The story of Alpina was originally brought to life when Swiss watch making visionary Gottlieb Hauser founded the “Alpina Swiss Watchmakers Corporation,” and in doing so united the leading Swiss independent watchmakers, who became known as the “Alpinists.” Initially, the Corporation was developed to optimize the manufacturing of movements and timepieces by forming a federating of cooperating manufacturers and suppliers, but Alpina soon started developing and producing in-house calibres and chronometers. In 2006, Alpina moved to a purpose built, hi-tech manufacturing plant in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva to produce, assemble, and test its watches in-house.