Victorinox Maverick Automatic | Hands on Watch Review

Victorinox Maverick Automatic

I have been of fan of Victorinox Swiss Army watches since I was a kid. I think my first one was a Calvary model, back in the early 90’s. Today, I have the Victorinox Maverick Automatic in hand, a watch that I have always admired the look of, yet have never owned one. Well, at least I do not think I owned one. I did a lot of watch trading back in the mid 2000’s, so one of the quartz versions could have passed through my hands and I am just not recalling it. This one though, is the ETA 2824 automatic and has a beautiful grey sunray dial (blue also available as well) and a solid chunky bracelet. While it does look like a dive watch, it technically is not, as it is only 100 meters water resistant and lacks a screw down crown. Do not let that deter you though. This is a very well built watch, as you would expect from Victorinox.

Victorinox Maverick Automatic Specifications:

• 43mm Stainless Steel Case
• 22mm Lug Width
• 12 mm thick
• 51mm Lug to Lug
• 190 Grams
• Sapphire Crystal
• 100 Meters WR
• ETA 2824 Automatic Movement

Price: $895 

https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Watches/Mens-Watches/Maverick-Mechanical/p/241705

When I first took the Victorinox Maverick Automatic out of the box, I was a little taken aback by the its size. Now, I realize that may seem silly to some as it is only 43mm, but for some reason it seemed much larger. I know I am used to smaller watches, but I easily wear up to 45mm, and a lot just depends on how a watch is made, the overall dimensions, the lugs, etc. When I got it up in my office, I measured it with the calipers and realized the width including crown and guards was 47mm. I then realized why it looked a little bigger to me. It also has a non tapered oyster style bracelet with center links that sit prouder than the outer ones, and gives the impression of being bigger than it is. The bracelet does not taper either, and all of these just make it feel bigger than the written specifications would imply. The Maverick is not a gigantic watch or anything like that, but it does wear a little larger than I thought it would, and has a real nice heft to it as well. This is a solid watch. Below is a shot on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

I love the dial of the Victorinox Maverick Automatic. A grey dial is something I seem to gravitate to more and more, and I am glad  to see more brands offering it. The sunray dial here will of course look more silver in some light and more charcoal grey in others, that is the beauty of it. To keep the dial clean, Victorinox chose to stamp the 24 hour time markers on the center dial, but did not fill them in with enamel. This was a good idea, it keeps the dial clean, but still useful. At the 6 o’clock position is my favorite date placement, as some of you may know. I just think this is the best place to put a date, keeps it out of the way of any numerals or markers. Just a damn good dial design.

Of course being a Swiss brand, the Victorinox Maverick Automatic houses a Swiss movement; The ETA 2824. As far as I can tell, this is a standard movement, not Elabore or Top, and I do not believe they are regulating it beyond what was done at the factory. Accuracy has been about -7 seconds a day over a week period, which is pretty good and of course could be better if regulated. As the standard ETA is a rather plain movement, VSA chose to etch the rotor with their logo, which is always a nice touch. At least it has a little something going on. If this were a true dive watch, I would probabably be whining about the exhibition case back, but since this is really only a diver style watch, I have no issue with it. While the ETA 2824 is a “workhorse”, It would have been great to have its more accurate and thinner brother, the ETA 2892 used.

One of the finer details of the Vitctorinox Maverick Automatic is the bezel insert. It is a gunmetal coated steel which has a brushed finish applied, which kinda gives it a distressed look. It matches the sunray pattern and color of the dial, and it just makes this model look a little more distinct.  Another feature I really am enamored with is the bracelet. It is a hefty bracelet and the links being done as they are, with the center link sitting above the others, makes it three dimensional, instead of the perfectly flat bracelets we are used to. While I do like this, I do not know if it would work on all types of watches, but it adds to the sportiness of this Maverick.

This brings to me one area of disappointment. The lume. Or should I say, lack there of. For some reason, Victorinox just does not apply enough lume, or does not use the right lume compound for their watches. There is so much good about this watch that the rather bleak lume really aggravates me. The Maverick was right there, it was touching the brass ring, and then it let go. As you can see, the hour and minute hand and the bezel pip glow decently bright, but the rest of it, well, is just abysmal.

To sum it all up, I would give the Victorinox Maverick Automatic a B. Yes, the lume is majorly disappointing, but there rest of the watch is so good that I can look past it and give it a better than passing grade. Had this had stellar lume, I would have given it an A. I love the way it looks, the quality and craftsmanship is where it should be and it feels great on the wrist. It is still a winner, but it is like the second prettiest woman in the bar wanting to go home with you. You are happy with what you got, but wanted better. If you can look past the lume, or if it is not important to you, this is still a fantastic watch. It’s also a watch that will never go out of style.

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