ALPINA – Startimer Pilot Heritage GMT

ALPINA – STARTIMER Pilot Heritage GMT Automatic Steel 42mm Collection -  2018

Alpina pays tribute to its aviation history,
 with four new Startimer Pilot Heritage models

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September 2018, Geneva - Alpina unveils four new automatic models as part of the Startimer Automatic collection. All models can be recognized by their characteristic pilot codes, faithful to the Startimer collection.

A signature aviation collection

Since the start of aviation at the beginning of the last century, it’s not just airplanes that began to take off: pilot watches made their appearance. Alpina has been a renowned official manufacturer and supplier of military aviation watches to continental air forces for more than 50 years.

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The history of the brand is linked to sports watches and has a legendary aviation heritage. A pilot’s watch is reliable, extremely precise and legible. Particularly with the military constraints, aviator’s watches needed to resist to shocks, be equipped with anti-magnetic shields with oversized luminous hands, markers and numerals, to ensure an instant readability.

Time is in the air

The Startimer Pilot Heritage collection models are a tribute to cutting-edge codes present in the aviation watch history.

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Pursuing the Startimer success story since its launch in 2011, these new models include an optimized design and remain emblematic timepieces. The brand’s aviation collection joined many pioneers in their aerial adventures.

The Startimer Pilot Heritage: design highlights

Four new models are being added to the collection featuring a generous 42x40.75 mm case dimension, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal case and an engraved case-back displaying the Alpina logo.

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This striking oversized case accentuates its presence on the wrist and enhances the originality of its design. The models are powered by a mechanical AL-555 automatic caliber with 26 jewels, beating at 28’800 alt per hour, offering a 38-hour power reserve and a water resistance of 100 meters.

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While optimizing the readability of the dial with an internal turning ring, a date window is visible at 3 o’clock to complete its functionalities. Each dial displays polished white and black color hands, hours and minutes featuring an orange second. All dials include silver indexes and super Luminova treatment.

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The first model is decorated with a copper colored dial, the second model showcases a dark grey dial and the third model displays a light blue dial. They are all completed by an elegant light brown leather strap. Finally, the fourth model features a navy dial with a black leather strap.

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In addition to the stainless steel case, these models include an oversized screw-in crown which is easy to grip and so that pilot’s can set time while wearing thick gloves and a padded flight suit. These Pilot’s automatic models display the hours, minutes, seconds, GMT and a date while remaining sleek and minimalist.

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Overall, the Startimer Pilot Heritage models are part of the aviation history.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: STARTIMER
Model: Startimer Pilot Heritage GMT Automatic

Price 1295 CHF/ 1295 EUR/ 1395 USD

Reference

AL-555DGS4H6 - Dark grey

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AL-555LNS4H6 - Light blue

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AL-555N4H6 - Navy dial

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AL-555RGS4H6 - Rose gold (Copper)

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Case
Stainless Steel case with silver internal turning ring
42x40.75mm diameter
Scratch - resistant sapphire crystal
Water-resistant 10 ATM/100m/330ft
Engraved case-back
Screw-in crown and caseback
Movement
Automatic caliber AL-555
26 jewels, 38 hours power reserve, 28,800 alt/h
Dial

• Dark grey
• Light blue
• Navy dial
• Rose gold

Dial with applied silver indexes and SLN treatment
Date window at 3 o’clock
Hand polished white and black color hours and minutes hands with white
luminous treatment, orange second.
Functions
Hours, Minutes, Seconds, GMT, Date
Strap

• Light brown leather strap
• Black leather strap

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Press release - 2018
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For more information on our watches, please visit our website or feel free to contact us directly. 

You can email Mrs. Camille Merré, PR Manager, at cmerre@alpina-watches.com

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URWERK – UR-111C Edition

URWERK – UR-SATELLITE UR-111C Steel Special Limited Edition

URWERK’s new UR-111C .
FROM INTENTITION TO REALITY

Singapore – September 2018. URWERK’s departures from its signature theme of wandering-hour indications have always been spectacular, and the selfwinding UR-111C is no exception. This latest exercise in complex micromechanics is a worthy rival to the brand’s other "Special Projects" line, in both originality and mechanical virtuosity. For the independent company’s 17 dedicated team members, the UR-111C proved a fiendishly difficult puzzle to solve.

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In the URWERK tradition, none of the indications of this UR-111C watch are conventional: The minutes are shown in two different ways - linearly for eyes pleasure (this new creation is a descendent of the UR-CC1 King Cobra watch and digitally for precision.

