Grail watches are not always made of unobtainium or need to cost as much as a Ferarri. Some dream watches are made from more humble materials, which are affordable, but that does not make them less desirable. The Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Jubilee Edition Chronograph made for Victorinox’s 125th Jubilee Celebration is truly a rare watch, and deserving of its nickname “The Unicorn”. That is what I and my friends call it anyway because we have never seen one in person, nor have we ever seen one for sale, at least until today.
The infamously rare 2009 Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage LE Jubilee Edition. Photo: Victorinox
Several years ago when I first started to learn about Victorinox Swiss Army watches, I quickly discovered that I had a fetish for their limited edition variants. These models were different from standard production models and produced in very small numbers. The rarer the watch, the higher my interest was. Luckily, I have acquired quite a few of these rare limited editions over the years, but the one that seemed to be the most elusive was the Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Jubilee Edition Chronograph.
Back then I made a joke about who might be able to wear this ultra bright red and gold beauty. The first candidate is loved by millions across the world and serves up delicious pseudo-burgers, fries, and shakes. Mr. McDonald had better not let the Hamburgler see this watch on his wrist, or there might be a fast-food felony!
Ronald would be happy to wear this color-matched watch!
The second candidate is also loved by millions across the world and maybe beyond this world. This papal authority sometimes has been known to wear custom red Pope Shoes that are pretty fly for a white guy (as the Offspring lyric goes). Dang, these shoes are pimping…., I mean popping, err… I mean “Pope-ing”. Whatever, they sure are bright and would compliment the Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Limited Edition perfectly!
Custom made Italian Pope Shoes would be a perfect match for the red watch band. Image: Wikipedia
The term “Jubilee” simply means an anniversary celebrated every 25 years… 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 etc. Not much is known about the Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Jubilee Edition Chronograph, and there is scant information about it on the internet. It was produced in 2009 for Victorinox’s 125th anniversary.
This is a slightly confusing concept because Victorinox is a knife company that had a 125-year history (in 2009) having been established in 1884. However, watches with SWISS ARMY were first made in 1989. The best way to look at this Jubilee Edition watch is to realize that it was a 125th-anniversary watch for the parent company, Victorinox, who has a longer history of making cutlery than timepieces. It does not mean that Victorinox Swiss Army has been making watches for that long.
Now that you know why Victorinox Swiss Army was celebrating, you should understand why they tried so hard to make this watch memorable. The Jubilee Limited Edition watch looks like no other watch that I have ever seen. The Jubilee Limited Edition features a colorway that simply has to be seen to be believed. Victorinox watches might be considered to have conservative designs by many, but this bright red and golden yellow watch contradicts that notion. You could probably see this watch from outer space. Feast your eyes on some of the photos of it that I collected over the years!
A cohesive and bold design based on two bright colors
The red and golden yellow colorway of the Jubilee Edition is unique, to say the least
The rear view is as special as the front view
There were actually two Jubilee Editions released in 2009. The red and gold model (v.241329) is ultra rare with the total produced numbering a paltry 125 units. Whew! That’s a low figure considering they were distributed worldwide. There was a companion edition in olive green (v.241328) with cream accents. That one was released in higher numbers, but they were still limited in production.
According to Victorinox Swiss Army: “This retro-styled timepiece has a rather large circular case with a noticeable and charming analog dial in an olive color. The overall appearance is inspired by the 1940s and the U.S. Army Dodge trucks which were especially popular in the final stages of World War II. Allegedly, these trucks were acquired in such enormous quantities by the Swiss Army that they were priced by a square kilometer.”
If my research is correct, the MSRP on the green version was around $630. The seller confirmed that the rarer red and yellow limited edition was priced higher, which would make sense. I have never found a suggested retail price to accompany that LE watch so the 2009 cost is currently a mystery. You’ll just have to buy the watch to find out.
Two different Infantry Vintage Jubilee Limited Editions from 2009
Both of the Jubilee Editions were based on the standard issue Infantry Vintage Quartz chronographs introduced around 2008. As you can see from the photos below, there were more traditional and had less detailing on the dial. Specifically, the telemeter scale that is emphasized on the Jubilee editions as an outer color ring is not present. Also, the 30-minute chronograph totalizer is not rimmed with a thick border of accent color. This created a more conservative and subdued look. A few of the models are shown below, but essentially there were olive, black and cream dial variants with a variety of bracelets or straps. One version was even coated in gunmetal PVD.
Infantry Vintage Chrono
v.241287
Infantry Vintage Chrono
v.241579
Infantry Vintage Chrono
v.241314
Infantry Vintage Chrono
v.241289
The Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Chrono is a large watch with a case diameter of 44 mm and a case thickness of 12 mm. It has a full presence on the wrist but wear comfortably thanks to the butterfly style deployant clasp on the straps and bracelets. As mentioned earlier, the style is supposed to invoke the 1940s which it might do with the color, but certainly not with the modern size. Most watches were tiny in the 1940s compared to what we wear on our wrists in the mid-2000s.
