Customer Reviews

Victorinox Swiss Army Men's Infantry Mechanical Self-winding Leather Watch #24695

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've owned the Swiss Army Infantry Watch # 24695 for about three weeks and have had no problems with it other than having to re-adjust the date because November ends on the 30th but the watch advanced to the 31st the next day. I noticed on the Dec 2nd the watch said the 1st. I guess this will have to be adjusted after every month ending on the 30th and February the 28th.

There is one error in Amazon's description above saying the crystal is mineral. The instruction book and other websites I've seen the 24695 advertised on, indicate the watch has a sapphire crystal. Also it says Sapphire Crystal right on the back of the watch.

The first week I had it I wound it once. I didn't wear it for two days and the watch stopped. The watch automatically winds itself from the movement caused by your arm moving. Don't worry you can't overwind it while its on your wrist. There is slip clutch inside that prevents overwinding. Somewhere I thought I read the watch will run about 48 hours if it is sitting on your dresser. If you wear it everyday you will never have to wind it.

The leather band was nice but I had a jeweler shop swap it out for a silver stretch band. I have unusually skinny wrists and buckle band straps never did fit me right.

The watch makes no noise when it runs, unless my hearing is bad?...

One other thing is you have to make sure when you first set it that your on the right time of day in order for the date & day to flip to the next day & date. The day & date changes at around 12:01:08 am. (Eight seconds past 12:01 am). Mine was off twelve hours so I had to adujust it ahead when the day & date didn't change till the next day at noon time.

The days are printed in English and Spanish.

The back of the case is clear and you can see the intricate parts moving. I don't intend on swimming with on or showering with it on, but it is waterproof to something like 300 feet {100 meters} of water.

I am happy overall with the 24695. I wish a silver or white face were available on this model number. WIth it being winter I haven't really looked at the watch outside in the dark, because of wearing jackets and long sleeve shirts, but the black face with white number and hands should be able to be seen alright as long as there is some available light outside.

The hands and dots inline with the numbers are luminous. Hold the watch up to a light bulb then turn it off and they will glow. The numbers do not glow. In place of the number 12 is the red & Silver Swiss Army shield logo. Because of the placement of the Swiss Army logo and the date & day, the numbers 23, 24, 12, 13 and 15 are not on the inner dial display for the 24 hour military time.

My watch was shipped from Texas. The price is certainly right on Amazon.com

I checked at a Macy's store (in Chicago & Orland Park, IL.) one day and the 24695 would have cost $495.00 + tax. Same goes for a few of the local Jewelery stores that carried the 24695.

Update: January 19th the watch is still working great. It looks like the value went up since I purchased mine. I paid around $280 including shipping..

Update: January 12, 2012 My Swiss Army Infantry 24695 is still running good. I was at the movies last week and the watch was impossible to read during the movie..

I have always used digital watches, but I wanted to upgrade to something sporty looking. This is a beautiful watch and I like the fact that I will never have to change a battery. Downside: it gains at least a minute of time every week.

I've owned Swiss Army watches before and am impressed by their simply beauty & superb quality. Both my previous watches are operating just fine... couldn't resist the classic good looks of this watch & self winding is a bonus.

I get mad as hell when I read reviews of a watch, such as this one, and people cry and moan that their new Swiss Army is gaining one minute a week or maybe 10 seconds a day. Some people even send it back to the factory or back to Amazon and want a refund. Almost every watch I've ever bought, this includes Rolex and Omega and Seiko, has gained up to 10 seconds a day. What do I do, Cry? No, I take care of business.

I've had this model Victorinox, ETA movement 2836-2 for just over a month and it had gained more than 10 seconds a day. I regulated it. I got it down to plus 7 seconds a day but not good enough so regulated again and ran plus 3 a day. Gave it a week to settle in and then regulated it one more time and ran a little too slow. So, one more time, had to speed back up slightly and now a steady, stable and dependable plus One (1) second a day. I'm so happy and satisfied with this watch that this is the only watch I wear now.

I regulated mine myself, but you can take yours to a watch repair shop and have it timed for I'm sure either no charge or a very small fee. Don't trash a perfectly good timepiece just because it runs a little fast and you don't know what to do about it.

And, one more thing, try and be a little patient if your new automatic won't hold a long power reserve. The rotor bearing might be a little tight. Give it time to smooth out.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest!

I bought this watch as a gift, and saved a ton by ordering though Watch Warehouse. I have used them before, and they always deliver a great product. I will continue to use them for my watch purchases.

The watch does lose a minute of time a week I would have expected a little better from Swiss Engineering.However I am sure it will last for a few years being well backed up by Mr Watch and Victorinox.

The watch is as good as it looked in the brochure.

As another reviewer stated, it does not hold a "charge" for more than a day and a half or so, but for those of us who wear it every day this is not a problem. This watch looks great and worked well for about two years. After two years, however, the watch lost its ability to keep accurate time. Within a week, the watch would gain up to 5 minutes. I sent it to Swiss Army's authorized repair center in CA (Rafael Jewelers). They "repaired it" and sent it back after holding it for about a month. Within a few days, I noticed the problem had resurfaced. Submitted it to them again and told them that the calibration they did last time hadn't worked. Almost two months later I got it back for the second time. Again, within a week, same problem. I contacted Victorinox's Customer Service Department and explained the situation. They told me to submit the watch directly to them and their repair department would take care of the issue. They sent the watch back to me within a few weeks and, yes I believe you've guessed it, the problem was NOT fixed. I spoke to them and, rather upset at this point and having been unable to enjoy my watch for nearly 6 months, asked what good my 3 year warranty was if nobody could repair the watch for me. They asked me to send it back again and they have now issued me a replacement.

I'm glad to have a replacement coming and I expect that I will get at least two years out of it.....

Overall I was happy with the watch when it worked, but my opinion of Swiss Army and the longevity of their products has diminished. I will not by a Victorinox watch again.

The watch is gorgeous and very comfortable BUT it will not hold a "charge" for more than a day and a half without being worn or wound. This means you have to remember to wind it if you don't wear it for a couple of days. This wouldn't be so bad except you also have to reset the date. Because there is no am/pm option, you have to keep fighting the time/date to get it right. This is super annoying for me. I would much rather it have a battery that I had to replace every couple of years than deal with this. Maybe this is typical with all self-winding watches but I don't like it.