with matt finishing
Black printed Arabic numerals and black graduation
Black hour and minute hands
Small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand
StrapLight brown Ostrich leather strap with off-white stitching
Pin buckle
🔰Limited edition to 14 pieces
🔴 Price : € 4,995 EUR 💰
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Press release - 2022
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