The sea is one of the greatest challenges for watch brands. In particular, great ocean crossings have always captured the imagination of enthusiasts and fuelled the competitive spirit of both the crews and the watch brands involved. This is precisely the case with Alpina’s Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic, dedicated to the Route du Rhum – a watch designed to brave the ocean’s waves in this fascinating race, for which Alpina is the official timekeeper.
The Route du Rhum is a transatlantic sailing race set to start on 1 November, taking the boats from Saint-Malo, in Brittany, to Pointe-à-Pitre, in French Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean. A crossing that, in 2022, Frenchman Charles Caudrelier completed in 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds – a record that remains unbroken to this day. Amongst others, French skipper and brand ambassador Eric Péron will be attempting to beat this record, wearing an Alpina watch on his wrist.
ALPINA SEASTRONG DIVER EXTREME AUTOMATIC X ROUTE DU RHUM: CASE AND BEZEL
Turning to the Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum, unveiled by the brand at the recent Geneva Watch Days, the watch builds on one of Alpina’s established collections. Despite its strong mountain heritage, Alpina has supported pioneering explorations of the seabed with the Seastrong collection since the 1960s. This range has evolved over the years to its current form, which is fully realised in the watch created for the Route du Rhum.
The watch features a three-piece stainless steel case with a classic, solid and compact cushion-shaped profile. It measures 39 x 40.50 mm and is 13.40 mm thick – wearable and compact dimensions for a diver’s watch that makes performance one of its defining features. It is, in fact, water-resistant to 30 bar, as befits a watch designed to withstand the rigours of the ocean, both above and below the surface.
The case features an attractive alternation of polished and satin-finished surfaces, creating an interesting contrast with the carbon bezel. The latter, a bidirectional rotating bezel, features the four cardinal points at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, along with the 360-degree scale typical of compasses, reinforcing the adventurous spirit of the Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic. The case back is screw-down, as is the large crown, and features a beautiful engraving depicting the Route du Rhum course, the regatta’s logo and the limited edition number, which is 313 pieces. This number pays homage to the 13th edition of the sailing race.
THE TURQUOISE DIAL
However, it is the dial that gives the Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum its distinctive touch. It is turquoise in colour, a nod to the shades of the Caribbean seabed towards which the regatta is heading. The grené finish is enhanced by a decoration reminiscent of the flow of sea currents – in this case, oceanic currents. The turquoise colour is also found in the rubber coating of the winding crown, the cardinal points and the hour markers on the bezel, as well as in the textured rubber strap. The inside of the strap is turquoise, as are its sides; the outside is black with a pattern reminiscent of woven fabric. The strap is secured by a steel pin buckle.
Returning to the dial, the large hour and minute hands and the large hour markers are generously coated with luminescent material. The triangular hour marker at 12 o’clock echoes the Alpina logo, as does the red counterweight on the central seconds hand. A touch of red can also be found on the date disc, which appears in the window at 6 o’clock. Indeed, the number 13 of the month is in this colour, a further nod to the 13th edition of the Route du Rhum.
THE CALIBRE OF THE ALPINA SEASTRONG DIVER EXTREME AUTOMATIC X ROUTE DU RHUM
As for the movement, Alpina has opted for a tried-and-tested solution. Inside the case of the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum is the AL-525 automatic calibre, which is also found in other watches from the Seastrong collection as well as in the Alpiner. It is a movement developed by Alpina’s engineers based on the Sellita SW200-1a automatic calibre, widely used by various brands with different customisations in each case.
The appeal of this base calibre lies in its robustness and in the characteristics it retains even after various degrees of modification: 28,800 vibrations per hour, compactness and a modest power reserve (38 hours) – yet sufficient to guarantee precision and chronometric reliability in everyday use.
A SOLAR-POWERED ALPINER FOR THE ROUTE DU RHUM: THE PRICES OF THE TWO WATCHES
Speaking of calibres, for the ocean race Alpina offers more than just the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum. There is also a watch from the Alpiner collection, the Alpiner Extreme Solarmetre x Route du Rhum. As the name suggests, it is powered by the light-powered AL-140 calibre, developed on a La Joux-Perret base and widely used by Alpina in both the Alpiner and Startimer ranges. Thanks to the translucent dial, light charges the batteries located beneath it, which recharge as long as the dial receives light. It would take 10 consecutive months of total darkness for them to run out. Once exposed to light again, the watch takes just 10 seconds to restart, and a single minute of exposure is enough to ensure a full day’s operation.
The Alpiner Extreme Solarmetre x Route du Rhum shares several design features with the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum. It features a cushion-shaped case (37.5 mm in this instance), a carbon bezel, turquoise accents on the flange, a rubber strap, and a caseback engraved with the regatta route, with a limited edition of 513 pieces. Given its diameter and slim profile (10.2 mm), this watch is particularly well suited to smaller wrists.
The prices of the two watches are particularly attractive, in keeping with Alpina’s commitment to high-quality yet accessible watchmaking: € 2,195 for the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic x Route du Rhum, and € 1,095 for the Alpiner Extreme Solarmetre x Route du Rhum.
By Davide Passoni