The Victorinox Infantry Mechanical watch was a new model for 2012 and offers a relaxed and casual wrist presence that should suit a wide range of dress and tastes. As is the case with many of their most successful designs, Victorinox has relied on the simplicity of vintage military watches as the base of the Infantry Mechanical’s look and feel. Boasting a legible time display, simple hands and a railway minute track, the Infantry Mechanical lies somewhere within the overlap of an Omega Dynamic and a Hamilton Khaki Field.

The Infantry Mechanical’s steel case measures 40 mm wide and 10.5 mm thick, making it an attractive size for most wrists, including those normally covered by a shirt cuff. Lug to lug is an easily managed 46.5 mm but the lug spacing is a rather odd 23mm. The 23mm lug width not only gives the Infantry Mechanical a rather wide stance, but also makes it more difficult to find straps. There are abundant strap options at 20, 22 and 24mm, but 23 is a fairly odd size. That said, the Infantry Mechanical includes a mesh-style bracelet and 22mm straps worked pretty well, with only a small gap between the strap and the lugs.

The case and bracelet are polished and carry quite a noticeable glimmer. While I would normally prefer a brushed finish, especially on a watch with military styling, I grew to rather like the polished finish and found it to match nicely with a simple leather strap. The included mesh bracelet is also rather nice. With straight lugs, a tight but flexible mesh link structure and an easily adjustable clasp, I found this bracelet to be comfy, solid and not prone to pulling hairs. The clasp can be easily adjusted to suit a wide range of wrist sizes thanks to a receiver that can slide along the length of the bracelet before locking in place to accept the claps from the opposing side (see video for full visual). If you would rather a leather strap, check out the nearly identical Infantry Automatic (ref: 241565) which has the same look and movement but comes fitted to a brown leather strap.