04/30/2019

X Marks The Spot: Hands-On With The Alpina AlpinerX

Alpina's new AlpinerX is a versatile powerhouse which is sure to bring new collectors into the fold.

By Josh Shanks

Contributor

During Baselworld, my esteemed colleague Rhonda Riche wrote at length about the new Alpina AlpinerX (read HERE). The major talking point was the fact that an established brand leveraged Kickstarter to gauge consumer interest. Well, the verdict is in! $1.5 million dollars in funding later, the AlpinerX is here!

Alpina AlpinerX

$995 of awesome!

The whole point of the AlpinerX was to produce an accessibly priced Swiss Made adventure watch for millennials. I've gotta say, I think Alpina nailed it with this one. By crowdsourcing the launch, the brand was able to gauge consumer interest and produce only the most popular material combinations and color waves. My favorite? The Navy Blue edition with matching matte Navy Blue fiberglass case and dial.

Alpina Alpiner X

For $995, there's a LOT of watch here. Sure, it's not a mechanical watch, but listen gents, not every watch in your collection needs to be mechanical. The AlpinerX has features you can't find on even the most complicated of mechanicals. Compass? Check! Altimeter? Check! GPS? Check! Thermometer? Check! See? It really does pack a punch!

Alpina AlpinerX in Navy Blue

Versatility²

While there are plenty of novel complications on the AlpinerX (UV Indicator anyone?) the piece really is quite useful. My favorite complication would have to be the compass. Once activated, the hour and minute hands align vertically and actually move in real time to the North / South / East / West axis, it's quite cool to see in person! Plus, with the brand's recent partnership with the National Parks Foundation, your next trip to Yosemite will get a whole lot easier with a compass.

Alpina AlpinerX

The combination digital/analog display has surprisingly good readability. The 45mm fiberglass case is shockingly light and very wearable. The smartwatch'esque features are accessible via the AlpinerX companion app for Android and iPhone. With 20+ features, the AlpinerX has loads of little tools to make your next adventure that much more fun.

Alpina AlpinerX caseback

It's just plain cool!

I found the AlpinerX to be quite the conversation starter as well. Today's millennial generation is far more interested in how a product will help to enrich their lives rather than sheer material possessions (read HERE). The Alpina AlpinerX fits this mandate remarkably well. With plenty of connected features, cloud accessibility, and fitness programs which rival the ever-popular FitBit, the AlpinerX is certainly worthy of a second look.

Alpina Alpiner X

In another nod to the ever-changing tastes of the millennial generation, Alpina is offering the AlpinerX is a wide variety of colors and options. As you can see in the brand's e-commerce the AlpinerX comes in 11 different iterations. Leather, carbon fiber, and rubber straps are all interchangeable along with a litany of case and dial options. All for the relatively decent price of $995.

The Alpina AlpinerX is now available via Alpina's e-commerce. The 45mm rugged smartwatch is available in black or navy blue fiberglass cases with matching straps. The bezels are available in matching fiberglass or brushed stainless steel, and all feature compass coordinates. For the money, the AlpinerX offers a lot of choices and backs it up with usability unrivaled by other Swiss Made smart / connected watches.

(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)

Visit Alpina's Partner Page