Truth be told, you no longer need a watch to read time. Your smartphone can tell you that (and so many other things). What do you do when your smartphone is out of juice, though? What do you do when you go for a dive, and you need to know precisely how much time you’ve been underwater so that, you know, don’t die?
Simply put, even though watches are only telling you what time is it, you still need them for so many things in life.
Who is Victorinox? Should you be familiar with the name?
Even if Victorinox is a famous name on the knives market, you should know that the Swiss brand is also manufacturing watches, travel gear, and apparel.
Victorinox put the experience from manufacturing knives with Swedish steel into good use, creating and manufacturing sport watches that professional divers and outdoor enthusiasts go for. The Swiss manufacturer designs watches that are water resistant up to 100 meters, and some models go up to 250 meters.
It’s not only the water resistance that makes the Victorinox watches standout. The precision, the ability to handle excess wear and the cool profiles are also on the list of useful features.
Most of the Victorinox watches come with mechanical or quartz movement so that anyone can find the model that fits their needs and wallet even if the price tag is rarely a downside for the Victorinox watches that manage to provide fantastic quality and performance for an excellent price.
What’s to know about the Victorinox I.N.O.X. Titanium Professional Diver series?
Rugged and fearless, the I.N.O.X series is all about underwater adventure, and it shines in the big blue the best way.
The titanium version is the most robust version of I.N.O.X. Professional Diver series and it’s made with ultra-light alloy. For those of you who don’t know, titanium presents the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. It means that the watches within the titanium series are both robust and lightweight.
The titanium series is a nice addition to the INOX Professional Diver Collection. The Inox Professional Diver is the collection addressing to the diver (hence, the name) and has been the best seller for Victorinox Swiss Army for many years. The style, the durability, and the price tag are the main reasons for that.
The watches within the titanium series don’t go far from the original INOX watches, in terms of wearability and functionality.
The watches are a bit larger than the previous models (they’re 44mm wide) and come with diver’s style unidirectional rotating bezel and a form that is adapted to a diver’s style even more. It’s pretty tricky for the inexperienced eye to see the difference between the standard INOX and the Diver series, even though the INOX Professional Diver Titanium also comes with paracord strap (a standard version for the typical INOX until some while ago).
For instance, you can use the paracord strap as a strap or unwoven it and use it as a rope during a survival situation. Unless you know how to weave it back, you’re going to have to buy a new paracord strap after using it as a rope
The INOX Professional Diver series is made to handle all the tests that all INOX models take. The watches within the Titanium series sure make an excellent first impression, but they’re far more than meets the eye, taking a lot of abuse.
Why titanium and not steel? For one thing, titanium is cheaper than steel, and it’s a piece of good news for anyone. Titanium is also lighter than steel and has a darker color. The steel version does come with a matching steel bracelet, but this doesn’t mean that the titanium version doesn’t look great as it is.
All of the five color combinations within the Titanium version look great and have a military feel. The straps go great with the titanium case and the dial. They’re all easy to read as the hands, markers, and dial have the right size and proportions.
If any of the divers out there are wondering why the series has a 200m water resistance and not a 300m water resistance, here’s the explanation from Victorinox. An additional 100m water resistance would have needed a thicker sapphire crystal which was more expensive, and no customer likes this kind of effect. However, the Victorinox Diver Professional Titanium is going to work just fine for backing the timing instrument underwater.
The main features
The watch comes with Swiss quartz movement for the date and time, whereas the dial comes with AR-coated sapphire crystal that takes the excess wear and handles scratches too.
The watches within the series come with a clear plastic magnifier attachment that you can mount over the case and dial, for increased protection of the watch. Some sit on the fence about it, but it does look rather cool.
Everything about the watch recommends it for the use when diving. The bracelet is made with tough textile, which ensures comfortable wear for a long time. Remember that it’s a handwoven survival paracord strap that you can wear over your wetsuit. The build explain its water resistance as the watch comes with screw-in case back and screw-down crown. The clock has a 660ft water resistance (20ATM or 200 M).
The watch is certified to handle 130 extreme endurance homologation tests and has magnetism resistance as well. Not only that titanium is robust and lightweight, but it’s also hypoallergenic, which any allergy-prone diver is going to appreciate.
The list of functions also includes an end-of-life indicator and military time.
On top of everything else, the watch comes in a shockproof box housing and additional rubber strap.
What are the flaws?
The most obvious complaint about the watch is the 200meter and not 300-meter water resistance. For a watch that you’re going to take diving, the 300-meter water resistance would have worked better. The price has nothing to do with it, as any dedicated diver knows how to value the useful features on gear.
The removable magnifying glass is functional, but would you need it if the watch is so strong? Anyway, maybe Victorinox wanted to offer the divers something to play with merely.
Should you get it or not?
It goes without saying that the Victorinox INOX Professional Diver Titanium watch (241812) is a good choice, just like any other watches within its series.
The robust build, the legibility, the reliability, and the precision are its strength, and you should let the minor flaws stand in your way when deciding. It’s a Swiss watch, after all.
RESOURCES
Victorinox I.N.O.X. Professional Diver Titanium in black, 45 mm – 241812
Victorinox Swiss Army INOX Professional Diver Titanium Watches Hands-On | aBlogtoWatch
