Introducing The Alpina Startimer Pilot Chronograph Big Date, With A New Dial And Timing To 1/10th Of A Second

February 02, 2015

When someone says Alpina Startimer, you might?think of pilot watches with bold numerals and a solid, unadorned dial. (Comparatively, some of us?reminisce about?early-20th-century chronographs and the Alpina of yore, and others, like me, brood over their manufacture and world timer with in-house module C?but that's a story for another day.)?Today, we take a look at Alpina's?1/10th of a second timing Startimer with a newly designed dial. The result?is a sleek and legible watch face?with a useful complication to boot. The 44 mm stainless?case features?a polished bezel on brushed lugs C a design choice that?centralizes attention on the dial. For this Startimer, the dial is a reflective black color?with?applied luminous indexes and matching faceted baton-shaped hands.?The contrasting silvery-white chronograph registers are decorated?with circular graining (a detail which,?along with the piston pushers, make this pilot a tad racier and almost Carrera?12-esque).Running seconds are situated at 6 o'clock, minutes at 9 o'clock, and an indication measuring 1/10th of a second intervals?is placed at 3 o'clock. Lastly, a big?two-window date?at 6 o'clock?completes the pilot look.This Startimer is water resistant to 10 ATM (100 meters) and features a scratch-proof sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. In addition to the green leather strap pictured above,?it's also available on a metal bracelet with polished center links should you find yourself in a driving mood. The power reserve in the new Startimer Big Date will last you roughly 48 months. And no, Alpina has not suddenly developed a mainspring that's 18,000 centimeters long. The new Startimer functions on the?AL-372 Swiss?quartz movement.?(Gasp! In case of emergency, seek?exit here.)?The closest you'll come to a mechanical wristwatch timing to?1/10th of a second is Zenith's?El Primero Striking Tenth, but that comes with a price tag of about $10K.While pricing has yet to be announced, predecessors of the Alpina Startimer Pilot Chronograph Big Date have been introduced at/below $2,000 USD in the past.For more information, visit Alpina online.