MEET THE WATCH: Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 Midsize Purple Plum

There is simply no denying that I might have bought what some consider to be a “girl’s watch” when I purchased a midsize Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500. This little gem has a plum (aka purple) dial and is noticeably smaller than many of Swiss Army’s other Dive Master 500 watches. While it might be easy to consider this a simple case of cross-dressing, there is more to this story. This diminutive watch might have changed the course of my watch collection forever by bringing the subject of comfort and wearability of smaller watches into sharp focus.

I could not resist the lure of this plum dial and orange hands

As many long-time readers may know, I am a huge fan of Victorinox Swiss Army’s Dive Master 500 series of watches. These dive watches are discontinued, but they represent some of the best designed and bang-for-buck watches that the brand ever made. In my opinion, I would take a Dive Master 500 over practically any modern I.N.O.X. model. The Dive Master 500s look better, wear better, are smaller, are rated for 500 meters of water resistance instead of 200 meters, have better readability and the lume simply embarrasses the I.N.O.X. My opinion might sound a bit harsh, but I do not see the need to sugarcoat the performance of one watch when another (older) one outshines it both literally and figuratively

Three flavors of Dive Master 500: mechanical, midsize and full-size

My goal is not to troll Victorinox Swiss Army I.N.O.X. watches in this article, but to reiterate how wonderful the Victorinox Swiss Army’s Dive Master 500 models are. Dive Master 500 watches came in a wide variety of styles including chronographs and 3-hand versions. There were mechanical versions and quartz versions. Different models were made from stainless steel or titanium. Some had polished steel finishes, some had gunmetal PVD finishes, some were bead blasted, some had gold-colored PVD surfaces and others had deep black PVD coatings. The dial colors ranged from basic black to red, to orange, to brown, olive green, white, blue and gray. Overall, the variety of design and styles made these popular models a hit for many watch collectors. You can see the whole Dive Master 500 series in the Victorinox Watch Identifier here.

Mid-Size Dive Master 500 with “manly” plum

Many of Victorinox Swiss Army’s Dive Master 500 models shared a common case size of around 42 mm wide, 53 mm lug-to-lug and 15 mm tall. While this is not particularly large for a dive watch that can survive depths of 500 meters deep (1660 feet deep!), it might be chunkier and heavier than what some people want to wear on their wrists. Large watches were in style for much of the 2000s, and many of us got used to wearing them. In those days, “bigger is better” seemed to be some watch collectors’ mantra. However, some people cannot comfortably wear larger watches. Victorinox Swiss Army made alternative versions of many of their watches for these customers. You will notice that I did not attach a gender descriptor to my last sentence, and neither did Victorinox Swiss Army. Instead, smaller versions of their watches were called “midsize”. Using this term opens the product to the wrists and minds of more customers without labeling them as a “woman’s watch”.

Changing the strap changes the personality of the plum Dive Master 500

You might be wondering who might actually wear one of these midsize Dive Master 500 watches? The answer might be surprising if you look at the trends of watches being made in 2019. It seems that many manufacturers are listening to the watch-buying public and enthusiast forums because the size of the wristwatch seems to be on the downward slope. This is a gross generalization of the industry as a whole, but for super-nerdy watch collectors, a classically (smaller) proportioned watch would win when compared to an oversized one. To put that in concrete terms, 36 mm and below could be considered small watches, 38 mm to 41 mm could be considered to be midsize watches, while anything over 42 mm up and beyond could be considered large watches. Of course, these numbers could change depending on who you ask or the brand. There does not seem to be an industry standard. Other factors such as style and lug size can affect the perceived size of a watch.

38 mm on the wrist is just about perfect for many people

I have owned a lot of Swiss Army Dive Master 500 watches with the 43 mm case size and generally, I think they are just about perfect. They are large, but not too large. They can be felt on the wrist, but they are not overly heavy. They are well made, look cool and seem to be very tough. However, I was always curious about the smaller midsize versions of the Dive Master 500 series that are only 38 mm wide. That is 6 mm narrower, or roughly 12% smaller. That does not seem like much, but dimensions on watches are often measured in fractions of millimeters. Small differences can add up to completely change the look of a watch. Watch collectors obsess about things like the spacing on a dial, font sizes, etc. Small details really do matter.

