Wearables

Victorinox launches "ready for anything" Inox rugged watch

Victorinox launches "ready for anything" Inox rugged watch
The Inox rugged watch from Victorinox
The Inox rugged watch from Victorinox
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The Inox is further strengthened with a removable protective cover made of nylon and silicone
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The Inox is further strengthened with a removable protective cover made of nylon and silicone
The Victorinox Inox on display at Baselworld 2014
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The Victorinox Inox on display at Baselworld 2014
The crown is protected by a slightly elevated bezel, as is the crystal
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The crown is protected by a slightly elevated bezel, as is the crystal
The Inox watch has been put through 130 tests of endurance, including being driven over by a 25-ton truck
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The Inox watch has been put through 130 tests of endurance, including being driven over by a 25-ton truck
A 43 mm (1.7 in) solid steel machined case that's been sculpted and polished to catch the light houses a Swiss-made Ronda 715 quartz movement
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A 43 mm (1.7 in) solid steel machined case that's been sculpted and polished to catch the light houses a Swiss-made Ronda 715 quartz movement
The Inox has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
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The Inox has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
The watch is further strengthened with a removable protective cover made of nylon and silicone
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The watch is further strengthened with a removable protective cover made of nylon and silicone
The Inox can resist up to 2 hours in a sandstorm
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The Inox can resist up to 2 hours in a sandstorm
The Inox watch, with and without its protective cover
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The Inox watch, with and without its protective cover
The Inox will continue to operate in temperatures ranging from -51 °C to +71°C
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The Inox will continue to operate in temperatures ranging from -51 °C to +71°C
The Inox rugged watch from Victorinox
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The Inox rugged watch from Victorinox
The Victorinox Inox will come in a choice of black, green or blue dial colors
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The Victorinox Inox will come in a choice of black, green or blue dial colors
There's a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, under which sits a sealed single piece dial with stamped indexes
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There's a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, under which sits a sealed single piece dial with stamped indexes
The Inox should stay watertight to a depth of 200 m (660 ft)
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The Inox should stay watertight to a depth of 200 m (660 ft)
View gallery - 14 images

Victorinox Swiss Army has launched a new watch collection at this year's Baselworld in Switzerland. Pitched as a rugged companion for life, the Inox comes with the knowledge that it has survived over a hundred toughness tests, including being run over by a tank, dropped onto concrete, exposed to temperature extremes and thrown into the middle of a sandstorm for a couple of hours.

Victorinox was founded in 1884, and started shipping knives to the Swiss Army some 7 years later. It didn't move into the timepiece space until 1989, though, with the Swiss Army Original watch. The first part of the family-owned company name represents a tribute to founder Karl Elsener's mother, Victoria, while the ending is an abbreviation of the French term for stainless steel, an invention that greatly helped with the development and success of the now iconic Swiss Army knife. It's also the name given to the company's new "made to last" timekeeper, the Inox.

The Inox watch is said to echo the robustness and reliability of its Swiss Army knives, and has been put through 130 tests of endurance, including 30 that were specifically designed to prove that the timepiece is built to last. The timepiece will happily cope with a drop from 10 m (33 ft) onto a concrete surface, can survive a 64-ton Swiss Army tank rolling over it (though the wearer is unlikely to) and brush off two hours in a washing machine, or a similar time in a sandstorm.

The Inox watch has been put through 130 tests of endurance, including being driven over by a 25-ton truck
The Inox watch has been put through 130 tests of endurance, including being driven over by a 25-ton truck

It should stay watertight to a depth of 200 m (660 ft), continue to operate in temperatures ranging from -51 °C to +71°C (-60 to 160 °F), and be good for 12G of acceleration or deceleration. It's also been tortured with corrosive chemicals like gasoline, solvent oils, cleaning products and insecticides.

