Victorinox
Victorinox Airboss 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Victorinox · Airboss
Victorinox Airboss 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Reference 68282OR.52
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Victorinox
- Collection
- Airboss
- Model
- Victorinox Airboss 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
- Reference number
- 68282OR.52
- Year / era
- 1989 · 1980s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic Powermatic 80
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 3E — Automatic Powermatic 80
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1989 – 1996
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Victorinox Airboss 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k sits within Victorinox's Airboss line, introduced in 1989. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — 18k white gold case, mother-of-pearl dial and automatic powermatic 80 — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Victorinox
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1884
- Founder
- Karl Elsener
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- I.N.O.X., Maverick, Fieldforce, Airboss, Journey
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic COSC chronometer · Quartz · Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Notable watches
- Victorinox I.N.O.X. 38 mm Blue 18k (1956) · Victorinox I.N.O.X. 36 mm Green Carbon (1973) · Victorinox I.N.O.X. 38 mm Skeletonised Grade (1976) · Victorinox I.N.O.X. 38 mm Slate Quartz (1994)
Brand history
Victorinox has spent more than 142 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's I.N.O.X., the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Karl Elsener established Victorinox in 1884, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Victorinox calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1884
Karl Elsener founds Victorinox in Switzerland.
1899
Victorinox earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Victorinox to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Victorinox enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Victorinox continues to produce I.N.O.X., Maverick, Fieldforce and other icons in limited numbers.