If you don’t have a blue lagoon right outside your front door, fear not: Alpina’s new Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT will whisk you away to one. Fitted with the ultra-robust case from Alpina’s outdoor Extreme line for the first time, the timepiece also features a GMT function, making it ready to travel anywhere. Two automatic models displaying the date thus join the Seastrong collection, both housed in a steel case with a ceramic bezel on a black rubber strap. The first comes with a silver dial while the second sports a black dial. The 39×40.50mm cushion format is both strong and compact, making it perfect for water sports and urban settings alike.
The new Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT really does deliver the best of both worlds. On the one hand, there’s the original DNA of a certified dive watch equipped with a screw-down caseback (making it water-resistant to 300 metres), a screw-down crown with grip, luminous hands and hour markers, and a notched bidirectional bezel.
All this is now accompanied by Alpina’s flagship design, the Extreme case. Compact, assertive and a veteran of all forms of outdoor pursuits, the case has been integrated into the Seastrong Diver GMT line for the first time. It’s a natural and obvious move: how could a case designed for outdoor adventures not encounter the dive watch that spans every ocean on the planet?
One movement and three time bands
This match made in adventurer heaven has given birth to two models. Each features a complication that’s the perfect companion to the genre: GMT, displayed here in no-nonsense fashion by means of a second central hours hand.
The solution is simple and straightforward to understand: the traditional trio of central hours, minutes and seconds hands denote the time wherever the wearer is on their travels; the date window at 6 o’clock is naturally synchronised with this time band.
Alongside this comes the additional hours hand, distinguished by its triangular red tip echoing the Alpina logo, denoting the second time band – often the time back at base, known as the ‘home time zone’. No additional controls are required to operate the GMT function: everything is done via the single, secure crown at 3 o’clock. Relentless travellers in need of a third time band can always use the bezel to keep track, too; what’s more, its 24-hour markings feature a day/night indication. Rotating the bezel allows the third time zone to be read off directly from the position of the GMT hand, making the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT the first Alpina watch to have a bezel displaying a third time band.
A family likeness
The two watches share a certain family likeness in stylistic terms. Both use the 39×40.50mm case with the alternating polished and brushed surface finishings characteristic of fine Geneva watchmaking. To this, both versions add a textured rubber strap fitted with a deployment clasp secured by a push button.
The two models sport a matt black ceramic bezel that can withstand any number of bumps and ward off scratches, inscribed with polished relief-engraved figures. Located at 3 o’clock, the crown comes with a rubber grip to ensure it can be grasped firmly, even when wearing diving gloves.
The dials of both models are embossed with Alpina’s signature triangular motif; the difference resides in the colour of the dial, which comes in a choice of silver or black.
Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT Technical Specifications
Reference
- AL-560LG3VE6
- AL-560B3VE6
- RRP 2495€
Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT
Movement
- AL-560 caliber, automatic
- 50-hour power-reserve, 28’800 alt/h, 25 jewels
Case
- Brushed and polished stainless steel 3-part case
- Diameter of 39X40.50 mm
- Height of 12,80 mm
- Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Ceramic mat black GMT bidirectional rotating bezel
- Water-resistant up to 30 ATM/300m/1000ft
- Threaded solid case back with Seastrong pattern engraving
- Screw-down crown
Dial
- Silver colour dial with triangle pattern
- Silver colour outer ring with black markers
- Applied silver colour indexes filled with white luminous treatment
- Date window at 6 o’clock
- Hand-polished silver colour hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment
- Polished silver color second hand with red triangle
- Polished silver color GMT hand with red triangle filled with white luminous treatment
Strap
- Black rubber strap
- Folding buckle with push button
ABOUT ALPINA – THE ORIGINAL SPORTS WATCH SINCE 1883
Founded in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser, Alpina is a Swiss watchmaking house based in Geneva belonging to the Frederique Constant Group, itself part of the Citizen Group. Alpina – which celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2023 – has emerged as a pioneer in the world of sport, characterised by a spirit of adventure and innovation. In 1938, the brand invented the concept of the sports watch with its Alpina 4: impact-resistant, non-magnetic, water-resistant, and made of stainless steel, it brought together the four key components of the genre.
Since its origins, Alpina’s mission has been to design luxury sports watches delivering exceptional accuracy and reliability in extreme environments. Today, this commitment is upheld in three different realms: the air (the Startimer collection), the sea (the Seastrong collection) and the Earth, with the Alpiner collection. These were joined in 2023 by the Heritage collection, which pays tribute to the brand’s legacy watches. All these sports timepieces stand out for their value, refined finishings, and careful pricing.
Alpina has built up robust partnerships reflecting its enduring commitment to the mountain environment – a constant source of inspiration – as well as a team of athletes and other friends of the brand. They are united by a common ambition: scaling new heights in the most challenging conditions.