A New Classic - Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Chronograph

I've been after a new watch for a while, however decent time pieces can be a trifle pricy. So, the idea was put off as none essential and I soldiered on with my slightly embarrassing Sekonda.

Step in my dearly beloved wife. I hit the ripe old age of 38 last week - not a milestone I particularly wanted to celebrate. The Mrs, Hanna, lives in Copenhagen and I'm stuck in London for the forceable future. On the day I grumpily went in to the office as normal and thought no more of it. 

Well, my other half flew in last Wednesday and, after the obligatory shower of kisses, started to make vague hints about some sort of belated birthday surprise. In short this is how I found myself in the Victorinox flag ship store in Bond Street the following morning.

Being Swedish, my beloved is a terribly efficient sort and had done extensive research it to the best available watches for a budget of under £500. Victorinox came up as the best answer, offering precision made Swiss chronographs at pretty respectable prices.

The range that caught her attention was Maverick - quite chunky contemporary time pieces with a large face. They look fantastic but as I have the wrists of a 16 year old girl they didn't quite work for me.

Perhaps predictably I was immediately taken with the Infantry Chronograph range - as the name suggests the pieces are inspired by WWII era military watches. (As a cavalryman I'll ignore the fact they've named it after the infantry..)

Quite small by modern standards the watches sport a Ø 40 mm face and are outfitted with a Ronda 5030-D quartz movement. 
It displays three counters on the dial, as well as traditional pushbuttons to the right of the case middle on each side of the protected crown.

The chronograph functions allow for 1/10th of a second precision timing and a small second and 30-minute counter.

Available in series of finishes I opted for the white face with a tan leather strap. If you're clumsy like me the tough scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass and stainless steel casing will see you right for years. 

The movement is not automatic, so you'll have to change the battery as needed but that's it.

For the money, £450, this is a quality Swiss watch that will last a lifetime.

Check out the range here.