A watch made by Victorinox is generally a must-have for anyone obsessed with EDC, if for nothing but the fact that Victorinox is a part of EDC legend and lore.

The I.N.O.X is the one watch that always held my imagination, but given the considerable wrist-space it demands, was never a practical choice & the rest of the best just didn’t cut it.

Years have gone by with the watch collection bereft of that one Victorinox, that one watch which could pair perfectly with the myriad SAK’s that make-up a significant part of my knife collection.

Smaller sized I.N.O.X watches brought with them a glimmer of hope. Despite the allure of a time-only I.N.O.X, they just didn’t cut it, and that brief flame of hope ended up being glowing embers all over again.

Trawling the internet is a common pursuit that many enthusiasts are given to. Luckily enough for me, a fellow enthusiast (though it would be more appropriate to refer to this Gent as a collector) has a phenomenal eye for obscure models & little-known watches of excellent pedigree.

He managed to acquire this fantastic Victorinox SC1500 Mechanical Solar Compass wristwatch domestically in NZ (it’s a small country with a very small watch community) which in and of itself is a rarity.

I was immediately smitten by it as soon as he shared this acquisition with our watch group, and me haranguing him for it began in an instant.

There is just something about a >40mm watch that appeals greatly to the medium-wristed that shy away from large watches (7 inches being my own wrist size).

The Victorinox SC 1500 is rated to 100M, equipped with a protective flip-up shroud which reveals an analog Solar Compass (instructions for use found online) & protects the crown – What’s not to love?

Despite being anal-retentive about date windows, the date window is acceptably placed at 6. The dial is a perfect clean slate/black, the Victorinox badge at 12 is applied as are the oversized 3 & 9 numerals. What the hands lack by way of good lume, they make up for in spades with their excellent proportions.

The dial is suitably spare and offers up all of 6 words by way of information – Victorinox Swiss Army, Mechanical & Swiss Made – Perfect!

The caseback outlines a little more by way of WR, the model number & the like. It isn’t much to look at, so we will move right on.

One of the nicest details in terms of casework is on the shroud which has Victorinox Swiss Army engraved into it at 3 o’clock. This is also where you flip-up the solar compass to use, or when you need to wind the watch.

The Victorinox SC 1500 sits satisfyingly flat on the wrist, and has no overhang. The lugs look like the pincers of a fat scarab and aren’t just cool looking but really contribute to the wearability and comfort of the watch.

When it comes to winding the watch, this is far from pleasurable, as the crown guards are sharp & the crown is very flat making it difficult to grip & wind – And this is coming from someone who doesn’t have fat fingers either. It is a minor quibble, as winding the watch is a once in 30 hours affair. The effective power reserve is about 36 hours based solely on observation.

The timekeeping is on point as one would expect from what I assume is an ETA handwound movement. Technical information on the watch has been gleaned from watchhunter.org, though there isn’t a whole lot to go on to confirm what movement is in use. This model is not the limited edition of 100 pieces. The limited version is an even more desirable no-date version which is rumoured to have a Unitas movement very similar to Panerai’s of the era.

For someone who has always wanted a Victorinox watch in their collection for keeps, but has invested little effort in hunting one down, I couldn’t ask for more.