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Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Talk about your experience, good and bad, here.
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Bolster
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Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by Bolster »

Victorinox Maverick II Alarm 24141 Mini Review

[img][/img]

If you’ve seen my posts, you already know I look for watches with three attributes: (1) thin, <12mm; (2) rotating bezel; and (3) good lume. Those three requirements exclude 99% of watches (a guess), and mostly put me into quartz territory. When Flypanam found the Victorinox Maverick II Alarm 24141 at a deep discount ($109 at STP), it looked like a possiblity. Plus, I like light dial watches. And I like alarms. So this was worth a shot.

I’m not aware of many alarm + ro-bez watches. Its size is 43x11.1mm by the calipers, which I had to check more than once, because I kept thinking it was a larger watch. It feels solid, even heavy, angular, with a nice crisp bezel that has 120 clicks and a really good feel. The anodized red bezel looks “sun bleached” to my eye. Silver hands on a silver face mean that sometimes the hands virtually disappear, and one must rotate the watch until the shiny hands reflect a darker object and give some contrast. The applied numbers on the face are prone to disappearing, too, depending on what they’re reflecting. Have a look at the photo below. You’re presenting in front of a room full of people and need to know the time, but can’t stare at your watch. Take a glance. Quick, what time is it?

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The markers on the face take some getting used to. They are not minutes! They are quarters of an hour. They are for the alarm hand! If you want to see minute markers, look at the tiny lines on the chapter ring. The second hand sometimes does, sometimes does not align with the second markers, but that’s irrelevant on a watch where there are three rather than four marks between each hour, so the second hand gives the impression it’s just “doing its own thing” and ignoring the watch face entirely as it twitches through its circle.

Push pull crown, with one of the most aggressively intrusive crown protectors I’ve experienced. Tiny little date window, which probably means a tiny quartz movement with a big plastic spacer inside a big watch case. Sweet sounding alarm. People complain it’s too soft, but they must be people who attend rock concerts. It’s loud enough for me, but only rings for 15 seconds. I like the tune, ba-ba-be-ba, like a wren chirping the beginning notes of “Bad to the Bone.”

Enough things were going right with this watch I’d decided it was a keeper; it just needed to pass the lume test. The big chunks of lume on the hands looked promising. So I charged it up with a bright LED, along with a Glycine Combat Sub on the left, which has lume sufficient to be read at 5am, and my new favorite Wenger Ti Off Road, which has unexpectedly good lume…it’s a Wenger, who expects good lume from a Wenger?

Initial brightness was good, as always, but who cares about the first 10 minutes? I’ve developed this test for lume; set my SLR on ASA400, set the lens to f/2, and expose for 1 second. If I can easily read the time in the photo after 30 minutes has passed, I have a watch that can be read in the dark at 5am. Notice the 30-min photo of both the Glycine and the Wenger easily pass this test. But the Vic? Sadly, failed. By the looks of it, it would be difficult to read an hour or two after lights out. [Edit: Verified; 2 hours later the hands and markers were nearly invisible.] Nice watch, but not for me.

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Last edited by Bolster on Sat Feb 09, 2019 10:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by Robotaz »

Sorry it failed your battery of tests. Those alarm marker would definitely take getting used to! lol


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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by watchpalooza »

With off-white markers on a white face that watch looks barely readable in daylight.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by jima »

Really sorry to hear that about the lume. Funny I have the same soft spots as you and had that tab opened for about 2 weeks making up my mind. For me though ,the white and silver combo and lack of contrast was the killer. I have a number of Victorinox/ Wenger watches including alarms and they are all pretty good. The lume, while not Seiko, is usually adequate for the 5am test. But then again, part of the joy of the hobby is is the chase, eh?
Last edited by jima on Thu Feb 14, 2019 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by flypanam »

I'm glad that you found a deal thanks to me, but I'm sorry that the watch didn't perform as you'd hoped!

I've never owned it, but noted that it was available for much cheaper than at other outlets. Aesthetically it's a decent looking watch. And I'm sure the build quality has to be decent, considering its Victorinox. I've found the lume on every Victorinox I've owned to be subpar. I've always just chalked it up to the fact that in most cases, only dive watches (by definition) actually require great lume. But if that's on your checklist of watch requirements, I can totally see how Victorinox can dissapoint, even if they make watches with other strengths.

I guess finding a thin watch with a rotating bezel and great lume is hard enough. Rotating bezels are usually exclusive to Divers and GMT watches, both of which are usually on the thicker side (but at least divers generally have great lume). Divers because of water resistance requirements, and GMTs because of more complex movements (and sometimes they're divers as well). If you're looking for an alarm watch that also satisfies those requirements... that's hard to find! Something's gotta give.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by TheJohnP »

If thin divers are your thing, you may want to check out the Orion Calamity.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by MoT »

Thanks for the review. I guess I can scratch this one off my list.
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by Bolster »

flypanam wrote: Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:52 pm I've never owned it, but noted that it was available for much cheaper than at other outlets. Aesthetically it's a decent looking watch. And I'm sure the build quality has to be decent, considering its Victorinox. I've found the lume on every Victorinox I've owned to be subpar. I've always just chalked it up to the fact that in most cases, only dive watches (by definition) actually require great lume. But if that's on your checklist of watch requirements, I can totally see how Victorinox can dissapoint, even if they make watches with other strengths.
I'm thrilled when any watch even remotely within range is found, thank you for your excellent hunting skills! Yes, a good looking watch and well worth the gamble. If I weren't so persnicketty on lume, it was a keeper. You're right, of course, about the dive watches. I do wish that dive watches didn't have the exclusive on good lume. Some of us need to read the time in the middle of the night, and we're not underwater when we need to.

But as you say, the hunt is also fun. So, on to the next. I've a thread linked below if anyone reading wantw to get in on the thin/bezel/lume discussion; lots of good suggestions have been made...not to mention some downright excellent poetry (I say this in all humility) to be found in this thread as well.

http://www.manontime.com/viewtopic.php? ... 9&start=45
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Re: Victorinox Maverick II Alarm - Mini Review

Post by laris »

Hi, this is my first ever posting on a watch forum so I'm quite excited to be involved. I read the very direct mini review on the Maverick ii alarm as I am searching for an alarm /gmt analogue but, like others, finding the chase exhausting.

I wondered if anyone has had any success? As I have a small wrist I need a case diameter about 40mm, 24hour alarm and gmt/ second time zone, perpetual calendar, silver dial but constantly visible so nothing to push is the plan. Also a leather strap with deployment clasp.

I actually bought the Tissot (my favourite make by far) T-race touch T0025201103100 from Jomashop but I've sadly found the dial too empty with too much of the while dial unoccupied. If only they had put the number 3, 9 and 12!

I also own a 47-year-old Tissot Seastar Navigator from brand new and it still works and it's 40mm. Perfect.

Thanks
Laurence
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