An update: I got the blue dial because that's the one folks said I should get

The blue looks killer man - great choice (or maybe kudos to democracy for making a great choice 🦅 😂).

Not sure why Victorinox isn’t more popular? For my part, I’ve never run across their watches in stores but have read good things. I’d imagine them to be on par with a bulk of the Swatch groups entry offerings - like Hamilton, Certina, Mido, etc.

I am glad that you got the red too.

Thank you, sir!  Yeah, I mean, I would have thought that people would totally buy up the INOX in droves.  Like, didn't they run it over with a tank and shoot it out of cannons at cows or something to prove that it was indestructible?  Who wouldn't want an indestructible watch?  Like, I'm looking on their site and this is Test #117:

Test #117 - Temperature Shocks Resistance
Why not challenge the I.N.O.X. with the test the US Army uses to check their missiles? Cool the watch down to -57 °C then give it a temperature shock by heating it immediately up to +71 °C. Obviously, no problem for an I.N.O.X.

If I'm ever trapped in a missile silo and frozen solid, then incinerated, at the very least, folks can give my INOX to my children...  along with my ashes!  My family won't have to spend that extra money on cremation!

Oh, totally.  And as I told @Justintime, I now have to get the Marlboro Man statue to go with it.

https://jamesaford.com/works/1447611/wh-ford-marlboro-man

Victorinox has long been one of the best values in Swiss watches. The quality is way above their price point, and they have their own design language that isn’t looking over its shoulder at everyone else’s.

Yeah, right?  But, it just seems like there are certain brands that get no attention at all.  Like, they're totally not even part of the conversation.  Victorinox is one.  Porsche Design is another.  I'm sure there are plenty of others, but it's like these are very strong brands within their own domains, but the moment they try to play in the world of watches, their brands mean nothing?

I’ve often wondered why I rarely hear about Victorinox also specially the INOX. It looks great and can take a beating. Is it overly large or something? Back 10 years ago when I first got into watches I really wanted a Red Maverick and a black Christopher Ward Trident. I see wrist shots of the CW from time to time but never the Victorinox 

Great looking watch IMO.

Yeah, it's so weird.  Like, maybe the Swiss watchmaking industry is so all about tradition and heritage that it's impossible to break into the collective consciousness if you're some outside brand?  I have no idea.  I mean, Victorinox / Swiss Army seems to be a really compelling brand.  Porsche is a really compelling brand.  But, they just aren't even in the picture!

Thank you, sir!  Only problem is that it's so big that it wears me, not the other way around!

Maybe consider swapping it for the quartz.  It's probably thinner, and fits better with the tough/indestructable ethos.

You should also book the Marlboro Man lung transplant.😉  It's a waiting list not unlike Rolex.

Strangely enough I did a hunt for Porsche Design watches about 2 weeks ago; it had occurred to me that there were some old interesting watches I'd totally forgotten about.  Upon seeing them I was reminded, 'oh yeah, I don't really like Porsche Design...'

Since then there has been this new Tag tag team up for Porsche, so it will be interesting to see the models that produces.

Great you got both watches!! Glad for you, bud! Enjoy! For sure, your Dad is proud.

Watch people don't seem to trust brands that are not primarily watchmakers making watches, Montblanc, Hermès, Bulgari, even Cartier. They're somehow not legit, or get branded as fashion watches or jewelry. A few have won some grudging respect, like Bulgari, and half the articles about Cartier read like, "They make real watches! They have real heritage and do real horology! Really!"

Okay, you're the right man to ask about this:  Do you use Swiss Army Knives?  Or, in your particular line of work...  you know, I hope we're not giving away too much about your profession...  you know, the one where you infiltrate remote areas and whatnot...  do you use other more specialized multi-tools?

Thank you, sir!  The white dial, red bezel watch, back in the late 80's / early 90's was co-branded with Marlboro at some point!  To our modern sensibilities, that's crazy, right?

Totally!  Like I've never understood the whole thing where somebody posts a photo, and then the peanut gallery jumps in to snipe, "That's too big for your wrist."  I mean, if I posted a photo of me in my new dress, that would be like everyone jumping in to say, "That dress makes you look fat, Omeganut."  Whatever!  It's all just fun.  

