Customer Reviews

Victorinox Swiss Army Men's 241396 Infantry Vintage Day and Date Mecha Watch

5 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I absolutely love it. Gorgeous watch with a self winding mechanical movement. It has a fairly smooth second hand, that looks like one long sweep unless you observe very closely, and see that it's something like 5 or so ticks per second.

Now, that said, know what you're buying: a MECHANICAL watch.

Springs and gears will never keep time like a quartz crystal. Even a $20k rolex will not be as accurate as a $40 casio, but that's not the reason to get a mechanical watch. You get a mechanical watch because you want the engineering involved in a fine swiss movement, and this watch delivers. Give it a few months to break in and she's plenty accurate. After 5 years, mechanical watches should be taken in to get a tuneup, kind of like a car. So, understand what you're buying when you get a watch with this sort of movement. Mine is very consistent. I've never had to wind it since I move around enough to keep it wound, and I have an office job, so it doesn't take much. I set it every two weeks or so to time.gov and she stays on track better than most mech watches double the price. Runs a weee bit fast, but still pretty darn good, especially for a mech. Highly recommended.

10 Jan 2012 UPDATE: I felt I had to update my review comments on this watch. In the first few months (even after the first month period of breaking-in that I mentioned), this watch was still a little fast by about 15-20 seconds a day. But I thought..."Well...OK. No problem. It's not my Omega..." and to my pleasant surprise, now mysteriously after a solid three months more of regular daily wear, this wonderful, comfortable watch has suddenly become a Stradivarius! I monitored it for about two weeks since I noticed this and it's now keeping time accurate to about 2 seconds per day as calibrated against the US Time <dot> gov signal (atomic clock). Amazing. It's behaving like some organic entity.
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This watch took about a month of steady wearing to bring out its subtle virtues. The Swiss have a well deserved reputation for watches and for precision engineering in general. This model of an Infantry Swiss Army Officer's watch will not harm that reputation. At first it seemed a little bulky and heavy but that soon passed. I realized it was due to my regular habit of wearing a somewhat lighter Omega Constellation Automatic everyday for years. This watch is a marvel of meticulous craftsmanship. Every feature from front to back is hand turned to tolerances of 1/10,000th. of an inch as opposed to the normal 1/1,000th. inch standards commonly used in even high end watches. Even the winding crown & stem functionality is impressive. The sapphire crystal front reveals an olive drab dial w/ yellow accents that are beautiful to the information-seeking eye and flawlessly constructed. The classy Arabic numerals around the face are aligned perfectly. The seconds' hash marks are perfect too. A narrow, northerly window gently arcs to frame the weekday full-name display that is...well...plain flawless. The back bezel is graced with a round crystal center-window that displays the working innards of this 25 jewel, 2834-Swiss automatic movement as it ticks away in all its glory. **
And, of course, it tells the time just fine and looks & feels comfortable with a supple brown leather wrist strap that breaks-in nicely. On the whole, if you want "bling" this isn't the watch for you considering its moderately pricey cost at about $500, but if you want the kind of uncompromising, understated technical accomplishment that has kept "Made in Switzerland" an coveted labeling subtext, then the Victorinox Swiss Army #241396 Infantry Vintage Day/Date (Mechanical) Watch is for you. I guarantee that you'll grow to appreciate it like a good folding knife or a favorite flyrod.

**(The one thing I don't understand is the reference "Swiss-quartz mechanical movement" in the Amazon product description---it can't be both a mechanical, jeweled movent and a quartz movement simultaneously. I called Amazon watch FAQs and the lady gave some "baloney-filled" explanation like she knew all about it but it made no technical sense at all...and I know watches. If anyone knows the answer, leave a comment. Lary9)
[THIS HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLVED. AMAZON'S DESCRIPTION IS INCORRECT AND CONFUSED IN REFERRING TO IT AS A QUARTZ MOVEMENT.]

This is a beautiful time piece! I am really happy with this purchase and am getting compliments from my co-workers starting on the first day that I wore it! The olive green dial is really understated and makes for a really nice and unique look. If you wear a lot of brown tones, this watch will have even more value for you since it goes so well and shows off that classy vintage look and feel.

Fit and finish are top-notch and I couldn't be any happier, a very solid piece. The genuine Swiss movement is exactly what you'd expect, durable and accurate (as automatic watches go), with a beautiful sweeping seconds hand that really adds to the elegance. I can't stop watching the movement, it's mesmerizing! The brown leather strap is very nicely made and goes very well with the olive green dial. I have ordered a butter-fly deployant for it to help keep the strap from getting worn out, but that's really just a personal preference. The lum is bright and long lasting and the full date window is a real highlight! I have pretty small wrists but the 44mm case does not look too bulky or awkward, it almost gives it a pilot watch feel, and I mean that in a good way!

You wont be disappointed with this great watch, it's great price for this top quality construction and Swiss ETA 2834-2 movement that you might easily pay 10x for!

This Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage is available in black dial or this, the green dial. I think the green dial is perfect for the name "Infantry Vintage" and wearing a brown leather strap makes it a classic. The 44mm size makes a good fit for large wrists and the strap would fit wrists up to 8.5" or so. I have to say here that the dial is much more detailed and attractive than the pictures reveal, the lume makes the markers and hands glow for hours and the day and date are easily readable. If I have a critical remark, it is the crown protector, as it does make any manual winding a bit harder, but that isn't used often.

I purchased this watch about three weeks ago, and it's quickly become my favorite. Perhaps an operator error is involved in the "slow date" review, because my watch switches both day and date in seconds at midnight. Much faster than my VJ7750 Hamilton or my Miyota based autos. I had an Ambassador Day and Date (same movement smaller case and blue face) for a while and it was the same - look away for a second and it's changed at midnight! These autos are based on the ETA 2834-2 movement, as are the Hamilton day and date models with similar appearance. That is one solid movement!

The Lume is terrific and lasts hours. The dial is a real attractive look, with details in the textures and markers that are not done justice by the pictures. It's a great match to the leather band. A classic look, a big readable dial and a quality product!

If it appeals to you, don't hesitate!

This is a beautiful time piece that I purchased March 8, 2011. It stopped working 6/2/2011. When I wind the watch it feels different from when it used to work. The fly-wheel has also stopped spinning when the watch is moved. The seconds hand is stuck at 6. I will likely have to send to a dealer because I don't think Amazon will take care of this for me.