Archive for March, 2010
CX Swiss Military 20,000 feet: the World’s Toughest Watch
by on Mar.19, 2010, under Military Watches, Sport and Dive Watches
A lot of watches are made pretty tough these days. Even cheap quartz digital watches or almost-throwaway watches like $25 Swatch watches can take a heck of a lot of abuse. A secret I picked up when I first started Scuba diving was that a lot of the older professional divers out there didn’t bother with fancy and expensive diving watches, they just used cheap little Casio and Swatch watches and seemed really happy with them. So for basic wear it is true that most of today’s watches will routinely stand up to abuse that would have quickly killed our grandparents’ watches, even if they might take a few scratches on the way (a real downside of the cheap Swatch, with its plastic face, in my view).
That said, there is a certain satisfaction that one derives from wearing a really high quality, well made watch. It is more about knowing you are wearing an art work, or an engineering marvel, than it is about really expecting to put your watch to the supreme test. And if that sort of thing appeals to you then you have to be impressed by the CX Swiss Military 20,000 feet Watch, which is without any doubt the world’s toughest watch.
This thing holds the world record for the deepest dive. It has also been blown up with dynamite and just kept ticking. If that isn’t enough the guys who make the Swiss Military Watch have dropped it out of airplanes, stomped on it and done just about anything you can think of to get it to stop working. In one video the company blasts it with high powered fire hoses at Zurich airport, in another they place it just a few feet from some explosives in what they call a “real live test” in a quarry. They also placed another watch (they don’t say who) alongside the Swiss Military Watch. The Swiss Military watch was fine, the competitors one was blow to pieces. In another test they put the watch in a shooting range and blasted it with a three rounds from a12 gauge pump action shot. And it just laughed at the abuse, picked up a few scratches and carried on ticking. Another competitor watch was completely destroyed. In a third test on its own ordinary 1000m certified dive watch, the watch was also completely smashed. So if you plan to get shot, blown up, dropped out of a plane or hosed down by a fire engine and want your watch to keep on ticking, then the CX Swiss Military Watch is the one for you.
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Swiss Army Raid Commando Watch
by Watchguy on Mar.10, 2010, under Military Watches, Sport and Dive Watches
A lot of people who are active in the outdoors are looking for an analogue watch that is a step above the usual Swatch but that can also take a beating. (Just as a side note here, you would be surprised at just how tough the ordinary $30 Swatch with the plastic strap can be – When I first took up Scuba diving 20 years ago I was amazed to see that quite a few divers including a few divemasters used ordinary Swatch watches as a dive watch even though it is not certified to handle the pressure).
The second requirement that many people have is that they don’t pay the earth. In other words they are looking for a quality watch that is better in quality and durability than a cheap Swatch but that won’t cost as much as a Rolex or a Tag. The sweet spot for many people in terms of price is about $300 to $500 for a really functional watch that still looks good and will give a lifetime of service.
I can’t think of a better candidate for the outdoor enthusiast than Wenger’s Swiss Army Raid Commando Watch. This is made by the company that was made famous for making the Swiss Army knife – a brand that has been synonymous with quality for decades, and that has since built its reputation further building a really excellent Swiss Army Watch range.
The Swiss Raid Commando takes its name from the renowned military competition in which members of the Swiss military compete in teams of four in commando type exercises. The competition is a test of fitness, toughness and military skill and pushes participants to the limit in tests of shooting, obstacle courses and deep penetration into “enemy” territory during which time the patrols will advance as much as 120km. They then follow with a “raid” such as an ambush or simulated attack.
The watch that takes its name is every bit as tough as the soldiers who compete. The watch is solid-looking and comes in a variety of styles. The looks of the military-ones with a black rubber strap just shout no-nonsense and toughness and this really tops my list of favourite Swiss military watches.
The dial is very clear and well illuminated. It has a 12-hour chronometer function (stopwatch) and it also has a tachymeter, which allows its user to measure speed over a known distance. When used by a trained and experienced navigator it can also be a useful way of measuring distance – which is helpful for night navigation.
It is waterproof down to 100 meters (330 feet), which means it can be your backup candidate as a dive watch in an emergency (though you would be better off getting something like the Battalion III Diver which is water resistant down to 200 meters or the more expensive Wenger Aquagraph which is good down to 1000 meters). The Commando is covered with a tough scratch-resistant surface which means it should stand up well to the rigors of mountaineering, hunting and other demanding outdoor sports.
Wenger Men’s 70890 Commando Patagonian Expedition Race Chrono Watch . . . . Stainless Steel Case with Polished Black Finish . . Black Dial . . Swiss Quartz Movement . . Mineral Crystal . . Tachymeter . . Luminous Hands… $244.89
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Wenger Men’s 70891 Swiss Raid Commando Chrono Series Watch Casual/Sport watch, Swiss quartz movement, Commando Swiss Raid, Black hands with green luminous accents, Luminous green markers, indices and tachymeter… $249.00
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