Weird Watch Wednesday: CX Swiss Military 20,000 FEET
This week’s watch is as easily as cool as it is weird and has been receiving a lot of press lately for precisely that reason! The 20,000 FEET by CX Swiss Military Watch is probably one of, if not the most, toughest watches in the world and the guys at CX aren’t scared about putting this reputation to the test.
Reaching New Depths
The informal motto and seeming driving force of the team at CX is “shattering existing limits”. That’s right, these guys aren’t just pushing the boundaries or breaking the rules, they are shattering them. Completely. And they’re doing it in style.
The 20,000 FEET is the only mechanical watch in the world capable of being remaining functional and intact at a submersion of greater than 6,000m. Think its just marketing hype? Think again. This record breaking achievement has been officially acknowledged (and recorded) by the Guinness Book of Records. But it doesn’t stop there.
The creators of the 20,000 FEET claim it is completely fearless (which one would expect from an inanimate object incapable of human emotion, but that besides the point.) To prove the watch’s seeming indestructibility and relentless reliability they subjected it to three ‘Real Life’ tests.
How often any of the below happens to your wrist-watch in ‘real life’ remains a mystery to me. I would say bordering on never is quite a significant understatement. Nonetheless we march ever onward in the name of entertainment!
Tests Of Three
The three Real Life Tests to which the brand subjected its chronograph stunningly attest to its extraordinary build quality. Not only did they fire at it with a Winchester rifle from a distance of just eight metres they also placed it on an explosive charge blasting at a speed of 5,000 metres/second.
Of course to prove its resilience under extreme water pressure they simulated its submersion in 6,000m of water by spraying it with a fire hose.
Don’t just take my word for it though, check out the video below:
Incredulously the watch not only remained in tact throughout all testing it also maintained its timekeeping integrity, which is mind boggling to say the least!
The Final Word
Well, what more can be said about this watch other than the fact that it is probably far too big (and tough) to be worn by most men on a daily basis. Undeniably hardwearing and resilient the CX Swiss Military 20,000 FEET pays the price by sacrificing practicality for aesthetics. Having said that, if you are professional stunt person this could be the watch for you!
If you like the above video than you’ll probably enjoy this great video of our good friend Ben Clymer over at Hodinkee putting a Reactor Trident through its paces. Both entertaining and insightful. Your welcome!
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- Chris: The lugs, the lugs, the lugs. Bremont did an amazing job designing this watch, especially...
- Cliff: I already have one of these. I like it. Built like a tank, and almost as big! So I had to...
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So who goes that deep? Anyone? Submariners?
I imagine it is too bulky to be worn by even military personnel for fear of getting it caught on clothes, weapons, etc.
Great article.
Yikes!
Amazing to see what that watch can take. It could surely be popular among soldiers, divers and anyone else who wants their watch to survive them.
Glad to see another watch blog popping up. You’re a talented writer. Congrats on the site, looking forward to reading more articles like this.
Thanks for all your comments everyone, I agree the watch is exceptionally tough but perhaps to intense to even be practical? Either way there is no questioning the size of it, it is definitely not on the lean side!
With some after market add ons and lug modification it could be made into one of those bomb squad robots.
I love your creativity Robert, that is a very interesting idea indeed but no doubt this piece would be up to the challenge!
who needs to know time at 5000 meters deep?
amazing!!! i love it. ^^,
Hi Tom, Just bought one off their website. The black carbon one. The price is substantially lower (17%) as you don’t pay the VAT if you are not from Germany. Yes, Germany as the watch is shipped by Trustedwatch.de. The questions we should be asking are not whether any one dives to 6000 ft or if it its heavily on the wrist, but whether the build and quality are good (you betcha!!!) or is it good value for money? Considering the deepsea is more than twice as expensive and half as tough, well,you have the answer. P.S I do own a couple of rolexes, and so am not biased.
Hi Mahesh. thanks for your comment. I am very interested to hear your feedback on the piece regarding its size and how comfortable it is to wear, etc. Please let us know your thoughts when it arrives!
Hello Tom. I currently have a yellow dial 20.000feet on my wrist. It is a not so big as it seems.
As for the weight? It is very portable . Of course the height is there and it is not to wear with a suit and tie. But overall i wear it 24 hours a day and it is perfect. As for construction, it is the ultimate diving watch!
Hi Christos, thanks for your comment. As a happy twist of fate CX Swiss Military has offered to send me a 20,000 ft to review for the site so I can see for myself how it looks and feels! Please keep your eyes out for that review coming up soon!
