For 25 years, Matt Baily Watch Merchant has been a relaxing, luxurious shopping destination in the heart of downtown Montreal, Canada. Over the years, Matt has strived to introduce new and exclusive brands to the Canadian market. This year, a new addition to a list that already includes such prominent names as Azimuth, TB Buti, and Calgaro, is Alpina Geneve.
Hailing from the watching mecca, Switzerland, Alpina derives from a long and rich tradition. Watchmaker Gottlieb Hauser, discovering that a group was far more effective than an individual, founded the Swiss Watchmaker Corporation in 1883. This group had the joint goal of purchasing watch components to get better prices and distributing finished products together as a group in order to market them successfully. The concept quickly found recognition, and within just a short time numerous watchmakers had joined the co-operative. Together with qualified manufacturers, they began to develop their own calibers. By 1896 Alpina was registered as a trademark for movements and cases, and in 1901 it was introduced as the trade brand name of the group.
In 2008, Alpina is renewing its watch making tradition, which has been the cornerstone of the brand's revival success amongst watch enthusiasts and trade professionals alike, and launches a brand-new manufacture calibre, the Al-950, in a new collection: the Alpina Regulator Manufacture.
Alpina Geneve is celebrating its 125th anniversary with the inauguration of the first movement to be made entirely in its own workshops. While this new timepiece was inspired by the distinctive angular design of the celebrated Extreme Avalanche Regulator, it reveals its own touch of originality:
Never before has this exclusive, high-end brand been readily available in Canada. "We think Alpina is a really exciting line and we're proud to have it in our store," says Matt Baily, owner of Matt Baily Watch Merchant Boutique.
