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Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz
Victorinox has taken their popular Journey 1884 model and turned it into a bonafide dive watch in the Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz. Well, they have taken that same case and used it for an automatic version of this diver, with the crown placed at 4 o’clock, along with what is now the new INOX. These 43mm cases come in two versions for the diver, titanium and stainless steel and the one I have for review here is Grade 2 titanium that has been sandblasted, and boasts 300m of water resistance, a sapphire crystal and powering this beast is a Ronda 715L movement. This one also has a vented rubber dive strap in yellow and is currently selling for $1100.
Specifications:
43mm Grade 2 Titanium case
54mm Lug to Lug
14mm Thick
21mm Lug Width
Weight: 96.39 Grams
Ronda 715 L Quartz Movement
Sapphire Crystal
300m WR
120 click bezel
Screw Down crown
Rubber strap
$1100
https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Watches/Men’s-Watches/Dive-Pro-Quartz/p/241992/
Yes, there are 3 different models all using this case, and while most are 43mm, there are some carbon case versions that are 40mm, there’s even an INOX small that is using this case at 32mm. But this diver is 43mm and has a lug-to-lug of 54mm, meaning this is an imposing watch for many, especially in 2024 when many brands are doing 40mm and under. I welcome it, I liked the Journey and to be honest, I like this one even more, as I can’t deny that I am quite fond of dive watches, and this Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz ticks a lot of boxes for me.
The Dive Pro comes in either this Grade 2 titanium or stainless steel and if you are on more of a budget, you might want to check out the stainless version as it is $300 cheaper. Yep, this is a pricey quartz model at $1100, especially when it is using a Ronda 715L 5-year movement. Is there anything wrong with this movement? Not really, but it’s hard to deny that it’s a $30 movement in an $800 or $1100 watch.
Yes, this Diver is Swiss Made of course, it’s built well, finished well, and has quite a unique look, but in the world of watches, a quartz watch over $1000 that doesn’t have a HAQ movement, is a lot to ask.
The Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz in titanium is one cool-looking watch though, especially this version with the dark-blasted titanium case, yellow accents, and that yellow pepper hue vented rubber strap. The case sides still have that unneeded text though on the right of the non-crown case side, and right under the crown guards as well. I pointed this out on the Journey and I will here as well. It’s odd and I don’t understand why they did it, but it is much more subdued on the blasted or DLC cases at least.
The bezel is 120 click and has a very aggressive sawtooth edge, yet everything is smooth to the touch, and even though this bezel looks funky or like it would be hard to turn, it is not. It’s smooth and easy to read and set into place, the same with the large screw-down crown.
The black dial is a lightly textured matte black, ย with massive white indices and lume plots, with the text kept to a minimum. It’s a multip-piece dial, with an outer track and a framed cutout for the date, and a lollipop style second-hand. The hour and minute hand are somewhat unique, A version of these is used on the other 2 models using this case, but this one takes it even further with a thicker coating around the frame and a yellow arrow minute hand with a tipped skeleton frame on top of it.
The iconic Swiss brand has upped their lume game as well, at least on this Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz, as it’s not only dual-colored SuperLumiNova but is packed on those lume plots and makes this watch glow bright for an extended period. VSA has been hit or miss with lume over the past few years so I am glad to see that they took it seriously for this new diver.
On my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, it is close to as big as I go these days, especially with that 54mm lug to lug (length) of the case, but those lugs curve down, and with the case being very lightweight, I can wear this all day no problem. The strap is somewhat long at 120mm by 80mm, and that doesn’t sound long, especially if you have a wrist larger than mine, but these days so many straps are even shorter than that, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this strap fitting me like it should.
And this yellow ribbed or vented rubber sure is a statement, and unless you want to spend money for custom straps or other VSA straps, you are going to be stuck with it as it’s a 21mm lug width, something I wish the brand would stop doing. Some strap companies are doing odd sizes, but it is rare. That all said, I love how this strap looks and wears.
I can’t deny that I do like this new diver from Victorinox, but I have a feeling that the $1100 price is going to be a hard pill for many to swallow. As with most VSA watches, everything else lives up to the brand’s pedigree. This dive watch is solid, well-built, and in my opinion an attractive watch. I like that they left off the useless helium release valve, they gave it a better lume than previous models and the titanium case makes this very wearable despite its size.
There are a few missteps though, the first being the movement and the price. The other would be you can not buy this exact watch with an automatic movement. There are auto versions, but they are quite different with a day/date display, an odd road sign second-hand, a patterned center dial, and the crown at 4. Not to mention, none of these are offered with a bracelet, which I think is an odd omission, as many won’t buy a watch unless it has a bracelet.
Victorinox isn’t exactly known for inexpensive budget watches these days, but the watches have come a long way since the VSA I bought in a jewelry store in the 90s. And despite this case being used for 3 different models, all of them are distinct and unique and like nothing else on the market, which is not an easy thing to do. I wish they had more options when it comes to straps (this would be great with a black ribbed strap as well) and offered a bracelet, but I still feel there is a lot to like here, I just wish I could get this exact configuration as an auto.
Victorinoxย
