Alpina
Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Ice Carbon
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Alpina · Alpiner
Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Ice Carbon
Reference 11406OR.97
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Alpina
- Collection
- Alpiner
- Model
- Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Ice Carbon
- Reference number
- 11406OR.97
- Year / era
- 1992 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 31F — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1992 – 2008
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Ice Carbon sits within Alpina's Alpiner line, introduced in 1992. It carries the house codes established since 1883 — carbon tpt case, ice blue dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Alpina
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1883
- Founder
- Gottlieb Hauser
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Alpiner, Seastrong, Startimer, Comtesse
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- Quartz · Automatic COSC chronometer · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Notable watches
- Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Silvered Platinum (1955) · Alpina Alpiner 42 mm Black 18k (1966) · Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Ice Carbon (1992) · Alpina Alpiner 44 mm Salmon 18k (1961)
Brand history
Alpina has spent more than 143 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Alpiner, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Gottlieb Hauser established Alpina in 1883, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Alpina calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1883
Gottlieb Hauser founds Alpina in Switzerland.
1899
Alpina earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Alpina to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Alpina enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Alpina continues to produce Alpiner, Seastrong, Startimer and other icons in limited numbers.