Alpina has dipped into the popular waters of historical military watches for its latest model.
Alpina was one of the suppliers called upon by the German war machine to supply watches to its military divisions. The Admiralty required legible wristwatches for officers and the ranks within the Kriegsmarine to co-ordinate operations.
In creating a modern reissue, the brand has looked to surviving examples of the original service watches with two concessions, namely size and luminous material.
The Kriegsmarine watches of the 1930s and 1940s ranged in size from 32-35mm, too small for mainstream modern tastes. The new watch measures 41.5mm whilst luminous (and radioactive) radium was obviously substituted with Super-LumiNova.
The Alpina KM-710 features central hours, minutes and seconds with a sub register at the 6 o’clock for the date.
Beneath the surface lurks an AL-710 automatic calibre, which is finished with Côtes de Genève and perlage. Bridges and cocks have been bevelled and rhodium-finished whilst the mainspring contains a power reserve of 42 hours. The KM-710 costs £2,230.
