As I mentioned in my introductory Ingersoll post last week, Ingersoll is actually one brand held by the folks at Zeon; another label they have is Swiss Eagle. So, not too surprisingly, when they sent samples over, they included some from this line as well – which brings us to today’s review.
The model in question is the Swiss Eagle Altitude (ref 9022). On the surface of it, it’s a relatively simple three-hander in presentation. When you start taking a closer look at the details, though, there are some very interesting facets, including:
- Indices and numerals are actually raised (and lume filled)
- The logo at 12 o’clock is raised and lumed filled, rather than simply screened on
- Slight cutout / depressions above the midline, giving even more layers to the dial
- Hands have an interesting shape and lume fill – especially the seconds hand
What does this mean? That there was attention given to the details of the watch, rather than just slapping together another aviator-inspired piece. So, what about the hard specs on the watch? That very interesting (at least to me) dial is housed in a 44mm stainless steel case.
That case has a unidirectional bezel on it surrounding the flat sapphire crystal up front; a stainless steel screw-lock caseback locks things up, helping net the piece a water resistance rating of 100m. Holding it all in place is a comfy 22mm leather strap; driving the three hands around, as well as keeping the date accurate, you have a Swiss-made quartz movement (maker not specified).
For me, I just plain liked the looks of the watch, and it performed nicely while I was testing it. The brown + white color combo is a great one for the summer, whether you’re at the office or the beach. Of course, if that’s not quite to your tastes, there are four other variants in the collection, that can net you a steel bracelet or rubber strap, or a PVD case and black dial.
The good news here is, regardless of finish, pricing looks to stay the same – MSRP is right at $290 (bracelet jumps the price up some). Oh, there is a chrono in this family as well (9020-33) that raises the price to $440. Whichever you’d go for, I think this would be a good watch for a variety of folks – and if you like the details of your dial, this one should be right up your alley.
