WATCH ANGELS x ALPINA – Startimer Pilot Chronograph IFR Edition - 2026
A new horological function for a complete and fully operational pilot’s watch
In partnership with Watch Angels, Alpina is proud to be unveiling a world first devoted to one of the most critical flight phases. For decades, pilots’ watches have paid tribute to the world of aviation without really providing any support for pilots’ operational decisions – but now the Startimer Pilot Chronograph Automatic IFR changes all that.
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The timepiece introduces a new, fully mechanical horological function designed with and for professional pilots, allowing them to instantly view headings to enter a holding pattern – a key phase in any (Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) approach in which accuracy, professionalism and discipline are all vital.
”With the Startimer collection, Alpina has always celebrated authentic aviation heritage. Through our collaboration with Watch Angels, we had the opportunity to push that legacy further by exploring new functional ideas. This project stands as a highlight of the new Startimer line and reflects our shared ambition to expand the boundaries of pilot watch innovation.” Oliver van Lanschot Hubrecht, Alpina Brand Director.
A fully-fledged aviation instrument
As well as introducing a never-before-seen function, the Watch Angels x Alpina Startimer Pilot IFR Chronograph brings together the three defining pillars of mechanical flight instruments:
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Action: a unique mechanical function enabling the wearer to instantly determine the correct entry into a holding pattern and how to fly it;
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Measurement: an integrated chronograph with 15min and 12-hour counters, crucial to time holding pattern legs, monitor longer phases of flight, and to support time-speed-distance and consumption calculations;
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Reference: a second UTC/24h hour hand to keep track of the world-wide aviation time that allows pilots, controllers, and dispatchers to operate according one consistent timing globally, eliminating confusion from time zone changes and local daylight saving.
Instantly readable and user-friendly
The timepiece’s bidirectional 360° compass bezel and a purposely developed inner multilevel turning case component - that function independently and in conjunction with each other during operation - allow the pilot to enter two pieces of know data: the heading to "the fix" of the holding pattern (from the plane's heading indicator) and the inbound course (from the flight chart). The watch then instantly provides the following information:
An unprecedented feat of watchmaking
In the aviation world, there are two different types of standard flight rules. One is VFR (Visual Flight Rules), the type of flight practiced by almost all private pilots. VFR flight, possible when visibility is adequate, requires pilots to be able to fly their aircraft based on visual data with the aid of basic instruments (a radio, a chart and a compass).
The second type of flight is IFR, standing for Instrument Flight Rules. IFR takes over where VFR is no longer possible, for flight in poor weather and more generally, any more complex flight environment such as cross-border flights, approaches to major airports, flights carrying passengers, and so on. IFR flight is a major component of a professional pilot’s licence. Anybody may obtain this licence, but it involves several years of study, passing a large number of exams, and several hundred hours’ flight time. The new Startimer Pilot Chronograph Automatic IFR has been designed with this category of experienced pilots in mind.
A critical phase of IFR flight: the approach and the holding pattern
The most demanding aspect of IFR flights for professional pilots is the approach. The technique involves adjusting the aircraft’s flight to the environment of the destination airport, taking into account natural features, existing infrastructure details (such as runway length, neighbouring built-up areas, and so on) and most importantly, other air traffic bound for the same destination. IFR approaches are governed by strict procedures designed to control air traffic around an airport.
The Startimer Pilot Chronograph Automatic IFR enables any IFR-rated pilot on approach to use their watch dial to gain a clear picture of the hold and the headings they need to enter it. While each airport has its own holding patterns, the procedures for entering them are standardised, a little like motorway slip roads: each is different, but the process of joining the motorway and the related priority of traffic are almost always the same.
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When there are many aircraft preparing to land, the point at which each plane enters the hold and how it does so are important considerations. This point will vary depending on whether the aircraft arrives from (say, the north, the south or the west); the path to take to it is expressed in degrees and is known as a heading.
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Once the heading is known, IFR-rated pilots will have to enter the hold in one of three ways: a direct approach, a teardrop approach, or an approach that is parallel to the holding loop. A hold may involve right turns (the default) or left turns, and is entered at a point known as the fix, a known location shown on all IFR charts.
Simple to operate and instantly readable
On this watch, the pilot uses a two-step process involving nothing more than the bidirectional bezel. Pressing the bezel releases it: the pilot adjusts it so that the inbound heading for the fix is at the twelve o’clock position. Next, the pilot releases the bezel and enters their current heading.
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The watch then automatically displays two key pieces of information: the required heading for a left-hand or right-hand pattern (as cleared by ATC) and the type of approach to be used to join the hold: direct, teardrop or parallel. The colour code on the dial provides a clear indication of the approach type for the heading in question: orange for direct, red for teardrop and blue for parallel; the various approach types are also etched on the watch’s caseback. All this makes for immediate and intuitive reading of the IFR procedure, easing the pilot’s workload without any need for calculations or manual operations.
From standard procedure to mechanisation
While each airport has its own holding patterns, the procedures for entering them are standardised, a little like motorway slip roads: each is different, but the process of joining the motorway is almost always the same.
Anywhere in the world, from New York to Tokyo, from Geneva to Dubai, the procedure follows the same standardised IFR logic. The geometry is fixed, the rules are fixed, the sequence is fixed, and most importantly: the two key input variables are always known. The inbound course is published on the flight chart and the heading is immediately available from the aircraft heading indicator.
This repeatable procedural structure is what made it possible for Watch Angels and Alpina engineers to mechanically translate it into watch. In fact most procedures can never become mechanical watch complications. They involve too many changing variables, too many external inputs and too much unpredictability.
The holding pattern and the watch
The point at which an aircraft enters a holding pattern depends on the direction from which it approaches (the east, the north, the south or the west); this direction is expressed in degrees and is known as the heading.
