Victorinox Swiss Army (or VSA) has produced a sporty looking automatic wrist watch named Alliance Mechanical. I know, I know.. the name of the model is a mistake as “mechanical” watch should be used for a manual winding watch to differentiate with an automatic self-winding watch. Not sure what these Swiss guys where thinking though but I’ve gotta admit the watch looks stunning (especially the creamy white dial version). Let’s take a look at the Alliance Mechanical wrist watch and get on with the review.
Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical Specification
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Lug To Lug: 50 mm
Lug Width: 20 mm
Case: Polished stainless steel case
Strap: Black leather strap or stainless steel bracelet
Dial: Creamy white or dark gray dial
Dial Window: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Markers: Numeral and index markers
Hands: Stainless steel dauphine hands with red seconds hand
Movement: Swiss ETA 2824-2 Automatic self-wind movement. 25 Jewels, 28800 vibrations per hour or 8 beats per second, Hacking, Manual winding
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Accuracy: +-15 seconds per day
Water Resistance: 100 m or 330 feet
Other Features: Screw-in and exhibition caseback, date display, lume on markers and dial
Best Place To Buy: Amazon
Clean And Sporty Dial
The Victorinox Alliance Mechanical is grouped under the brand’s “Business Watches” models. It surely have that sharpness that would look great when you are wearing suits and attending meeting with your clients. But another look at the watch will gives you the sporty vibe. All in all, it’s a great looking watch that you will be proud to wear to everywhere – office, meetings, casual outings, etc.
The dial of the Alliance Mechanical comes in two variations: creamy white and dark gray colors. My personal preference is the white dial because it just complements the silver hands and markers. The dark gray dial on the other hand contrasts beautifully with the hands and markers. Both are equally stunning but for me, I’m a more of a white kind of guy lol.
There are minimal signatures on the watch – Victorinox apparently want to keep the watch dial/face uncluttered – and it actually works. The dial is simple and not busy at all. Only the brand’s logo/signature, Automatic and Swiss Made signatures are on it. The dial window is made from sapphire crystal which has anti-reflective coating on it. At the bottom of the watch is a date indicator with a small box frame around it for added functionality. It’s a shame that Victorinox don’t put a day indicator too. They should know that for a “business watch”, the day and date is very important to keep track of day and date of meetings/deadlines.
Sturdy Stainless Steel Case With Quality Craftsmanship
As the brand Victorinox Swiss Army is famous for, the Alliance Mechanical watch is built with highly polished stainless steel with sturdy and high quality craftsmanship. The case is 40 mm in diameter and 11 mm in thickness. Lug to lug width is 50 mm while lug/strap width is 20 mm. Overall, this is an average sized wrist watch but can look much bigger on the wrist because of the non-existing bezel that stretches the dial more. As a result, the watch face looks bigger compared to a watch with a wider bezel e.g diver watch, aviation watch etc.
The sides of the case is vertical without any curves. There is an exhibition caseback that shows the Swiss ETA 2824-2 movement at the back. The lugs are thick and feels sturdy. You won’t be afraid that the watch will somehow fall off lol. There are two choices for the strap: black leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. In my opinion, the stainless steel bracelet is much preferable to take as it’s basically will last forever compared to the more fragile leather strap. And if along the way you feel bored with the bracelet and want a leather strap or even a Nato strap, the you can just buy an aftermarket one and put it on.
Equipped With The Trusted Swiss ETA 2824-2 Movement
The Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical is powered by Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic self-wind movement. It is a common workhorse movement used by many Swiss brand’s inside their low range prices automatic timepieces. But don’t let the low range price title mislead you though. ETA 2824-2 is regarded to be robust and accurate by watch enthusiasts. As a matter of fact, this movement has been in production for decades – this shows just how good the movement is. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it right? Not to mention there are 4 grades of the movement (Standard, Elaborated, Top, Chronometer). Going up the grades is more decoration and higher accuracy at more positions. But for the Alliance Mechanical and also the popular Tissot Le Locle, the movement grade is just standard.
ETA 2824-2 comes with 25 jewels inside it. It has a 28800 vibrations per hour or 8 beats per second for a smooth sweeping second hand. It can be manual wind and hackable. The accuracy is only +-15 seconds per day though many owners of the movement reports that it can reach up to +-4 seconds accurate which is within COSC Chronometer accuracy range. But I’ve got to be frank that the only flaw with this movement is the very low power reserve which is just about 38 to 40 hours power reserve. It’s okay for those that have only 1 watch as he can wear this everyday but for those with more than 1 or 2 watches will have difficulty to keep it running as you cannot wear it everyday. In order to solve this problem, you can either manual wind or use a watch winder (read this post for more information on both) or you can buy a watch with a huge 80 hours power reserve (Tissot PRC 200 Powermatic 80) or even 90 hours power reserve (Swatch Sistem51).
Check out this awesome review of the Victorinox Swiss Army (VSA) Alliance Mechanical by Worn&Wound to see it up close. The version in this video review is the 241666 (White dial with leather strap)
Comes With Variations Of Dial And Strap
Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical comes with 2 different dial colors (creamy white and dark gray) and 2 different strap options (black leather strap and stainless steel bracelet). As stated earlier, my pick would be the white dial with a black leather strap. You just can’t deny it looks handsome and totally gorgeous. The leather strap just dress up the watch while the bracelet will make it look more casual and sporty.
Different watch for different taste. Clockwise from top left are the model no. 241669, 241668, 241666 and 241667.
Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical Advantages And Disadvantages
Pros:
1- Good looking watch perfect for any events (office/work, casual, black tie event etc.)
2- High quality construction and craftsmanship as expected from Victorinox brand
3- Powered by Swiss’ industry workhorse automatic movement ETA 2824-2
Cons:
1- No date indicator reducing the functionality of the watch
2- Quite low power reserve at 38 hours
Conclusion
Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical wrist watch is a gorgeous looking watch. For those wanting a suitable watch for work that can even be used for other activities and events, then this watch is for you. With a scratch resistant sapphire crystal and high quality craftsmanship from the famed Victorinox Swiss Army brand, you won’t go wrong with a watch like this.
************************************************
What Is Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical Watch Price?
The MSRP for the Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance Mechanical is about $750 for the leather strap version and $795 for the bracelet version. But Amazon dealers can give a much lower price.. Click the link below to check out the best prices of this handsome watch.