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If you’re looking for a solid pilot’s watch but you’re on a budget, Alpina is definitely a place you should be looking. Its most successful collection, the Startimer Pilot, offers several good options, including the Chronograph Big Date. Here we take a look at another solid entry, the new Startimer Pilot Automatic AL-525, a simple no-fuss take on a classic.
There are four different executions of the Startimer Pilot Automatic AL-525, to be precise, the highlight being the titanium-colored version you see here. The watch is presented in a 44mm stainless steel case, with a dark grey dial that offers just enough contrast.
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This is everything you expect a pilot's watch to be, with large hand-applied indexes filled with luminescent material. The watch features straight indexes for the three, six, nine, and 12 o'clock markers, bold numerals at the other hours, and a small date window at three o’clock on a disc that matches the dial (nice!). Alpina's signature touches, such as the red triangle at 12 o’clock and at the tip on the seconds hands, and of course its logo at the back, complete the retro look.
Though Alpina produces several in-house calibers, including a flyback chronograph and a tourbillon, this model is powered by a third-party automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve. For a watch like this that's meant to be a real tool and not a fussy piece of haute horlogerie, there's nothing wrong with that at all, especially when price comes into consideration. The watch is water-resistant up to 100m/330ft too.
Besides the titanium-colored version, Alpina is offering two standard stainless steel models with a choice of either a white or dark blue dial, and a gold-plated stainless steel model with a white dial will be available too. Prices vary, but will start under €900 (approximately $975 at time of publishing).
For more information, visit Alpina online.
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