Brifer Watch Report: Victorinox Chrono Classic & Blancpain 500 Fathoms Cannes
The Victorinox Chrono Classic features a 41 mm stainless steel case. The dial is off-white and the subdials are silver with circular graining. The bracelet is stainless steel with a push button clasp. The case and bracelet both have polished and brushed surfaces.
Inside is a Swiss quartz movement. The crystal is an anti-reflective sapphire and the caseback is screw-in. The luminous hands and markers are very bright. Water-resistance is 100 meters.
The upper two subdials display chronograph hours and minutes. The lower subdial is a small seconds indicator, so it is continuously moving. The central seconds hand displays chronograph seconds.
Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of this watch. Aside from having the push-button clasp intermittently jamming on me, the watch seems very solid. I think it is an excellent value at $495. That said, I would prefer the larger, 45 mm Chrono Classic XLS version. And I would opt for the version with a strap, for $625, to avoid any clasp problems.
Blancpain 500 Fathoms Cannes Limited Edition
At the 32nd edition of the International Boat show, next week, Blancpain will launch its brand new 500 Fathoms diver’s watch. And the manufacture from Le Brassus is presenting a world first at the Blancpain booth: a 500 Fathoms Cannes 2009 limited series of 50 dedicated to sea-lovers.