Tactical Watches vs "Swiss Army". An explanation.

Swiss Military | Swiss Army | Swiss Alpine Military …. Etc. etc. etc. You ask yourself: How many armies does Switzerland actually have?

I would like to take up this topic because there have been a few questions about it lately and I want to clarify what these "army watches" are all about, what their background is, whether it is even worth buying such a watch and what alternatives there are.

Most important question: Is there an official Swiss army watch or military watch?

Short answer: No!

Watch brands that take up the theme "Swiss military" or "Swiss army" are also often called "tourist watches". These watches are mostly inexpensive, take up typical Swiss luxury watch designs, have "Swiss..." in their name and the Swiss flag on the dial, the crown, the case back or bracelet clasp....or all at once. The point is that everyone (or as many people as possible) can afford and buy this watch. For marketing reasons, the cliché of the world-famous Swiss army knife is used to promote sales. The customers are there, mostly non-Swiss people who want the full feeling of a Swiss product as a souvenir or gift, but cannot or do not want to afford the well-known but expensive brands.

Some brands advertise on their websites that they have been "licensed" by the Swiss state. That all sounds highly official. The only thing that matters is that they can use the Swiss flag as their brand logo for a fee. This has no statement that they are now the official outfitter of the army.

Side fact: The Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox, on the other hand, is an official knife of the Swiss Army. Wenger was always considered as the greatest rival with his knives. But  Victorinox bought and took over Wenger few years ago.

Quality

"Tourist watch" sounds very pejorative, but that's not meant in a bad way. In fact, the watches from these manufacturers are usually not bad at all. In relation to their prices and the fact that the watches were made (mostly) in Switzerland, some of them are very good. However, you should always check the respective model and their prices. The official prices are sometimes too high.

But bare in mind, that you get what you pay for and on the lower price level their can be quality issues. I've red on some customer experiences that indizes might fall off or second hands don't move. I think this can happen very rarely, especially on the very cheap models. But keep in mind. I bought one as a gift and their were no problems so far, after ten years.

How can these brands offer the watches so cheap?

On the one hand, Switzerland is a highly industrialized country that is specialized in watche mass production. Precisely such inexpensive watches that are produced in large numbers. Customers for such watches are primarily middle-income countries or emerging countries, which make up the majority of the world market. Such as Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia.

Behind the brands there are often manufacturing companies that have specialized in manufacturing for other brands and producing private labels. It is therefore possible that the manufacturer of the watch actually produces dozens of brands, but you will never heared oft he producing company. This allows processes to be optimised, designs to be standardized and unit prices to be reduced enormously across the board.

Ronda are mostly used as movements. This is one of the cheapest Swiss watch movement manufacturers. In terms of quality, they are completely ok and can be compared with the entry-level segments from Miyota.

However, as far as other parts, such as bracelets and cases, are concerned, there is very little to no information. I don't want to make any false statements here. Due to the prices and the fact that they also do not proudly report that these parts are manufactured in-house, it can be assumed that some parts are manufactured overseas and the assembly and quality control takes place in Switzerland. This is not unusual and not bad as long as the Swiss companies control the production overseas and the whole value chain (similar to Apple with its iPhones). The problem with the "Swiss Made" label is that the definition is very imprecise. Swiss labor costs are among the highest in the world. The assembly and use of Ronda movements alone is enough for the Swiss share of the entire value chain to be higher than that which is bought in. However, this also happens with more expensive Swiss watch brands. However, what all brands have in common is their large size. Most watches are 41/42mm and larger. There are also a few smaller ones, but you have to search for them first.

THE BRANDS:

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As already described, Victorinox is already known for its Swiss Army knives. Of all tourist watches, it is one of the most popular and successful. Specifically their I.N.O.X. This series is very popular and is considered the "Swiss G-Shock" and can withstand 8 tons of hydraulic pressure. However, it also offers other interesting models such as Fieldforce, Alliance and Maverick. However, some models seem to be a bit overpriced. I would definitely look for discounted offers here if interested.

