Wristwatch Review: The Wenger Swiss Army Watch

I remember the Swiss Army. As a young boy, our whole family trekked across Europe with Eurail passes. Other countries had cathedrals, castles, and art, but Switzerland had camouflaged men with assault rifles in their train stations. I thought their kick ass neutrality was extremely cool. How these crazy people got into pocket knives and wristwatches, I'll never know. But, somehow Swiss Army Knives and other Swiss Army gear have become respected products around the world. I was fortunate to receive a Wenger Swiss Army watch as a gift many years ago. In this day and age of Chinese commercial dominance, it is kind of cool to have a genuine Swiss Watch. How does my Wenger Swiss Army watch compare to other watches in my collection? Is the white cross on a red background worth paying for?

I've had my Wenger Swiss Army watch for years, but the classical styling is never out of fashion. I wore my Swiss Army watch for a couple of years until it succumbed to a common watch collecting hassle: the battery died. Then, my watch sat in a sock drawer for several years. I thought I needed to take it to a jeweler for repair, but then I figured out how to revive dead watches and brought it back to life. I'm glad I did. I enjoy wearing my Wenger Swiss Army watch.

The features of my Swiss Army watch are straightforward and uncomplicated. My Wenger Swiss Army watch simply has traditional masculine styling with the day and date, a non-rotating marked bezel, white luminescent hands and numbers, a base metal case, and a stainless steel back and band. The watch is water resistant down to 50 meters. My Wenger Swiss Army watch has a dial that is 1 and 1/8-inch in diameter and the case measures 1 and 5/8-inches across. The Wenger Swiss Army watch feels rugged and secure on my wrist since it has a protected clasp. But, like my Lorus Men's Analog Wrist Watch, my Wenger Swiss Army watch skirts the line between indoor dress watches and outdoor adventure watches. For example, the 5/16-inch thick watch case is thin enough to fit under the cuff of a men's dress shirt. However, the bezel and 24-hour military time markings evoke the serious business of adventure. My Wenger Swiss Army Watch is similar in size to my much plainer Pulsar Men's Analog Dress Watch or my fancier Men's Armitron Diamond Dress Watch.

The main drawback to my Swiss Army watch is that it doesn't have a rotating bezel. Whether you are timing commando raids or frozen pizza in the oven, a rotating bezel comes in handy. Another drawback is that when the expansion to the protected butterfly clasp is folded out, a slightly sharp edge is raised that can snag clothing or furniture.

However, I can't be neutral about my Swiss Army watch. Overall, Wenger Swiss Army watches are attractively styled and rugged looking. I enjoy mine and think it's worth having at least one genuine Swiss watch in your watch box.