Let me start by admitting I’m not the target audience for most smartwatch manufacturers. I feel that I already have more than enough technology in all other areas of my life and I generally prefer my watches to be watches, not gadgets.
That said, I do appreciate the functionality of smart watches – most of my family members have and use smart watches regularly. The tech is truly impressive, I’ve just chosen not to incorporate it into my watches.
Until now… well, partially.
After seeing some of the early writeups of its release at Basel earlier this year, I was intrigued by the new AlpinerX hybrid sport watch by Alpina. Here seemed to be a smart watch designed for people like me. It looks like an analog watch. It’s an actual tool – big, rugged and WR enough for common outdoorsy land and water activities. It has adequate added functionality to be useful as a tool, without attempting to be an extension of – or replacement for – a phone.
And there were a couple of bonuses from my perspective. It is made by Alpina, a brand I own and have come to respect for their quality, design, in-house movements, and value. Second, this watch was taking a novel approach to launch, for interesting reasons. Alpina chose to sell their initial batch of AlpinerX via Kickstarter. Why? It wasn’t for the start up cash (they are an established brand that is a part of the Citizen group). Instead, they used the format to solicit feedback from ultimate end users during the development process. I’ve read that many of the suggestions were actually incorporated into the end product. I also have to believe that using Kickstarter opened up a broader customer base than they may have had otherwise.
The 2,800 or so project backers got early access at a significant discount to what will be the retail price of around CHF 900 when the watch is officially launched in September 2018. The earliest backers got the steepest discounts. I jumped in around the middle and paid CHF 560, which included a second strap of my choosing. Speaking of choosing, the other cool thing with this watch is the fact that you get to design your own build… choosing your own color/finish combinations of case, dial, rehaut, bezel, hands strap and buckle. You essentially get to create your own custom watch. Sweet.
After backing the project in mid-April, my watch arrived yesterday. First impressions are favorable. Here are a few of my initial thoughts after having the watch for 24 hours…
It’s big – 45mm – but not crazy heavy. The fiberglass/stainless case is lightweight and the heft is also helped by the electronic movement, so it feels well balanced on the wrist and wears a little smaller than I would expect from a 45mm’er. Overall, the build feels very solid.
Aesthetically, it’s pleasing for a sport watch. It actually looks even better in person that in the photos. The ability to customize the build can give the watch a variety of different looks – from the very sporty to the somewhat refined. Alpina has an online configurator that lets you build and visualize your watch in real time. Most of the “smart” features are viewed in a digital window above the 6. Here's my build:
In terms of features, it’s pretty crazy how much they pack into what appears to be an analog watch. They accomplish it partially by pushing a lot of the settings and configuration to a companion phone app. The app is also used for the graphs and charts of your activities, if you choose to track them. The watch pairs to the phone via Bluetooth, which was quick and stable. The app user interface is pretty intuitive and the graphing & reporting is easy to grasp. One nice thing about the app is its ability for Alpina to download software and functionality updates and push them automatically to the watch. That means as they develop new features for the AlpinerX, they simply appear on your watch (and app).
The functions of the AlpinerX are lumped into 3 general categories:
1) Time & Notification – analog clock, digital clock, world time, chrono, count up/down, notifications for calls, texts and other supported apps.
2) Body – activity tracking (w/ phone-linked GPS functionality), dynamic coach, sleep monitoring, smart alarms
3) Environment – altimeter, barometer, thermometer, UV indicator, compass (this one is cool – digital and analog)
Alpina realized that having all of these available functions could be overwhelming, so the app allows the user not only to select which ones you do or don’t want on your watch, but also to define which order you want to see them as you scroll through the options. A very nice touch.
You toggle through the different smart functions with a single tap of the main crown. The upper/lower pushers are used for sub-functions. “What about the hands getting in the way of the digital window?” you might ask… Ha! Well this is something – whenever you start toggling, the hands move out of the way until you are done using the digital screen, and they then smartly return to their previous position!
So in a nutshell, so far so good. Although I’ve set and calibrated all of the functions, I haven’t yet had an opportunity to try them all out. I’ll update this little review as I find information to add.