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Wenger was taken over by Victorinox a few years ago. The product policy seems to be coordinated with Victorinox. While Victorinox offers the more expensive models, which are also visually more elegant, the Wenger models are cheaper models that are mostly simpler in design and materials. But still ok for the price.

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HANOWA stands for Hans Noll Watches. His goal has always been to offer cheap Swiss watches for everyone and has been very successful for about 60 years. During today's research, I noticed that HANOWA has completely changed their model range. They've had the same old-fashioned designs for many years (it costs a lot of money to design and re-engineer, after all). Now, however, they seem to have updated their models to be contemporary. Of course, many references to well-known expensive watch models can be seen. Ten years ago I bought a HANOWA as a gift and was surprised by the good quality and workmanship for the price. With the new models, however, the prices have unfortunately also increased. While most now cost over 300 euros, you can still find the old models for around 100 euros.

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Swiss Alpine Military. I can't say much about these watches because I haven't held a model in my hands yet. I think if you can find cheap deals and like the design, these watches should be OK. Behind this brand, however, is the company Grovana. A watch manufacturer that is almost 100 years old and also offers cheap watch models.

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Swiss Military. I haven't owned any of this brand either. However, I could see some attractive models on the website. Again, I think you can find good watches with cheap deals. Chrono is the company behind this brand. Chrono AG is a contract producer and also offers private label productions.

Chrono private lable watches:

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So...ok...but where's the point of Military?

Nowhere. If you look at that watches and their designs, their make now sense for military. Their purpose is to look good. Shiny, pretty, blingy.

If you are looking for watches used by the military, police or special forces, then you need "tactical watches". These look less glittery. They shouldn't be noticed either. Would be impractical if the enemy could spot you miles away on the battlefield by your sparkling watch.

Important features of tactical watches are:

• Readability

• Liability

• Functionality

• Robustness

• Handling

There are manufacturers who specialize in this and actually equip the military and police, but also well-known established manufacturers who offer special tactical special models. Most of them are manufacturers who are already specialized in sporty and robust watches. I will introduce a few here.

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Garmin. Known for digital sports watches and smartwatches, also offers tactical models.

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Casio G-Shock…yes, we are all "shocked" ;-) . Although "normal" G-Shocks are already widely used by the police and military, there are still special models that are particularly popular for tactical use.

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Laco. This will certainly surprise many, since Laco is mostly known for its Flieger watches on YouTube or in forums. However, they also have a functional watch segment. These also include tactical models that they have developed together with the police and special units according to their needs and requirements.

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KHS. This German brand should probably be known to very few. They specialize entirely in tactical watches and are specifically designed for (para)military and police special forces. Some models are even equipped with tritium tubes. The surprising thing is that they are relatively cheap. They start from between 200 and 300 euros.

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Traser is a subsidiary of MB-Microtec. With its Trigalight brand, MB-Microtec is the world's largest manufacturer of tritium tubes and light markers for tactical functions. Every watch with tritium gas tubes is supplied by MB-Microtec. They therefore also offer their own tactical watches.

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Summary:

If you are on a budget and want to buy a Swiss watch, these "tourist watches" are a very good choice as long as you don't pay too much for them. They make good gifts for family and friends outside of Switzerland and Europe. Due to the fact that they focus on the international markets, they are also available almost everywhere. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at these brands if you are interested.

I would rank them as like:

1. Victorinox: Because they invest a lot of into developement and own designs and take the watchmaking and the quality serious

2. HANOWA: A great price value offer

3. Wenger: Can’t get wrong in terms of quality but I think the HANOWA designs are better

 However, they are not military watches.

Anyone who needs a tactical watch or just wants to own one, whether as a soldier, paramilitary, police officer or just for camping and hiking, should take a look at the tactical watch manufacturers mentioned. The interesting thing about these watches is that they are relatively cheap despite their high quality and innovation. They start from as little as 150 euros.

If you need something in between, i.e. a robust watch that doesn’t look too military/tactical, the Victorinox I.N.O.X. would be perfect.