Founded in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser, Alpina develops, produces and assembles its movements in-house at its Geneva Manufacture. In 1938 the watchmaker “invented the modern sport watch” with the introduction of the Alpina 4 − the number ‘4’ stood for the four core principles (anti-magnetism, water-resistance, anti-shock and stainless steel case) that each watch in the series had to have.
Today Alpina’s four core principles are upheld “in the relentless pursuit of timepieces meeting exacting standards to participate in the most demanding sporting activities such as alpine sports, aviation, diving and yachting”.
Lion Brands founder Graeme Goldman said Alpina’s sports watch pedigree makes it an ideal fit for the Australian market.
“Sport is inextricably linked to the DNA of Australasian culture,” he said. “Alpina timepieces are not only perfectly suited to the discerning taste of our consumers but will further add to our Swiss multi-brand strategy and perfectly complement our current suite of brands. This is turn allows our retail partners to profit from all price segments of the watch market.”
He added that Alpina would enhance Lion Brands’ position in the luxury watch segment and provide “a compelling alternative” in the marketplace.
“We look forward to building the brand into a major player in Australia and New Zealand.”
Lion brands, which was founded by Goldman in 2011, also currently distributes 88 Rue Du Rhone, Bell & Ross, Claude Bernard, Eberhard & Co, Edox, Glycine, Luminox, Victorinox Swiss Army and Wenger.