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 URWERK – UR-CC1 King Cobra White Gold Limited Edition
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MOVEMENT - UR-CC1
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Never has a roller on the case performed the functions of the crown, nor have the running seconds meandered across a cluster of optical fibers.

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Nor would it be an authentic URWERK watch if its case didn’t look as if it had been designed by a Sci-fi passionate.

New design, new sensations

Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, the co-founders of URWERK, have always considered the owner’s interaction with the watch of extreme importance. “Wearing a fine mechanical object is a source of pleasure and pride,” declares Felix Baumgartner. “There has to be a strong bond with a mechanism that merges into your wrist and communicates with you.

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A mechanical watch is like the first steps towards enhanced intelligence: a machine that becomes part of you and which gives you information in return for energy. It’s an exchange. You take care of your watch and it will provide you with a lifelong service.”

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Then these two had to turn their intention into reality and create a new interface with the watch. So instead of the conventional crown at the end of the stem, they conceived a roller integrated into the top of the case above and parallel to the winding stem.

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Rolling the long fluted cylinder with your thumb to wind the watch is indeed a new sensation, but making it possible requires miniature gearing, complex articulations and intermediate wheels to connect the controls to the winding stem.  The same applies to the original way of setting the time. Instead of pulling out a crown you swing out a lever from the side of the case and turn the roller in either direction.

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The hours and two versions of the minutes are displayed within glass sapphire covers along the side of the case so that you can see them at a glance without turning your wrist or letting go of the steering wheel. Again, converting the horizontal movement to a vertical time display required precisely angled transmission with miniature bevel gears. The jumping digital hours and progressive minutes are displayed on rotating truncated cones left and right of the retrograde linear indication of the minutes.

Forward action for a retrograde indication

Of course, the linear display of minutes has been done before by URWERK in the CC1 King Cobra watch, but Martin Frei decided to set an extra challenge to URWERK’s construction engineers for the UR-111C.

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He wanted to produce something visually different and make the linear track longer at the same time. He therefore decided that the linear track of the display should slant diagonally across its aperture, instead of horizontally in line with the rotating cylinder that carries the helix marker along the track of minutes.

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Because of the slanting track, the cylinder rotates 300 degrees about its axis to bring the helix to the 60th minute, at the same time arming a long, coiled spring. To bring the helix back to the start, the spring releases to snap the cylinder forward another 60 degrees and make the hours jump to the next hour.

Seconds brought to you by optical fiber

The UR-111C’s digital seconds are mounted alternately on two tiny wheels: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 on one wheel, and 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 on the other. Each openwork seconds wheel weighs 0.018 grams (0.025g with numerals) — miniature lacework in metal thanks to the LIGA process.

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The seconds numerals look strangely close as they pass across a circular window in sinuous progression. They appear alternately, transported into visual range by a dense cluster of precisely aligned optical fibers, known as an image conduit, positioned a tenth of a millimeter above the numerals. This is a world Première in the watchmaking area!

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The final touch of complexity in an already complex machine is its case. The movement with its unique indications, complicated transmission systems and selfwinding gear have to be slotted from the side of the case, once the panels have been removed and the time-setting lever dismantled. This is a slow and delicate operation given the tiny clearances and fragile mechanisms.

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The various finishes of the case are worthy of note — a harmonious combination of surface textures that have been sanded, shot-blasted, polished or satin finished. A simple screw can be finished in a number of different ways according to the surface on display.

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The various finishes of the case are worthy of note — a harmonious combination of surface textures that have been sanded, shot-blasted, polished or satin finished. A simple screw can be finished in a number of different ways according to the surface on display.


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Technical Specifications

Collection: UR-SATELLITE

Model  UR-111C

Edition
UR-111C - 25 in Iron polished steel and 25 with a gunmetal finish

MOVEMENT
Caliber: UR-111C
Selfwinding caliber with stop seconds.
Jewels: 37
Escapement: Swiss lever
Frequency: 4 Hz
Power reserve: 48 hours
Materials: Anodized aluminum cylinder; LIGA-processed nickel second wheels.
Surface finishes: Circular graining, sanding, côtes de Genève, polished screw heads.
INDICATIONS
Jumping hours, retrograde linear minutes, digital minutes, digital seconds.
CASE
Dimensions: Width 42mm x length 46mm x thickness 15mm

• Polished steel 
• Gunmetal finish steel

Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: Pressure tested to 3ATM / 100’ / 30m

 Limited Edition  to only 25 pieces

Price
CHF 130’000.00 (Swiss francs / tax not included)

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Press Release - 2018
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Media contact:
Ms Yacine Sar
Telephone: +41 22 900 2027
Mobile : +41 79 834 46 65
press@urwerk.com
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