Alpa was founded as an offshoot of Pignons S.A., a Swiss watch manufacturer. They made cameras starting in the 1930s using the same high standards as watchmakers, hand-crafting some of the finest photographic instruments of the era.

Alpa’s SLRs use a proprietary bayonet mount invented during this period. These SLRs gave Alpa claim to many firsts in the world of 35mm cameras, including first instant return mirror, TTL meter, and bayonet lens mounts.

Alpa’s sales greatly diminished in the 1970s, resulting in the company outsourcing production and abandoning the Alpa mount in favor of M42 and Pentax K options.