Alpina @ The “Full Black” Alpiner 4 Manufacture Flyback Chronograph

With the launch of its first in-house Manufacture Flyback Chronograph at Baselworld 2015, Alpina celebrated an important première in its 132 years history. With its AL-760 patented “Direct Flyback Technology” automatic flyback caliber, Alpina not only introduced its first in-house chronograph caliber, but also innovated and ingeniously simplified the flyback and return to zero mechanism. As a 2016 pre-Baselworld novelty preview, Alpina is now proud to present its new full black AL-760 Alpiner 4 Manufacture Flyback Chronograph. Generally, Chronographs of all kinds are based on perfectly standard watch movements, notably in a Lépine design with a small-seconds hand opposite the winding and setting crown. On wristwatches, this hand appears in a sub-dial at 9 o'clock. Watchmakers can mount this sophisticated mechanism, which enables time intervals to be measured without stopping the main movement, immediately under the dial or at the back of the watch. The position chosen has no influence on the stop function. Traditionally, the industry recognises two different modes of construction of a chronograph mechanism: integral and modular, fixed to the watch movement. The latter has the advantage of offering greater flexibility, as it can be fitted, after appropriate adaptation, to a wide variety of hand-wound and automatic calibres. Furthermore, the chronograph assembly can be pre-mounted and tested independently of the “power unit” used, and if necessary even completely replaced. This saves time and hence also costs.