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Alpina Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding - AL-480B2H6

Regular price $1,995.00

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Alpina Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding - AL-480B2H6

Compact, characterful and steeped in history, the Alpina Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding (ref. AL-480B2H6) is a faithful re-release of Alpina's 1965 Tropic-Proof. Its glossy black dial is ringed with silver-tone indexes and a minute track dotted with beige Luminova, matched by hand-polished silver-tone hands that are also filled with beige Luminova. A small seconds display and a date round out a dial with plenty of classic tool-watch charm.

The 34mm three-part case is brushed and polished stainless steel, just 8.7mm thick, with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal on top and a threaded solid case back engraved with Alpina's Heritage pattern. Inside is the Swiss-made AL-480 hand-wound caliber, so winding the crown becomes a small hands-on ritual that connects you to your watch, and a beige Alcantara strap with a pin buckle finishes off this Swiss mechanical watch with a relaxed, vintage feel.

Features

  • Swiss AL-480 Hand-Wound Movement – Hours, minutes, small seconds and date.
  • Glossy Black Dial – Silver-tone indexes and minute track with beige Luminova dots.
  • Compact 34mm Steel Case – Three-part, brushed and polished, only 8.7mm thick.
  • Engraved Threaded Case Back – Solid case back decorated with Alpina's Heritage pattern.
  • Beige Alcantara Strap – Fastened with a pin buckle.

Specifications

  • Reference: AL-480B2H6
  • Collection: Heritage
  • Model: Tropic-Proof
  • Movement: Alpina AL-480, Swiss hand-winding
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date
  • Case: Three-part case, brushed and polished
  • Case Material: Stainless steel
  • Case Diameter: 34.5 mm
  • Case Thickness: 8.7 mm
  • Lug Width: 17 mm
  • Case Back: Threaded, solid, engraved with Heritage pattern
  • Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire
  • Dial: Glossy black
  • Indexes & Minute Track: Silver-tone, with beige Luminova dots
  • Hands: Hand-polished silver-tone, with beige Luminova
  • Water Resistance: Splash resistant
  • Strap: Beige Alcantara
  • Clasp: Pin buckle
  • Country of Origin: Switzerland

Timepiece History

Alpina's story began in 1883, when alpinist Gottlieb Hauser founded a watchmaking cooperative in Winterthur, Switzerland, with fellow mountaineers, aiming to build robust watches for harsh mountain terrain. In 1938, Alpina introduced the Alpina 4, marketed on four qualities: waterproof, shockproof, anti-magnetic and rustproof. After a period of near inactivity from the early 1980s, Alpina was revived in the early 2000s by Aletta and Peter Stas, the founders of Frederique Constant, and it joined the Citizen Group in 2016.

The original Alpina Tropic-Proof is dated to 1965, although Alpina has noted that the exact year can't be confirmed. It was conceived as an all-purpose travel watch at a time when transatlantic air travel was becoming more accessible, with a case designed by François Borgel and Alpina's in-house hand-wound 598R movement, a caliber that dates to the 1950s and remained in use for decades.

Alpina reissued the Tropic-Proof in 2025, keeping details from the original such as the 1965 typeface on the case back, hand-polished dauphine hands and the double markers at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock.

Alpina Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding - AL-480B2H6

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