Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic Watch
Starting from 1.295 €The Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic is a Swiss pilot's watch that carries forward the Geneva house's military heritage in a completely redesigned execution. Its 40 mm stainless steel 316L case, satin-finished bezel and pilot-style crown form a legible, understated silhouette drawn directly from cockpit instruments. Beneath the screw-down caseback engraved with an aviator motif, the automatic AL-525 calibre, based on a La Joux-Perret movement, delivers 68 hours of power reserve, a remarkable figure in this price range. Available in four dial and strap versions, water resistant to 100 metres and protected by a domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, it is aimed at enthusiasts of authentic, versatile pilot's watches.
Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic pilot's watch
Founded in 1883, Alpina holds a singular place in the history of the Swiss technical watch. The brand was an official supplier of military watches for aviators, at a time when precision, ruggedness and legibility determined flight safety. The wrist instruments of the 1920s and 1930s imposed their own visual grammar: large Arabic numerals, luminescent displays, oversized crowns operable with gloves, and practical straps. This grammar never left the house's vocabulary, today integrated into the Frederique Constant and Citizen group.
The Startimer collection was relaunched in 2011, drawing directly on these early twentieth-century pilot's watches. The idea was simple and effective: an immediately legible cockpit style, solid specifications and a contained price. The Startimer Pilot Automatic is the fundamental three-hand model of the range, offered over the years in diameters ranging from 40 to 44 millimetres depending on the generation. Fifteen years after this comeback, Alpina presented a complete overhaul of the model at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026.
The diameter remains fixed at 40 mm, but the case has been entirely reworked: a circular satin-finished bezel, vertically satin-finished flanks and lugs, polished chamfers, a redesigned aviator-style crown for grip, and a solid screw-down caseback engraved with an Art Deco-inspired motif. The most decisive change, however, takes place inside, with the adoption of a calibre offering markedly greater autonomy than the previous generation. The Startimer Pilot Automatic thus remains what it has always been: an accessible, honest aviation watch faithful to its heritage.
Technical specifications Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic
- Brand: Alpina
- Model: Startimer Pilot Automatic
- Reference: Depending on version
- Indicative price: €1,295 to €1,395
- Movement: Automatic
- Calibre: AL-525 (La Joux-Perret base)
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Thickness: 11.5 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m / 10 ATM
- Materials: Stainless steel 316L
- Crystal: Domed sapphire
- Dial: Black, navy blue or khaki
- Strap: leather, textile
- Warranty: 2 years
The Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic pilot's watch
The Startimer Pilot Automatic follows the pilot's watch brief to the letter: an uncluttered dial, applied Arabic numerals, a red-tipped seconds hand and a pilot-style crown designed for grip. The case measures 40 mm in diameter for 11.5 mm in thickness, balanced proportions that suit most wrists and allow the watch to slip under a shirt cuff without effort. The 316L stainless steel construction combines a circular satin-finished bezel, vertically satin-finished flanks and lugs, and polished chamfers, a surface treatment that adds depth to a deliberately understated silhouette.
The dial adopts a velvety grained finish that limits reflections and highlights the applied hour markers. The date is displayed at 6 o'clock, a discreet position that preserves the symmetry of the display. The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal delivers a clear read at every angle, even in bright light. The solid screw-down caseback, stamped with an aviator motif using a hydraulic press, recalls the model's aeronautical roots without tipping into graphic excess. With 100 m water resistance, this cockpit-inspired military watch handles everyday use without difficulty, from heavy rain to the occasional swim, while retaining the look of a professional instrument.
Four versions for a single flight instrument
The range consists of four references built on the same construction. The black PVD version, reference AL-525BW4SB36, is the most radical: black-coated steel case, black dial with beige hour markers and green luminescence, and a brown leather NATO strap whose buckle and keeper also receive a black treatment. Alpina presents it as the high point of the series, conceived as a genuine cockpit instrument. The second black-dial execution, more sporty, keeps the polished-satin steel, adopts white hour markers with blue-green luminescence and a black Cordura strap with red stitching.
Next come a navy blue dial mounted on light brown leather with beige stitching, in a dressier neo-retro register, and a khaki dial in earthy tones paired with dark brown leather. All share the 20 mm lug width and the pin buckle, which allows easy swapping between the different styles. Luminescence tones vary from one execution to another, from old radium beige to green, a nuance that attentive collectors will notice. On price, the three steel versions are offered at €1,295, with the black version rising to €1,395. The two-year warranty covers the entire range, whichever dial is chosen.
Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic pilot's watch: heritage and autonomy
The Startimer Pilot Automatic brings together the essentials expected of a contemporary aviation watch. Its 40 mm stainless steel 316L case, 11.5 mm thick, houses the automatic AL-525 calibre based on a La Joux-Perret movement, running at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offering 68 hours of power reserve. The velvety grained dial, available in black, navy blue or khaki, displays hours, minutes, seconds and the date at 6 o'clock under a domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Water resistance reaches 100 metres and the screw-down caseback bears a stamped aviator motif. Four distinct straps complete the offer, between leather NATO, Cordura and full-grain leather.
Movement
The watch is powered by the AL-525 calibre, based on a La Joux-Perret movement, an automatic movement made up of 198 components and 24 jewels. Running at 28,800 vibrations per hour, it ensures a steady rate and a smooth sweep of the seconds hand. Its main strength remains the 68-hour power reserve: the watch keeps running after a weekend spent off the wrist. Functions are kept to the essentials, hours, minutes, seconds and the date at 6 o'clock, in keeping with the logic of a pilot's watch.
Diameter and materials
The case measures 40 mm in diameter for 11.5 mm in thickness, in 316L stainless steel. The bezel is circularly satin-finished, the case band and lugs vertically satin-finished, and the chamfers polished. The AL-525BW4SB36 version receives a black PVD coating that accentuates its instrument character. The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects a velvety grained dial, available in black, navy blue or khaki, with applied hour markers and Arabic numerals. The pilot-style crown makes handling easier, even with gloved hands.
Water resistance
Alpina states 100 m / 10 ATM water resistance, a level consistent with the model's aeronautical vocation. This rating allows for rain, splashes, showers and surface swimming, without claiming to be a diving watch for use with scuba gear. The solid screw-down caseback, stamped with an aviator motif using a hydraulic press, contributes to this water resistance while signing the timepiece's identity. The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal completes the package and ensures a clear read even in strong light. The applied hour markers and numerals are luminescent, in tones that vary by version.
Accessories
Each version receives its own strap. The black PVD execution comes on a genuine brown leather NATO strap whose buckle and keeper are treated in black. The sporty version adopts a black Cordura textile strap with red stitching, while the navy blue and khaki dials receive light brown and dark brown leather straps respectively, both with beige stitching. The 20 mm lug width and the 20 mm pin buckle are common to the range, which simplifies swapping. Alpina does not detail the contents of the box.
Warranty
The Startimer Pilot Automatic is covered by Alpina's international two-year warranty, valid from the date of purchase from an authorised retailer. It comes with the international warranty certificate mentioned by the brand and grants access to the house's service centre network, a welcome point for a mechanical movement that will need periodic servicing. Coverage applies to defects identified under these terms. Alpina does not communicate an extended duration beyond these two years on the model's product page.
Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic The pros
and cons
- 68-hour power reserve
- AL-525 calibre, La Joux-Perret base
- Four dial versions available
- 100 metres water resistance
- Screw-down caseback with aviator motif
- Fairly noticeable 11.5 mm thickness
- Only available in 40 mm
- Very classic design
- No steel bracelet in the catalogue
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Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
