Victorinox
Victorinox Journey 40 mm Black Platinum
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 · Journey
Victorinox Journey 40 mm Black Platinum
Reference 49016OR.18
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Victorinox
- Collection
- Journey
- Model
- Victorinox Journey 40 mm Black Platinum
- Reference number
- 49016OR.18
- Year / era
- 1953 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 4F — Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1953 – 1969
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Victorinox Journey 40 mm Black Platinum sits within Victorinox's Journey line, introduced in 1953. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — platinum 950 case, black lacquer dial and automatic, 38-hour reserve — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.