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Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chronograph PVD (Mechanical)
by Kyle Stults on August 03, 2010
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A black PVD watch at an accessible price point…

I’ve been keeping an eye on Victorinox Swiss Army watches the past couple years and I think it is time to give them some credit for offering watch enthusiasts some great watches at great price points — ie good value for your money.  In particular the brand has recently introduced  some very cool new PVD watches that caught my eye i.e. this new Infantry Vintage Chronograph in black PVD.   The Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chrono watch was actually introduced 2 years ago with a quartz movement, but now it is available with a mechanical movement (more on this below the jump).  Have a look:

Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chrono Mechanical

Black dial and 44mm Black Ice PVD case and bracelet

The movement in this watch is an ETA/ Valjoux 7750 movement.  The Valjoux 7750 is widely known as quality and reliable Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement.  The Valjoux 7750 is actually used in the watches of many famous and high-dollar luxury brands, some of which carry a much higher price point.

This particular model is priced at $1,895 and is one of the more — if not the most expensive — models from Victorinox. That said, I think it is a relative value compared to other black PVD models with quality Swiss-movements in them.  Also, in general the black PVD watches have been limited to higher end brands thus making them largely inaccessible at price points such as this.  To see a long list of other PVD watches I have written about, CLICK HERE and you will see what I mean that they are far from the $1,900 price point.  That makes this new Infantry Vintage Chrono Mechanical PVD a good option for those of you shopping in this price range.

By the way, the Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chrono Mechanical actually comes in three colors — the PVD you see here, olive, and silver with black trim. You can check out more photos of all 3 models by clicking here.

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  • Frayed Knot

    I suppose, compared to the likes of Hublot, Panerai, and Bell & Ross, $1895 for a PVD Valjoux 7750 is a reasonable price. However, I can buy a PVD Christopher Ward C40 Speedhawk, which also has a Valjoux 7750, for literally half the price of this Victorinox.

    I know it’s a matter of taste, and I like the looks of the Victorinox better – but not $900 better.

    • Kyle

      Fair point you make and the CW C40 Speedhawk — I was not familiar with that watch but see that it probably deserves consideration. That said, I think you would on balance pay a bit more for the “Victorinox” brand as compared to Christopher Ward because it is more widely known and generally associated with good quality products.

      Thanks for bringing the CW to my attention — I’m going to take a closer look.

      • Frayed Knot

        You do have a point about the Victorinox name and reputation, although personally, I associate them more with mid-range quartz watches than mid-high range automatics. However, I still don’t think the name is worth $900 more than the CWL C40. Plus with CWL, you do get the 5 year warranty.

        (Full disclosure – I own 3 CWL watches, but not the Speedhawk)

        • Kyle

          I also associate Victorinox with quartz than mechanical watches, but I have noticed them increasing their offering of mechanicals these past few years (and moving up the price scale), — and what I have seen has impressed me.

          I will have to get more familiar with CWL — thanks again for mentioning it here in the context of this PVD discussion!

          • jerry

            I own a couple Victorinox mechanicals and they are really quite amazing. The build, materials, fit and finish are exceptional for the price. I just bought an ambassador “clous de paris” chronograph. I have been really impressed. It uses Valgranges

          • http://www.perpetuelle.com Perpetuelle

            Congrats Jerry! Glad you are enjoying them. Thanks for the comment.

  • GoJu

    When I read this blog, I thought that this seemed like very good value for money for the Victorinox chronograph.
    For example, IWC use a VJ 7750 mov’t in the Aquatimer, which has a SS case with a rubber strap for (at least) twice the price. [I'm a big fan of IWC and the quality of the steel in their cases and the value-add that they perform on the mov't probably (I hope) justify the extra price.]
    So, being able to buy the Victorinox with a PVD coating (although it’s not clear exactly what the coating is) including a full metal bracelet for such a reasonable price is great to see.
    I would like to buy a watch like this for my son as an entry level collectible for him.

    • Kyle

      GoJu-
      I have inquired with Victorinox for more details on its PVD process and materials. Another commenter suggested a PVD watch at half the price of this one (Christopher Ward) although I am not very familiar with this brand — maybe worth looking into for your son. Years ago I received a Swiss Army/ Victorinox watch as a gift from my parents — man I loved that watch! It was quite durable, too. Quartz movement, but I didn’t know the difference back then. Anyway, I think a watch such as this would make a fantastic “starter” watch for a young person who is new to watches.
      Kyle

  • Jim

    Another option is (was?) the Traser Classic Automatic Pro. Black PVD with a ETA 2824/2. Not a 7750 by any means, but available for around $350-400. And it has the added appeal of Tritium illumination.

    • http:/blog.perpetuelle.com Kyle S.

      Thanks for the mention, Jim.

  • http://swiss-army-discounts.com/victorinox-swiss-army-knives/ swiss army knives victorinox

    Swiss
    army products are of high quality. It is indeed true that durability is
    really important. And no wonder that it is expensive, because customer
    satisfaction is met.

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