Reply With QuoteI have the Highlife - great watch, terrible resell and I paid £600 for new off ebay so don't pay retail.
Which one would you choose?
Last edited by Cybotron; 27th December 2023 at 14:38.
I have the Highlife - great watch, terrible resell and I paid £600 for new off ebay so don't pay retail.
I’d go for the Alpina, FC are a late eighties brand, while Alpina have a storied history and have been producing military and high end modern sport watches - using the same case maker as Patek - since the early thirties.
Surely you can't use that to convince yourself to like the Alpina more than the FC if you prefer the FC aesthetic?Originally Posted by M4tt
Furthermore Frederique Constant used to own Alpina before they were both bought by Citizen.
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...though, if we're being ungenerous, it could be said that Alpina are just one of Citizen's boutique brands now...
Though the reality is they are great watches in the metal (I've owned two), and exceptional value for money.
The Alpina gets my vote (although the FC does look rather nice too). I am a bit bias as I have the Alpina Extreme Regulator; the case has some great details.
I’m sure you are both right, however, there were not many companies making watches like this
in the mid to late thirties.
There are very few manufactures that made it though the seventies and eighties in their original form, but they still have histories and their own style cues. In this case, the Alpina 4, one of the very first sport and pilot watches, seems to be being rather well revisited in much the same way as Zenith are revisiting their quite similar, and also Borgel cased, pilot’s watches.
It seems to me that all those companies with history to raid have every right to do so even if, like longines, Tissot, Omega and a host of others, that history is a bit complicated.
Last edited by M4tt; 27th December 2023 at 17:16.
The FC has too much writing on the dial. It completely messes up the globe design, and having CHRONOMETER in red against a dark green background is horrible.
I don’t like having the globe design in the first place but if you’re going to have it, at least don’t mess it up.
The Alpina isn’t as bad, but it beats me why they put the red pointer on the wrong end of the seconds hand.
They both look like they don't take standard straps so I'd say neither.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
The FC.
Neither do it for me but as a brand, I think Alpina has a more interesting catalogue and history. All a matter of personal taste, of course.
It has to be Alpina
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I quite like the Alpina case design with the brushed finish, also the dial looks nice with that triangular pattern. Oddly, both the minute and second hand are misaligned, which is strange for a promotional photo.
Also, both watches have a half decent placement of the date window, which cannot be said about too many watches these days.
The FC also has a nice case and the little bits I see from the bracelet look nice, but I cannot get past the dial. The idea with the globe is nice, but it somehow doesn't work at all in practice (for me).
Of those two, the Alpina - does it also come with a bracelet?
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
I don't mind the look of that particular Alpina however I would have to go with the FC Highlife. FC are all in house movements, be aware that the strap/bracelet on the Highlife is an integrated strap so you will not be able to swap out the strap/bracelet with an after market type unless it is a FC Highlife strap of say another colour. FC do a very nice Highlife 3 sub dial chrono btw, worth a look? As others have said which ever you decide to go for BUY SECOND HAND as residuals for both manufactures are horrendous, so you had better love the watch. One last thing, don't forget we will need pictures of the one you end up with & good luck!
The three dial was only £1400 in the John Lewis sale.
Alpina for me.
Better design and better name.
Cheers,
Neil.
I've owned several Alpinas and they're always good, especially the pilot series. In this case though I do prefer the look of the FC, especially the profile of the bracelet where it meets the head. The strap choice on the Alpina will very restricted.
FC for me.
It would definitely be second hand as both brands take a huge hit. FC isn't all in-house. They use sellita movements also.
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