Once this heading is known, pilots will have to enter the hold in one of three ways: a direct entry, a teardrop enrty, or parallel entry. A hold may involve right turns (Standard) or left turns (Non-Standard), and is entered at a point known as the fix, a known location shown on IFR flight charts.
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The Watch Angels x Alpina Startimer Pilot IFR Chronograph enables a pilot on approach to use the watch bezel, dial ring and dial, to gain a clear picture of the holding pattern and how to fly it.
How it works
On this watch, the pilot uses a simple two-step process involving just the bidirectional bezel to correctly fly a holding pattern.
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First step: the pilot sets the inbound course which he reads on his flight chart by pressing down the bezel in the bottom position and aligning the degrees of the inbound course on the bezel with the orange diamond shaped outbound indicator on the turning dial ring.
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Second step: the pilot sets the heading (to the holding pattern fix) which he reads on his heading indicator by releasing the bezel in the top position and aligning the heading degrees on the bezel with the heading indicator triangle at 12 o'clock. Nb. during this operation the bezel and the inner ring turn together.
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After setting these two parameters and reading the type of holding pattern for the airport (standard or non-standard) from the flight chart, the watch automatically displays all the information the pilot requires to execute the holding pattern:
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The type of entry required: direct, teardrop or parallel. The pilot reads this information in the two apertures at 12 o'clock: orange for direct, red for teardrop and blue for parallel;
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All courses and headings to fly the hold: outbound course, inbound course, heading to fix, and first leg heading.
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Ingenious construction
The particularity of this system is that it is fully mechanical and that it resides in the case components, a so called "habillage complication". The entire calculation and display system is housed in the case body, a push-release coupling bezel, dial ring and dial and is powered by two connected turning components, the bezel and an inner multi-level component which serves as a dial ring and also as an entry pattern calculator below the dial.
The case design adopts the style codes of the new Startimer collection launched in 2026 at Watches & Wonders. All the edges of the case are bevelled between the lugs and where it joins the frame; the lugs and frame themselves feature vertical satin polishing, while the bevelling is mirror polished. The blue sunburst dial features handapplied luminous polished Arabic numerals and a running indicator by disk at 9 o’clock.
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Like any pilot’s watch worthy of the name, it displays local and UTC time (the latter being used in all air traffic communications) and features a chronograph, essential for timing holding pattern legs, and all other aviation time-speed-distance-consumption calculations.
”This collaboration with Alpina is a natural continuation of our philosophy at Watch Angels: applying rigorous R&D to the functional side of mechanical watchmaking, with particular attention to case and case component engineering . By translating the logic of holding patterns into a mechanical logic, we have created a pilot’s watch that is not only inspired by aviation, but actually shaped by it.” Guido Benedini, CEO Watch Angels.
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Developed by Watch Angels in partnership with Alpina, just 300 of this limited edition will be produced, encapsulating the essence of aviation in a piece of Swiss watchmaking excellence. Time measurement, spatial orientation and redundancy are all fully mechanical here. Directed at private pilots and avgeeks everywhere, the watch is much more than a timepiece; it’s a genuine collector’s item, the embodiment of a real step forward in pilots’ watches: not so much inspired by aviation as directly derived from its actual requirements.
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The piece will be available for pre-sale from 21 May 2026 on the Watch Angels website at a price of CHF 4,290.
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Collaboration 🤝Collection:
Model: Watch Angels x Alpina Startimer Pilot Chronograph IFR Edition
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Material: Stainless steel 3-parts case
Diameter: 44.50 mm
Thickness: 15.80 mm (13.95 mm visible)
Lug-to-lug: 51 mm
Black matt ceramic bidirectional bezel
Vertical satin-brushed lugs and brushed case body
Mirrorpolished lug chamfers
Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
Engraved case back with holding entry patterns.
Water-resistant up to 10ATM/100m/330ft
Dial
Sunray blue dial with silver outer ring and black minutes track
Polished metallic applied arabic numerals filled with white luminescence
Black hour and minutes hands filled with white luminescence
Black seconds hand with red triangle
Black 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
Black 15-minute counter at 12 o’clock
Working indicator by disk at 9 o’clock
2nd time zone for UTC (GMT) function by central hand
Movement
Swiss made Sellita 531b
(15-min counter variant)
Column wheel chronograph caliber
Number of jewels: 25
Frequency: 4 Hz, 28'800 vph
Power reserve of 62 hours
Functions/Indications
Hours, minutes, seconds
Chronograph
Dual time zone
Power reserve indication
World first mechanical IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) system concealed within the bezel and inner flange.
Strap
Each limited edition watch comes with two straps.
A light grey genuine leather pilot strap with stainless-steel pin buckle and an additional camel brown genuine leather pilot strap with stainless-steel pin buckle.
🔰Edition ✅Only ❱❱❱ 300 Pieces
🔴 Price: $ 5,500 US / CHF 4'295 (incl. taxes)💰
About WATCH ANGELS
HOROLOGICAL WONDERLAND. Founded in 2019 and based in the watchmaking village of Arogno in Switzerland, Watch Angels is both
a watchmaking platform and an R&D lab dedicated to innovation in time measurement. By bringing
together independent watchmaking expertise and an international community of collectors, Watch
Angels enables enthusiasts to be directly involved in the creation of outstanding timepieces.
Each project is guided by a clear vision: putting utility and meaning back at the heart of watches. As a
research and development lab, Watch Angels explores new functional approaches and designs
innovative horological functions in partnership with acclaimed brands, engineers and specialists to
produce timepieces that are not only collectable but also fully relevant in terms of practical
applications.
Combining limited-edition production, transparent development and direct relations with its
community, Watch Angels embodies a new approach to contemporary watch design at the crossroads
of innovation, functionality and horological culture.
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