This are good news . Me too will make a small review with pics on http://www.watchandclockforum.com
This is my first post here. A little about myself. I spent ten years in the U.S. Army, the majority as Green Beret in 1st Special Forces Group. After leaving the Army I spent five years as a police officer in Texas. In 2001 I joined the Federal Air Marshals for five years. I transferred out of the Federal Air Marshals in 2007 to take a full time position as a firearms instructor for the Department of Homeland Security. I now own a consulting business where I consult in the area of special operations, tactics, and firearms. I also consult in the entertainment industry.
The watches I have owned run from everything between Casio G-shocks and Pathfinders, Luminox, Seiko’s to Rolex Submariners.
I am one of those people that wears my watches to work no matter how nice and expensive the watch is. My daily activities have included anything from obstacle courses, parachute jumps, shooting, to waterborne operations. Needless to say I am extremely hard on my watches. I actually broke my Submariner bracelet during Desert Storm.
I recently received the CX Swiss Military 20000 with the Carbon Fiber face. The presentation box was nicer than any watch I have had so far. Upon opening the box I could not believe how big the watch was. The first thing that caught my attention is how big and attractive the titanium bracelet is. In my opinion the bracelet is nicer and more functional than my Submariner. I can recount many occasions when my Submariner bracelet would “pop” open. On a few of these occasions during waterborne operations, I came close to losing the watch due to this problem. Also because of this, during parachute jumps I would not wear my Submariner but put into a pocket for fear of losing it. The bracelet on this is much more sturdy, secure, and does not open easily which is a major plus for working in the environments that I do. I would not have a second thought about wearing this one my wrist during a parachute jump. The bracelet is also bigger than the Submariner and fits the watch perfectly. The rubber strap that comes with the watch is also extremely attractive and fits perfectly. My first day wearing the watch was definitely a breaking in phase that I initially thought would take longer due to the size of the watch. After the second day I didn’t notice the weight or size at all. This watch breaks in beautifully. I have two close friends that are watch collectors and own several high end Rolex’s and Panerai’s. When showing them the watch, one of their first comments was that I would end up bumping the watch on many objects due to the thickness. The surprising thing is that I actually bump this watch less than any other watch I have owned. I have worn this watch every day since receiving it. It has become my favorite and is the best watch I have ever owned. It is extremely tough yet even with the size looks great on my wrist when going out at night. I receive compliments daily on the watch. Of course when many see that depth of 20,000 feet they comment, “Who would ever dive that far?” I think people fail to recognize that not only does it state the depth the watch can be worn to, but how tough this watch is. This is displayed by the videos on their web page. The luminescence on the watch is exceptional. Even in a lit room the luminescence is noticeable.
I am extremely picky with my watches and have always found some fault in them no matter how minor. With this watch, I have found none.
Hi Tom,
Received the Black 20000 ft today. Not too big as someone noted earlier, but quite deep. Can be worn regularly and weight is not a factor. Interestingly the back dial appears busier than the yellow and the carbon fiber creates the illusion of the sub-dials being closer together. However visibility may not be as good in dark conditions, unless the lume compensates for it.
Construction is sound and the xtra rubber strap is a nice touch. The wooden box is beautifully made and the package overall is excellent. Strangely, the screw driver is the wrong size and even if it were the right size, still needs another as the screw on the opposite side needs to be fixed in place while proximal screw is being removed.
Cheers,
Mahesh
Hi Mahesh, thanks for getting back to us. What a coincidence, my 20,000ft arrived today too! Except I opted for the silver dialed version. I agree with all your comments and will be posting a detailed review on the watch next week. Look forward to hearing your feedback on that post, will be interesting to see if you agree or disagree with my review
Thanks again!
Tom
Due to the positive feedback and reviews the factory is currently out of the carbon fiber dial version. I had one on order for our forum store and when I learned how long the delay would be I switched to the blue dial version.
I can’t believe this but now you can actually have a chance to win one of these right here on The Watch Lounge! =)
Hi all. Just sorting the final details of purchasing directly from Frank at the factory and get it here to New Zealand.
Tried originally to purchase through the Asia dealer in Aus but the price there is over $2500NZ more. Strange that???
I have ordered a yellow dial to add to my other dive watches which include the Graham Chronofighter Scarab, Rolex Deepsea, and the very last of the V serial numbered Seadwellers.
Just need their bank details now to do the transfer. Can’t wait.