Luxury watches and motorsport. It’s a pairing we see a lot, but one we expect from brands like TAG Heuer and Tissot who are already famously established as official timekeepers of motor racing teams. What we don’t expect is a vintage dive watch manufacturer to be the next crowd pleaser launching a motorsport-inspired timepiece. Regardless of our own expectations, Alsta have just announced an exciting collaboration with motorcyclist and veteran watch journalist Allen Farmelo with the new the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch.
If you frequent watch blog websites similar to Horologii, then it’s likely you’ve come across Allen Farmelo before. He is the co-founder of Beyond The Dial and has guest-written on several other platforms reviewing some of the latest luxury watch releases. He also started up his own Instagram page where he began to pair watches with his motorcycles, one of which is a Ducati SuperSport 900. His passion for motorcycles and watches caught the attention of Alsta’s CEO Angus MacFadyen who reached out and suggested a collaboration. A week later and the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch was in the works.
“I had about 30 years to dream up this watch, because I’ve literally been thinking about the perfect motorcycle watch for about that long. Of course, you start with a dive watch, but it has to be modified significantly to work on a bike” – Allen Farmelo
So, let’s take a look at the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch. At first glance, it appears characteristically Alsta. It’s ratcheted bezel, curved case shape and legible dial are all distinctively part of Alsta’s DNA but then you notice the water resistant marking, the 12-hour timing scale and the left-handed crown and realise this is no thoughtless collaboration but a deliberate design very much tailored to the wrists of motorcyclists.
The 40 millimetre 316L stainless steel case greets you with handsome circular brushed finishing and a bi-directional ratcheted bezel with a black aluminium insert. To allow for swift and safe settings with gloves on, the bezel is engineered with minute ratcheting and embossed on top, a 12-hour GMT timing scale permits riders to track elapsed hours, minutes or a second time zone while travelling. The crown has also been purposely placed on the left hand side of the case, so the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch doesn’t dig into the wrist while riding. To secure the watch in place, a perforated leather strap is added, a material standard on many motorcycle leathers and allowing for sought-after airflow on hot days.
At the centre, the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch continues to salute its target audience with a clever marking which replaces its classic water resistant rating to display the distance travelled at a speed of 120 miles per hour: 176 ft = 53.6 m / sec. The smooth black dial also opts for no date window, “because no cyclist wants a reminder that Monday is approaching” and its indexes are fashioned into a sharper shape to match the rest of the design’s aggressive finish. The indexes and hands and treated with blue Superluminova and housed beneath scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass. The glass is treated with a layer of anti-reflective coating to assure easy legibility in direct sunlight.
Driving the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch is the Seiko NH35 automatic winding movement which promises effortless running of the hour, minutes and seconds hands. It is kept housed beneath a screw down case back which has been uniquely engraved with the Alsta logo and the lettering “Beyond the Dial” and “The Aesthetic Revolution Will Be Beautiful” – a reference to Beyond the Dial’s ethos. The mechanical movement also provides 24 jewels, a frequency of 21,600vph and a power reserve of 41 hours.
If you’d like to learn more about the Alsta Motoscaphe 120 watch and get your hands on your own, head over to the Jura Watches website here. You can also get in touch with the team for any assistance by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 40mm
- Case Material: 316L stainless steel
- Bezel: Bi-directional, ratcheted 12 hour scale
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screw down with special engraving
- Movement: Seiko NH35 automatic
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
- Power Reserve: 41 hours
- Jewels: 24
- Frequency: 21,600vph
- Dial: Black with blue Superluminova hands and indexes
- Strap: Black perforated leather
- RRP: TBC
