In previous articles, I wrote about my love for Victorinox Swiss Army Sea Plane watches. I will not rehash the bulk of that information here, but you can check out all my reviews and history of the SeaPlane watches atย Swiss Army SeaPlane Watch Series. To make a long story short, I collected every standard issue SeaPlane watch that Victorinox had to offer. When it came time to split my collection, I decided to keep my favorite. Most people might think that I would’ve kept the larger watch with a hand-winding mechanical movement, but I decided to keep the 41 mm SeaPlane Chronograph instead as my definitive SeaPlane watch.
A family portrait of Victorinox Swiss Army SeaPlane watches
In my mind, this is easy to explain because I am a chronograph aficionado. Regular 3-hand watches can be a little boring to me, and I literally use a stopwatch function every day. No joke, I time everything, and this habit has made me keenly aware of how long most tasks take.
The Victorinox Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph, model 24075
The Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph represented a “Grail Watch” to me. For those non-watch people reading my blogs, a Grail Watch is the one that you will do almost anything to obtain. That might include selling other watches or eating ramen noodles for a month to get it. Luckily, I did not have to suffer too much to obtain this Grail Watch. This is because I already had the Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph with the standard plastic watch band. I just had to track down a special metal bracelet for it.
The inspiration for my SeaPlane Chrono Grail Watch
The inspiration for this watch on the metal bracelet came from a very old Swiss Army ad that I uncovered while researching SeaPlane watches on the internet (seen above). In that blurry photo, I saw a Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph with a metal bracelet. It looked so unusual that I knew that I had to have one just like it. At first, I thought it was a special edition but later learned that the metal bracelet was an expensive option that could be bought separately from the watch. For the record, there is still something funny about the watch in the Swiss Army advertisement because the chronograph hand does not have a counterweight. It looks like the second’s hand is from a different model of SeaPlane or a prototype.
I think that this watch will be looked at in the future as a desirable novelty
At the moment, a few of these metal bracelets can still be had, but your luck may run out in the future. My favorite source for vintage Victorinox Swiss Army watch bands is a jewelry store in the U.K. named Reflections of Infinity. This is a store that I personally use, and I send people who are looking for outdated Swiss Army watch bands… especially for SeaPlanes. Colin is the man behind the website, and he is doing watch geeks like me a kind service by keeping the dwindling stock of oddball Swiss Army watch bands in stock… even longer than Victorinox might. I was happy to find that he had the metal bracelet for my Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph available so I virtually plunked down my money and bought it. This one had to be sourced from his network in Switzerland.
The metal bracelet is thin and comfortable. The deployant clasp is contoured to match your wrist shape.
I have often told people that they should plan for the future if they own certain Victorinox Swiss Army watches like the SeaPlanes or Hunters. This is because some of these models used plastic watch bands and over time, they can become brittle and rip. If you do not have a spare watch band, then you will have to find an alternative to the original watch bands. I experimented with replacing the proprietary watch bands on Victorinox Swiss Army’s Hunter Watchesย in another article, but there is no known aftermarket replacement for the SeaPlane watches, which have an unusual quick-change watch band design.
I love this watch… the SeaPlane Chrono has such daring engineering
Precision engineered parts and tight tolerances makes this quick-change watchband system work
The 3 necessary parts of the Victorinox Swiss Army SeaPlane watch band system.
Hopefully, it is obvious how this watch band system works. All you have to do is remove the locking ring, remove the watch band. Take the replacement watch band and align the cutout notches with the 3 pins on the back of the case. Then you put the locking ring back on by aligning the notches and then twist to lock. The explanation sounds much more complicated than the actual process… it’s easy, though new metal watchbands have tight tolerances. That is a good thing.
Notches in the base of the interchangeable watch band align with pins on the watch head.
So, how does it look? I think that the metal bracelet was just what the doctor ordered. It makes the watch look like a futuristic prop from some science fiction movie made in the 1990s. Dare I say that the design still holds up today… at least in my book. There are several things to point out about the watch bands. First, it is a 9-link design – that is 7 thinner links flanked by 2 wider links. Does this style have an official name? Geez, I dunno.
Maybe as funky as some of the Omega SeaMasters from the early 1970s, but with a 2000s style.
The bracelet is thin and comfortable. The short links conform to your wrist nicely without pulling hair or jingling. The deployant clasp is a thing of beauty hiding much of its bulk behind the links. Only from the top can you see the curved connecting bar that fits the contours of your wrist. This is a comfortable watch band.
The signed deployant clasp is very thin with the bulk of it hidden.
The back view shows how the locking ring keeps the watch band and watch together.
When I was taking photos of the watch, a hairy gorilla with really thin wrists just happened to be walking by and I politely asked him to pose with the SeaPlane Chrono so that I could show you guys what it looks like. Apparently, I caught him on the way to the set of an American Tourister commercial so it was my lucky day.
I was able to find one of my grail watches. It certainly looks unique.
The 9 link bracelet is a good match for the futuristic look of the SeaPlane Chronograph
Victorinox Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph on wrist
The metal bracelet was not inexpensive, but it was not cheap back in the early 2000s either. I believe it was a secondary option and this is one reason you so rarely see them. Personally, the metal bracelet is priceless insurance, and will likely never fail. Without the assurance of having a permanent watch band solution for my Swiss Army SeaPlane Chronograph, I would have likely sold it. Instead, I obtained one of my Grail Watches. I am positive that there are not many like it existing in the world. If you own a SeaPlane Chronograph with the metal bracelet, send me a photo and I will post it. Extra points if you are a gorilla.
The design of the watch band and the high-quality parts make this combo a winner
Grail watch acquired… the Victorinox Swiss Army SeaPlane Chrono is fun and funky!
Love your article. I have a Seaplane Chrono with 02 busted bands. May I know how much you have paid for the optional bracelet?
Hi Yuih-Sin Low. I paid ยฃ129.00 plus delivery of ยฃ9.00 to the USA. Delivery may be different to different parts of the world.
001122.01 should be the exact model you need. It will only fit the 41mm SeaPlane Chrono (24075). https://secure.romancart.com/cart.asp?storeid=43753&itemname=Victorinox%20Swiss%20Army%20001122.01&price=129.00&quantity=1&returnurl=https://www.reflections-of-infinity.co.uk/straps2.html.
YOu can also contact Collin at websales@reflections-of-infinity.co.uk and he will help.