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Launched in 2004, the Chronopro was Victorinox Swiss Army's premiere mechanical chronograph. This year's redesign sports the same 42mm solid-steel case with crown protector but adds new functionality and optimizes legibility. Among the most striking upgrades are a dual finish bezel displaying the tachymeter scale, larger numerals and luminescent hands, counters with applied rings and a minute scale on the flange. A bright red 60-second counter hand dominates the enhanced dial, for instant, at-a-glance reading. Turn it over -- the powerful, Swiss-crafted Valjoux 7750 movement is visible through an exhibition caseback in mineral crystal. Available on a genuine black leather strap with a brushed matte finish, cream-colored contrast stitching and an integrated pushbutton-deployant safety clasp.

The case is 316L stainless steel and is 42 mm in diameter. Powering the timepiece is the reliable Valjoux 7750, which is a Swiss-made self-winding mechanical chronograph movement. Power reserve is 42 hours. The bezel features both polished and satinized finishes, with a tachymeter scale for speed measurement. The crown and pushers are screw-down, and help maintain a water-resistance rating of 100 meters (330 ft, 10 ATM).

The dial is protected by a triple-coated anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
The caseback is screw-in, with a shock resistant crystal. Hands and hour markers have a luminescent paint for nighttime visibility.

Functions include: Chronograph with1/4th of a second precision timing, Central 60-second counter, 30-minute and 12-hour counters, Date calendar at 6 o'clock, Small second at 9 o'clock.

Available with a genuine black leather strap with brushed matte finish, white stitching and a pushbutton deployant clasp. (Available in stores Winter 2010.)

Retail $1,650

Source: Victorinox Swiss Army

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Victorinox Swiss Army has just announced plans to release three new mechanical chronographs for winter 2010, called Infantry Vintage Mechanical Chronos. All three versions are powered by the robust and accurate mechanical self-winding Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement, and all share the same 44 mm stainless 316L stainless steel case, however, the black version features a Black Ice® PVD coated stainless steel 316L case (additional $200 for PVD treated version).

Available in three striking styles: the "retro" dial in olive and cream with a rugged-stitched brown leather strap; a very contemporary black-and-silver dial model with subtle red and black accents and rugged-stitched black leather strap; and the striking Black Ice PVD coating on the dial, case and deployant clasp bracelet.

The sapphire crystal has a triple-caoted anti-reflective sapphire crystal protecting the dial. And a screw-in exhibition caseback with a shock-resistant mineral crystal on the movement side. The crown is screw-down and is protected against accidental turning. Water-resistance is 100 meters (10 ATM, 330 ft).

Watch functions include: a chronograph with1/4th of a second precision timing, a central 60-second counter, a 30-minute and 12-hour counters, a date calendar at 6 o'clock, a small seconds display at 9 o'clock and a telemeter scale on the flange.

Victorinox Siwss Army has come out with some very interesting timepieces within the past 12-months. I especially like what they have done with the new Infantry Vintage collection (shown above), the new Maverick collection here and the new Dive Master collection. The newest Victorinox timepieces, offer a quality to price ratio, that just didn't appear to be there, even two years ago. The new Infantry Vintage collection is a great addition to the previously announced 2010 Dive Master and Maverick collections.

Retail $1695/$1895 (steel version/PVD steel)

Source: Victorinox

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Originally introduced in 2004, the Maverick sports watch from Swiss Army have become an iconic line with the brand. For 2010, Swiss Army has fully redesigned the collection. The new Maverick GS "Grand Sport" timepieces are powered by Swiss made quartz movements, and come in three different versions: chronograph, dual time (GMT), and three-hand. The chronograph and dual time versions are (pictured above).

The three-hand version displays hours, minutes, seconds and the date (not pictured).

The chronograph features a stopwatch function, hour, minutes and small seconds, as well as a date at 6 o'clock. The chronograph is accurate to 1/10th of a second. (pictured with red bezel).

The dual time features a second time zone sub-dial at 6 o'clock. The dial allows hours and minutes to displayed at a glance, for two timezones. Hour and minutes are individually displayed by the central hands (main timekeeping) and by the sub-dial (2nd timezone). The seconds are displayed on the central seconds hand and are shared by both the timezones. The date is displayed in an oversized aperture at 12 o'clock (pictured with black bezel).

The new case is 43 mm in diameter and is made of 316L surgical stainless steel. The shape of the case is smoother than previous models. The new integrated stainless steel bracelet or genuine rubber strap also help smooth out the watch, further adding to its comfort.

A new, more vivid and scratch-resistant polished lacquer is now applied on the bezel, available in red or black. The dial design has been enriched with more depth and details and it has been redesigned for enhanced legibility with unified chronograph hand colors on the Chrono model.

The chrono is powered by a Swiss-made quartz chronograph
movement (ETA 251.272) and the dual time model is powered by a Swiss-made quartz movement (Ronda 6203.B).

The bezels are unidirectional rotating with a 60 minute count-up scale. Casebacks are solid steel and screw-in. The crown is screw-down and water resistance is (100 meters/ 330 ft).

Retail $539-$599

Source: Victorinox

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I. TX 650 GT Flyback

The TX 650 GT Flyback chronograph is one of TX watch's new 2010 timepieces, it is just starting to hit stores in the US this month. The version shown is features a PVD treated stainless steel case, with rose gold accents. The quartz movements are designed by TX, and feature 6 motors, which run the time, 2nd time zone a flyback chronograph and a date wheel. The quality to value ratio on this watch is excellent. Previously published TX 650 article.

Retail $725, available at www.txwatches.com

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Victorinox has recently introduced two new timepieces within their Dive Master collection. The Dive Master 500 Chrono and the Dive Master 500 Mecha. The chronograph is powered by a swiss quartz movement and the mechanical is powered by a swiss made ETA 2892-A2. The Dive Master Mecha was introduced last year, but they have added this deep blue version, which consists of a blue dial and strap. Both watches feature the black ice PVD finish that was introduced on last year's model (black ice PVD looks a shade lighter than most PVD). The quartz chronograph is all new, although the case is 43 mm and essentially the same as the three hand mechanical model. The two big differences in the cases, are two places for pushers on the chronograph and a clear caseback, which allows a nice view of the swiss automatic movement, on the mechanical model. Currently the chronograph is only available in orange, although more colors will most likely be available over the next 12-months. The mechanical model is available in numerous, previously introduced, colors (orange, red, black).

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Victorinox recently introduced a new mechanical collection in the sub-$1000 price segment. The Victorinox Dive Master 500 Mecha, powered by a reliable base ETA 2892-A2 self-winding mechanical movement. There are now more "quality" offerings in this category than ever before, and this trend does not appear to be changing anytime soon. I cannot wait to see what Baselworld will bring.

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The Victorinox Chrono Classic features a 41 mm stainless steel case. The dial is off-white and the subdials are silver with circular graining. The bracelet is stainless steel with a push button clasp. The case and bracelet both have polished and brushed surfaces.

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[ via Victorinox Swiss Army ]

Victorinox Swiss Army recently introduced a new analog digital watch, the Chrono Classic XLS MT. The analog digital movement is a swiss made quartz. The case is made of stainless steel with a black ice PVD treatment. It is 45mm in diameter, 12.05mm in height, has a lug width of 23mm and weighs 122.3g. The digital chronograph function allows for timing with 1/100th of a second accuracy. Additional functions include a countdown timer with alarm and a multi-lingual perpetual calendar. The crystal is a tripled coated anti-reflective sapphire crystal and the back features a screw-in caseback. Water resistance is 100M/330ft. It comes in two versions, a light or dark grey dial, both versions are available now for $1095.

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