Swiss Army Watch Genuinity

[Rodion]

Alright. I've been looking for a decent watch for months now. Now obviously, I could just have anything and it'll work. Much like an EDC multi.  

So I settled on Victorinox as the manufacturer, but then read this: Genuine Victorinox Swiss Army Timepieces are sold through official Victorinox Swiss Army Jewellers and retailers and are not available on the Internet. Great. For a while, I just assumed it was an outdated sales pitch designed to funnel brand crazies to the retailers. Frankly, I still think so. However, there is a notable difference between Vic watches and eBay watches:

Stock Photo



Actual Photo



Swiss Army what now? A bit of digging online led me to assume that Swiss Army is a legitimate, if outdated Victorinox brand name. But why is it then, that not one online seller I found happened to carry an up-to-date version? Moreover, why do they display photos including the name, then promptly replace them when asked about it?

I can't help but feel everyone and their mother is already in on it and I'm stumbling into a well known grey market...

Anyway, should I shell out the extra 300 $ to a local retailer? And how do I know the watch is legit then?

Edited for clarity...

[Zack]

I believe the Swiss Amry brand is the North American distributor of Victorinox/Wenger.

[nuphoria]

When you buy from a legit dealer, you should have a guarantee that your watch is genuine - obviously what you pay a lot of extra cash for. I know for a fact that ebay is full of grey market and dodgy fake watches, it's really hard to know who to buy from and be sure. Seikos are very prone to this but I have no experience of buying Vic or Wenger watches from ebay.


Good luck with your decision making!