Dialed In

"In watchmaking, there are two tried-and-tested ways to keep a wristwatch going autonomously. In mechanicals, of course, it's the historic automatic movement. In quartz, however, it's solar. But it's highly unusual to find both options available in identical Swiss watch designs."

"Solar-powered watches have been around as a technology since the mid-1970s, when Japanese electronics whizzes made it possible. Yet it's only in the last couple of years that a handful of serious Swiss watch brands have got in on the act and made it a viable part of their offer. That's largely because, for much of the intervening years, the technology to make powering a watch through solar was a jealously guarded secret."

"Now, however, through photovoltaic cells-the doohickey that absorbs UV light through the watch dial, converts it into electricity, and stores it in a built-in battery to power the quartz movement are-available through Swiss maker Ronda."

"As a result, for the first time, Victorinox is bringing solar technology into its new Concept One collection, a range of 39mm steel watches available in both solar-powered and automatic versions. The differences are subtle, with each distinguished by a unique colorway-gray in the case of the solar models and green for the automatics-as well as dial execution, with vertically brushed dials for the automatics and a smooth, curved detail for the solar-powered pieces."

Solar-powered quartz and automatic mechanical movements are two ways to keep a wristwatch running autonomously. Solar watch technology has existed since the mid-1970s, but Swiss adoption became viable only recently. Access to photovoltaic cells from Swiss supplier Ronda has enabled solar dials to absorb UV light, convert it into electricity, and store it in a built-in battery for the quartz movement. Victorinox applies this to its Concept One collection, offering 39mm steel watches in both solar-powered and automatic versions. The models differ mainly by colorway and dial design, while all use a simple three-hand display with date. The automatic versions use a La Joux-Perret G100 movement with a 68-hour power reserve.

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