HOW tough can a watch be? Well, if it can withstand being subjected to temperature shocks from -57˚ to +70˚Celsius, which corresponds to the standard set by the U.S. Army for the manufacture of missiles, it must be really tough. But what if it can also survive 8 tons of compression under a hydraulic press, being driven over by a 25-ton truck or a military tank weighing up to 64 tons, a fall of 10 meters only a smooth concrete surface (which is equivalent to a drop from the third floor to the ground floor with an impact speed of 50kms. per hour), exposure to flame at a distance of 5mm for more than a minute (which corresponds to a temperature of +1,200˚C), being frozen in ice for 168 hours, and a stratospheric altitude of 21,300 meters (which is twice the height at which airliners fly)? It must be the toughest watch in the world!
This is exactly what Victorinox, the company in Switzerland that “invented” the Swiss Army Knife, calls its newly launched I.N.O.X. watch, which was released in celebration of the iconic company’s 130th anniversary. The name I.N.O.X. comes from the French word for stainless steel, the solid, durable and corrosion-resistant material that Victorinox adopted more than 50 years before it became the standard in the Swiss watch industry.
The I.N.O.X. watch has been designed to withstand unusual stress, and therefore was subjected to a ruthless battery of 130 strength tests that go beyond the standard certification tests of the Swiss watch industry. This series of new tests was developed specifically for I.N.O.X. to once again push the boundaries and impose new rules on resistance. In the process, a total of 421 I.N.O.X. prototypes were sacrificed by Victorinox’s testing team over a period of six months to come up with the indisputably toughest watch in the world.
And, yet, tough as it is, I.N.O.X. is also stylish and fashionable. The refined design of the reinforced 43mm stainless steel case is enhanced by a skillfully polished hexagonal bezel. It is scratch-resistant, with a triple anti-reflection treatment, and is also water resistant up to 200 meters. The watch is available in three colors — black dial with black rubber strap, khaki green dial with khaki green rubber strap, and navy blue dial with navy blue rubber strap — and comes with a removable black silicone and nylon bumper. The watch takes on a different character when the bumper is put in place, so the I.N.O.X. can be worn for any occasion, be it a rugged, casual, semi-formal or formal occasion.
Victorinox’s I.N.O.X. had its Philippine debut at White Space in Makati City recently in the presence of Victorinox CEO Alex Bennouna, international sales manager for Asia Pacific Axel Wenger and Lucerne Group managing director Emerson Yao. Two celebrity friends of the brand, rugby player and Mr. World 2012 runner-up Andrew Wolff and former U.S. Marine Corps sniper and Mr. World 2014 candidate John Spainhour, were also introduced during the occasion. Also present was TV personality Marc Nelson, whose good friend and The Amazing Race Asia teammate Rovilson Fernandez served as event host.
