The Field-Tested Victorinox I.N.O.X. Gets A Fresh Look
In 2014, Victorinox celebrated its 130th anniversary with the launch of a new watch, the I.N.O.X. Victorinox is perhaps best known as a maker of high-end cutlery and multi-tools, including the iconic, red-handled Swiss Army Knife, but it has been involved in watchmaking for more than 30 years, debuting its first collection of timepieces in 1989. The I.N.O.X., however, was a watch befitting of a major anniversary. To ensure the watch was as tough as anything else bearing the brand’s Swiss cross logo, Victorinox ran it through 130 tests (one for each year of the company’s existence), from running it over with a 64-ton tank to subjecting it to a 10-metre drop onto a hard concrete floor. With its bold, angular case and clean, modern dial, the I.N.O.X. helped to establish Victorinox as a Swiss watchmaker whose timepieces were as durable, useful, and distinctive as its knives.
Ten years later, Victorinox marks its next milestone anniversary — and burnishes its cred as a maker of some of the world’s toughest yet most stylish watches — with a new collection of I.N.O.X. watches featuring updated looks, in-house components, and automatic Swiss movements.
“Victorinox has been mastering the use of steel for over 140 years in Switzerland, a country renowned for its watchmaking excellence. This rich heritage made our transition into watchmaking a natural progression,” explains Arianna Frésard, Victorinox’s head of category watches. “With each iteration, we have worked on improving the features and providing something that reflects the Victorinox values.”
As such, the new Victorinox I.N.O.X. Automatic and I.N.O.X. Carbon feature a 41 mm case (slightly downsized from the previous 43 mm version) available in recycled 316L stainless steel or carbon, with a scratch-resistant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a sapphire display case back made from stainless steel or titanium. As with previous I.N.O.X. editions, the dial is clean and utilitarian, with simple geometric markers, a date window at 6 o’clock, and a red-tipped seconds hand with a subtle Swiss Army Knife silhouette. The dial is updated for 2024 with a scale-like woven Alox pattern that adds texture to the I.N.O.X. Automatic and a chevron-patterned dial inspired by Swiss pine forests for the I.N.O.X. Carbon. Available in navy blue, black, and forest green (with contrasting pops of red, yellow, and orange on the I.N.O.X. Carbon’s date window and minute scale), each dial has also been upgraded with additional Swiss Super-LumiNova on the indexes and hands for optimum legibility. Thanks to a premium quick-release system, the I.N.O.X. also makes it easy to switch between leather, rubber, or paracord straps or a metal bracelet to suit the occasion, outfit, or mood.
“Victorinox stands for extremely high quality, durability, design, and versatility, and I.N.O.X. has always been praised for all these values as well as its contemporary style,” adds Frésard. “We have carefully examined the I.N.O.X.’s evolution and improved what was needed in terms of size, weight, thickness, and most of all dial design and night readability.”
Designed, engineered, manufactured, assembled, and tested in the Victorinox Watch Competence Center in Delémont, Switzerland, the newest versions of the I.N.O.X. now boast almost all components made in-house (aside from the Sellita SW 200-1 movement, a reliable Swiss-made automatic calibre found in many high-end watches). Compared to the original I.N.O.X. of 2014, the new models offer upgraded performance and refreshed looks without sacrificing any of the I.N.O.X.’s legendary toughness. That may sound like a surprising feat for a brand known primarily for its knives, but after more than 30 years, Victorinox is clearly as serious about watchmaking as it is about cutlery. “The level of expertise we house for Swiss Army Knives, cutlery, and watches makes us unique,” says Frésard. “There’s a dedication to providing the highest quality that lies at the core of all our products, and this blend of tradition, innovation, and superior craftsmanship is what makes Victorinox watches truly special.”