Every time I go into a new dentist's, the first thing they say to me is, "Oh, there are these new orthodontic technologies that can greatly improve...  blah, blah, blah."  And they're right.  I mean, my teeth are horrifying to look at!  But, I always say, "Eh, I'm already married and fulfilled my evolutionary purpose and produced a couple of offspring, so my looks don't matter at all.  And, believe me when I tell you that my wife did not marry me for my looks."

Then again...  I always look at your photos, and think to myself, "Maybe I should clean up a bit and try to look even 1/10th as nice as @Chunghauphoto."

Yeah!  Of course!  Right off the bat, I can say the following:

• The Marlboro watch is super light and fun.  Part of the case is made from hardened plastic, I think.  So, you know, it fulfills its job as an entry level field watch.  Think of it as competing with the likes of a Lorus or a Timex.  Heck, I remember getting this in high school, and feeling like it was a major step up in terms of quality versus the Swatches I'd had
• The INOX is a frickin' beast!  It's like strapping a giant slab of metal to your wrist.  I think its primary purpose is to serve as a set of brass knuckles, should you decide to get into a fist fight in a 7-Eleven parking lot.  If this watch had come out in my 20's, this is definitely the watch I would have gotten.  I probably broke a watch every six months, smashing them while rock climbing or crashing while cycling.  This would have survived all that with aplomb.  In my senescence, though, the most stain it will endure is moving a couple of feet up and down while I raise my afternoon cocktail glass.  I don't plan on having a tank run over the watch while its strapped to my wrist, but I'm sure that if that were to happen, the watch would certainly survive!

Oh hush…!

🤣🤣🤣🤣

That cracked me up, the guy with the Porsche keychain should have said “so you’re just a gold digger then “ end of 👍

I’m not concerned with the car affiliation, I drive a Pug mate, so I’m definitely not a show pony. I like practicality and reliability which my 2008 Peugeot gives me, 300 thousand on the clock and it still runs like a dream.

 I like the history and story behind Victorianox and even their knives are very well designed and made so they must be doing something right.

One of the things that has stopped me is the size, they do look large and chunky, but if they wear anything like a Seiko let’s say, the dimensions don’t exactly tell you how it’s going to wear on wrist. I’d probably go for one on the strap and not the bracelet, it would probably add a significant amount of weight to the watch. I wish there was an AD store somewhere in Sydney that I could walk into and try one on, I’d more than likely walk out with one.

Thanks champ for the heads up and the hilarious story as well.

Cheers

Tony

I bought an old girlfriend one of those red and white ones back in the day.  I remember that was a big chunk of cash for 20yo me in 1995.

Was she a "Marlboro Man"?  Okay, all joking aside, what made her want a red and white Swiss Army watch?  Back then, most of the girls I knew wore Swatches or some such!

I don't remember, but knowing me at that age, she was probably more of a Bombay Sapphire and bong hits kind of gal.

Not sure; she just saw it and was instantly smitten.

I’ll confess, Victorinox is one brand I’m not enamored with. I got a 4.514 quartz as a gift 27 years ago. It keeps very good time to this day, but the blue bezel chipped easily and the crystal is a scratch magnet. Strap wore quickly.  So overall not very attractive anymore. It hasn’t held up as well as Citizen or Luminox watches of similar age. More on the line of fashion brand like Skagen. Here’s how it looks today after a bit of Polywatch polishing for it’s glamor shot! 

Darn.  Well, uh...  the modern Victorinox watch is good!  It's good against tanks, missile silos...  you know, stuff that we encounter everyday in the real world.

I think you are likely right, in a way hard to generalize from a 20+ year old watch, but I thought it could be useful to put it out there. There are so many excellent quartz watches in the ~$300 category that I guess I‘m letting an old bias influence me.

I don't get it either. I freaking love Victorinox. And I love them for everything their watches their knives backpacks even jeans I have an awesome pair of Victorinox jeans they are an incredible brand literally everything they make is overbuilt and super well made

You know what?  I have a couple of Victorinox full zip wool  sweaters!  I EFF'ing love them!  I've had them for like 15 years now.  They're bulletproof.  They look like this:

Eff it!  I'm gonna start buying up a bunch of Victorinox stuff, so I can feel young and vibrant again.  I was living in Utah at the time, biking a thousand miles a month, rock climbing...  nowadays, the heaviest lifting I do is my cocktail glass at 3pm.

I'm having a Corona bottle work out as we speak 😂