Speaking of modern times, the rare red and gold Victorinox Swiss Army Jubilee Edition finally made an appearance on eBay in January of 2019, and it caused a bit of a ripple amongst Swiss Army watch collectors who know this model and have searched for it tirelessly. If that is not the definition of a “grail Watch” then I don’t know what qualifies.
The Limited Edition Kit contains a special box, booklet, watch and what appears to be a display sign. Photo: FrozenOtter
I was literally discussing this watch with another collector, Brian, on one of our epic 3-hour watch nerd conference calls. We can really drain our phones’ batteries when we start gabbing. Our significant others check on us occasionally and shove food and water under our doors to make sure we do not pass out from overexertion. haha.
Finally… the Jubilee Edition appeared on my eBay search algorithm. Photo: FrozenOtter
A close up of the display sign. Photo: FrozenOtter
Literally, the next morning, my automated search that has been scouring eBay listings for literally 4-5 years got a hit. I felt like a radio wave astronomer getting an intelligent signal from deep space. It proved that perhaps the Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Jubilee Edition really does exist and we did not imagine it.
Buy the Swiss Army Infantry LE on eBay if you can afford it
The model on eBay is something of a time capsule of 2009. The watch is a completely unworn specimen with all of the items that came with the watch about a decade ago. Any collector knows the value of this extra material that is so often lost to time. The extra box and papers often disappear. Not in this case. Also, there is sometimes hidden information in the booklets and The first thing you will notice is the rich red box with gilded type. You will then find the model number on the side.
The product tag shows 241329 as the model number. Photo: FrozenOtter
You will also find the series-number for each watch, which should match the number engraved on the case back. Limited edition series are usually expressed as a fraction so this specimen’s number is read as #46 of 125 total. Most of the time this number is printed on the label, but I have seen a few handwritten tags on some other rare Swiss Army models.
Swiss Army Limited Editions are usually numbered on the box. Photo: FrozenOtter
The engraved case back has a spectacular vortex of Swiss Army logo shields arranged in a circular pattern of diminishing sizes. The slogan that appears on the box, “125 Years, Your Companion for Life” appears in the center of the case back.
The engraved case back with the 125th-anniversary jubilee text is wonderful. Photo: FrozenOtter
This case back design is shared with the olive and cream Jubilee Edition except that watch does not have a limited edition number engraved onto it. This makes sense from a production perspective because a custom case back for just 125 watches would be very expensive to produce. Distributing the case back cost amongst a larger number of watches makes sense.
Another view of the case back engraving. Photo: FrozenOtter
The red leather strap for the Jubilee Limited Edition is likely as rare as the watch itself. I do not know of any other Victorinox Swiss Army watch straps that have such a design. The outer layer is bright red leather with a supple inner layer of tan calfskin. The stitching appears to be an off-white cream color. The edges of the straps are coated with red paint to give a clean finished appearance. You can tell that this watch has never been worn because none of the holes seem to be stretched.
The leather band is color matched to the bright red dial. There is offwhite stitching. Photo: FrozenOtter
The aforementioned deployant buckle is similar to ones found on other Victorinox Swiss Army watches. These tend to be reserved for high-end automatic models, but it feels appropriate for this Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Jubilee Edition Chronograph. The deployant makes it easy to set the strap to your wrist size once, and then quickly don or remove it by hitting the twin release buttons on the clasp. The Swiss Army shield logo is used to “sign” the buckle.
A special red strap for a rare watch. Photo: FrozenOtter
The Jubilee Edition box looks unique to these Jubilee models. They appear to be covered with a leatherette material, which is an upgrade compared to the regular cardboard display box that ships with most Victorinox Swiss Army watches.
The special box is clad in a leather-like material, unlike other Swiss Army display boxes. Photo: FrozenOtter
Hiding in the box is a velvet bag containing several books and brochures. Event the adhesive hang tag is still in the box. Seriously, this kit is as complete as it gets. The only thing missing is a Polaroid picture of the buyer paying for it.
The contents of the red velvet bag. Photo: FrozenOtter
I talked to the seller of this watch and he said that he bought it brand new, but never wore it. He knew how special this was and he saved it. Judging from the other watches seen in his watch box, he has a nice collection of high-end brands. It is nice to see that a collector like this also values a limited edition watch from Victorinox Swiss Army. Concerning the stratospheric price… only time will tell what the market will bear for such a rare item. I suppose anything is possible given the right buyer. Only time will tell who will step up to claim the prize of the unicorn. I know it won’t be me, unfortunately.
Many thanks to the eBay Seller, FrozenOtter, who allowed me to use his photos. I wish him the best of luck on his auction. If you are interested in this watch, please check out FrozenOtter’s auctions on eBay. Depending on when you read this article in the future, the watch may or may not be available for sale. Other photos of this watch are from the Flickr account owned by Serrasalmus at https://www.flickr.com/people/45765862@N05/. Many thanks to this photographer too.