The dial of the 38 mm Dive Master 500 have perfect symmetry

Before I bought a midsize Dive Master 500, I dabbled with buying full-size Dive Master 500s that looked like the midsize versions with white or olive dials. Some of the Dive Master 500s have an orange arrow-style minutes hand and vertical ridges on the dial. The look is distinctive and all of the midsize watches have these features. In fact, it can be easy to get confused when looking at photos of a full-size or midsize Dive Master 500 that use the hands and dial treatment. Some look identical at first glance with similar color dials and hand styles. However, there is a foolproof indication of the size in plain sight on the dial. Simply look at the date window. The full-size version has a rectangular date window at the 3:00 position and the midsize has a circular date window at the 6:00 position. Once you know this, you will never be confused again.

Comparing the standard and mid-size cases of the Dive Master 500 series

So, how does a normal guy go from wearing black watches to purple plum watches and still feel masculine? The answer is simple. I like what I like and I don’t apologize for my taste. I want to have variety and unique colors for watches in my collection. In an over-abundance of black, blue and white watches, plum stands out from the crowd. Honestly, how many plum watches can you name… well, besides that plum Rolex for ladies. Whatever… I still like my version better. This is partly because the color is not very saturated. You could almost say that the dial is semi-matte that helps to tone down the brightness that could have made the dial look childish. However, the rehaut is semi-gloss that accentuates the sloped chapter ring markings seen in red and white.

The small watch makes up for its size with extra personality

There is one part of the watch that begs to be replaced if you are a guy. The matching plum watch strap might reiterate the purple color too boldly. Not only that, it is only 19 mm wide and somewhat short, and this is the dead giveaway that this watch was intended for smaller wrists. The quick fix is to squeeze a 20 mm leather or NATO strap onto it. I chose a hand made strap made in beautiful British tan. The color juxtaposition works wonderfully for me making the most of an oddball color combo.

The Horween leather strap makes a big difference with how the watch is perceived

I told myself that I’d give this watch to my wife if I did not like it, but for now, it is going to stay firmly in my collection. The 38 mm case size makes this one supremely comfortable to wear, and it still has a great wrist presence with a rare color and a just-right size. I think as more people learn that larger watches are not always better watches, Victorinox Swiss Army’s midsize watches could be something to explore… especially the Dive Master 500 Midsize series. Check out the variety available on the used market. As I move forward with collecting Victorinox Dive Master 500 watches, I will likely replace some of the larger versions for the midsize cases. Maybe I’ll choose one of the other midsize Dive Master 500 models shown below. That green and gold one is just unique enough to grab my attention.

The lume is strong in this plum Dive Master 500 Midsize

If you are a lume junkie, then the Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 midsize will not disappoint. The hands, indices and even part of the dive bezel have a thick layer of Superluminova applied. This amount of lume is what I consider a requirement for dive watches. Even the smallest amount of light charges the lume and it lasts well into the night. I have not compared it to Seiko’s Lumibrite, but it is potent.

In low light, the color becomes subdued

Most photos of the plum-colored Dive Master 500 that I have seen in the past have not really done the color justice. This is understandable because this purplish dial is a bit of a chameleon. In some light, it looks like eggplant purple, and in other situations, it looks maroon, plum. purple, lavender and a few other colors that probably only have a number in a Pantone Color Guide. The best thing to do in this case is to just show the watch in real-world situations from my daily life. That includes lots of photos next to other purple things that I encounter like flowers or the shag carpet in my office. Who doesn’t have a purple shag carpet in their man-cave? I bet Prince had one, so that is good enough for me. haha

Hmmm…. the purple matches my shag carpet perfectly!

As you can see from the common purple shades that one might experience in the real world, the dial is a little bit of all of them, and maybe none of them. In other words, this is plum-colored watch has few peers in the watch world and that makes it a little bit special.

Nandinas look similar in person, but clearly, are shades apart “on film”

Maroon pansies are in the ballpark, but there is no home run here

Ultraviolet flowers are not exactly right either

Lavender petals are lovely but not a match

A closer match is similar to purplish-red Japanese Maples

The truth is that the Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 midsize with the purple plum dial is a little difficult to pin down when describing its color and the intended consumer for such a product. I personally think that the 38 mm size wears amazing for a variety of wrist sizes. The color is what you make it. It could easily be perceived as feminine when paired with the original plum 19 mm strap.

Stand out from the crowd with a different colorway

However, I think that this watch makes a great option for men who also love beautiful colors and are willing to expand their color palette options beyond basic black. I have so many black watches that sometimes I yearn for a pop of color. Just like real plums, this watch might not be something you encounter every day, but it is a treat when you do. The best part is that you can find them on eBay for very low prices. Go find your’s today! Or buy one for your girlfriend, wife or daughter. They might really appreciate it too if they like this style.