I look forward to becoming more familiar with this amazing little machine.
Thanks for reading!
That said, I do appreciate the functionality of smart watches – most of my family members have and use smart watches regularly. The tech is truly impressive, I’ve just chosen not to incorporate it into my watches.
Until now… well, partially.
After seeing some of the early writeups of its release at Basel earlier this year, I was intrigued by the new AlpinerX hybrid sport watch by Alpina. Here seemed to be a smart watch designed for people like me. It looks like an analog watch. It’s an actual tool – big, rugged and WR enough for common outdoorsy land and water activities. It has adequate added functionality to be useful as a tool, without attempting to be an extension of – or replacement for – a phone.
And there were a couple of bonuses from my perspective. It is made by Alpina, a brand I own and have come to respect for their quality, design, in-house movements, and value. Second, this watch was taking a novel approach to launch, for interesting reasons. Alpina chose to sell their initial batch of AlpinerX via Kickstarter. Why? It wasn’t for the start up cash (they are an established brand that is a part of the Citizen group). Instead, they used the format to solicit feedback from ultimate end users during the development process. I’ve read that many of the suggestions were actually incorporated into the end product. I also have to believe that using Kickstarter opened up a broader customer base than they may have had otherwise.
The 2,800 or so project backers got early access at a significant discount to what will be the retail price of around CHF 900 when the watch is officially launched in September 2018. The earliest backers got the steepest discounts. I jumped in around the middle and paid CHF 560, which included a second strap of my choosing. Speaking of choosing, the other cool thing with this watch is the fact that you get to design your own build… choosing your own color/finish combinations of case, dial, rehaut, bezel, hands strap and buckle. You essentially get to create your own custom watch. Sweet.
After backing the project in mid-April, my watch arrived yesterday. First impressions are favorable. Here are a few of my initial thoughts after having the watch for 24 hours…
It’s big – 45mm – but not crazy heavy. The fiberglass/stainless case is lightweight and the heft is also helped by the electronic movement, so it feels well balanced on the wrist and wears a little smaller than I would expect from a 45mm’er. Overall, the build feels very solid.
Aesthetically, it’s pleasing for a sport watch. It actually looks even better in person that in the photos. The ability to customize the build can give the watch a variety of different looks – from the very sporty to the somewhat refined. Alpina has an online configurator that lets you build and visualize your watch in real time. Most of the “smart” features are viewed in a digital window above the 6. Here's my build:
In terms of features, it’s pretty crazy how much they pack into what appears to be an analog watch. They accomplish it partially by pushing a lot of the settings and configuration to a companion phone app. The app is also used for the graphs and charts of your activities, if you choose to track them. The watch pairs to the phone via Bluetooth, which was quick and stable. The app user interface is pretty intuitive and the graphing & reporting is easy to grasp. One nice thing about the app is its ability for Alpina to download software and functionality updates and push them automatically to the watch. That means as they develop new features for the AlpinerX, they simply appear on your watch (and app).
The functions of the AlpinerX are lumped into 3 general categories:
1) Time & Notification – analog clock, digital clock, world time, chrono, count up/down, notifications for calls, texts and other supported apps.
2) Body – activity tracking (w/ phone-linked GPS functionality), dynamic coach, sleep monitoring, smart alarms
3) Environment – altimeter, barometer, thermometer, UV indicator, compass (this one is cool – digital and analog)
Alpina realized that having all of these available functions could be overwhelming, so the app allows the user not only to select which ones you do or don’t want on your watch, but also to define which order you want to see them as you scroll through the options. A very nice touch.
You toggle through the different smart functions with a single tap of the main crown. The upper/lower pushers are used for sub-functions. “What about the hands getting in the way of the digital window?” you might ask… Ha! Well this is something – whenever you start toggling, the hands move out of the way until you are done using the digital screen, and they then smartly return to their previous position!
So in a nutshell, so far so good. Although I’ve set and calibrated all of the functions, I haven’t yet had an opportunity to try them all out. I’ll update this little review as I find information to add.
I look forward to becoming more familiar with this amazing little machine.
Thanks for reading!
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