A 43 mm (1.7 in) solid steel machined case that's been sculpted and polished to catch the light houses a Swiss-made Ronda 715 quartz movement. There's a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, under which sits a sealed single piece dial with stamped indexes with military time markers in red on the flange. The famous Victorinox cross and shield is positioned at 12 o'clock, and the date window is situated between 4 and 5 o'clock markers.

Victorinox has reinforced the axis and the attachment of the luminescent hour and minute hands, protected the horns against warping, and solidified the crossbar. The crown is protected by a slightly elevated bezel, as is the crystal. The watch is further strengthened with a removable protective cover made of nylon and silicone.

The Inox watch, with and without its protective cover
The Inox watch, with and without its protective cover

The Victorinox Inox will come in a choice of black, green or blue dial colors, with matching straps, and will be available from September this year for an as yet undisclosed price.

Source: Victorinox

View gallery - 14 images
10 comments
10 comments
Anne Ominous
Well, I hate to have to tell this to the Victorinox folks, but Swiss Army knives are hardly known for "robustness and reliability".
I've been using them since I was a kid, and they are USEFUL as hell. But robust and reliable? Not. Actually, they are pretty flimsy, especially the knife part. Normally you would expect that to be the most robust part, but not these. The other tools are handy, but if I need a "robust and reliable" knife, I use something else.
Slowburn
I have always found my Victorinox pocket tools robust and reliable.
Morgan Davis
I don't wear a watch anymore. I have devices galore when I need to know what time it is. I use Victorinox Knives all the time. Stick to the metal boys, forget the timepieces.
pjp52Lex
Great watches when they work with the world’s worst warrantee! I Received a watch this Christmas as a gift, one feature wasn’t working, They wouldn’t repair it under warrantee because I could not send them a receipt (for this gift) even though it was very evident the watch was never worn.
mediabeing
I hope the makers of then new 'ready for anything watch h' are ready for its wild and uncontrolled non-sales. I mean...it's ugly, as in not very attractive.
How stupid, for them to work on a super watch, but have it look like poop. Way to go, Victorinox! Way to show us just how out of touch you are.
Jay_Wilson
On the one hand, the Inox may be a fine watch but if I’m being run over by a tank in the middle of a 160º sandstorm the last thing I’m going to worry about is my watch.
On the other hand, my heirs will have something to remember me by.
oldbilbo
Fine. Looks interesting. However, pages of blurb about sandstorms, proof against 200 atmospheres, EMPs and tanks..... but not a word on how accurately it keeps time, or how regular is its 'rate'.
There are other things I can wear on my wrists, but the one service I want from a wristwatch is accurate time.
duh3000
1 fun comment. Thank you J_W. 1 positive contribution. From slowburn ! Bravo. And some general moaning. I think we can do better.
Charlie Channels
To oldbilbo: Well, if swiss watches are famous for something is their accuracy (don't you still use the expression "as accurate as a swiss watch"?). I still do not know any friend of friend or relative (or anyone, actually) complaining of an inaccurate swiss watch. To Anne: I am the proud owner of some swiss army knives, heavily used and without a hint of rust. My first knife actually was a gift from my father, in 1980: I still have it and use it. Of course they must be given a minimal bit of care (as with anything else in life!) which will be more than enough to keep them sharp and shiny. Now for the watch: I intend to stay away from tanks, but I surely can unintentionally hit my watch with a tool or wall or rock, or drop it in a pool. It can be pushed off a table, or dropped in the beer cooler. Still it sure would be comforting to know you will be able to tell time....accurately (right, oldbilbo?)
Joe Sobotka
Ugly? I don't think so, although its not "elegant" but something that sturdy I wouldn't expect to be elegant. However for the exorbitant amount of money I'm sure they're going to charge, they should have added Tritium tubes on the hands and the dial. I would like to know what kind of movement it has though. I’m sure it’s a Swiss movement, but would like to know if they added anything special to the movement. I guess its not any kind of new design, because the article didn’t mention it, or how well it actually keeps time (seconds, minutes per month/year, losses/gains).