Test Flight

After Journey 1884, Dive Pro, Swiss Army, and the latest I.N.O.X., Victorinox is introducing the fifth collection showcasing the brand's product design language. We take a look at the new Air Pro GMT.

- by Roger Ruegger

It's often said that takeoff is the most risky phase of a flight. The same goes for writing hands-on reviews of watches that haven't yet hit the market. Obviously, as a journalist, getting to see and handle a new watch months before its release is always a thrill. But at the same time, one also has to be able to maneuver the risks that come with sudden changes in direction during the development of such a product. I remember all too well when another brand decided to (thankfully) switch the colour of a date disc shortly before the launch, unfortunately rendering all the photos I had already taken useless overnight. In another case, I found myself buying the final version on the day of its introduction, after its dial suddenly had shown a different text. Obviously, I didn't want to create any confusion by showing the wrong hands-on photos of the watch (and, admittedly, also was quite glad to have such a noble excuse to buy another watch for myself). Here, however, we have gotten one of the final prototypes of Victorinox's latest release, which means we're officially cleared to start.

The new Air Pro is the company's second mechanical GMT watch so far, and it also can be seen as the legitimate successor to the Airboss Mach 5 GMT from 2005, from which it not only takes the internal bezel, but also the thematic link to the world of aviation. Basile Maeder, Senior Product Manager at Victorinox, noted, “We wanted to offer something different from what was done in the last years with the Airboss to highlight this new collection with different functionalities, but also a more premium automatic movement with an additional complication.” Another unmistakable link to aviation is the use of the Swiss Airforce logo in the lower half of the dial: Victorinox has been supplying the Swiss Armed Forces with the soldier's knife since 1891. The Swiss Airforce logo was first used in 2000 on Victorinox pilots' watches.