Alpina
Alpina Comtesse 39 mm Meteorite Platinum
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 · Comtesse
Alpina Comtesse 39 mm Meteorite Platinum
Reference 78920OR.42
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Alpina
- Collection
- Comtesse
- Model
- Alpina Comtesse 39 mm Meteorite Platinum
- Reference number
- 78920OR.42
- Year / era
- 1960 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Quartz
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 73D — Quartz
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1960 – 1976
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Alpina Comtesse 39 mm Meteorite Platinum sits within Alpina's Comtesse line, introduced in 1960. It carries the house codes established since 1883 — platinum 950 case, meteorite dial and quartz — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
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.