I took this Victorinox Swiss Army Original 24221 with me to Atlanta, and it ended up being a great watch for the trip. It’s light, easy to wear, easy to read, and has just enough personality to keep it from feeling generic.

What I liked most is that it has a little color without trying too hard. The red bezel gives it some life, but it still feels like a normal, useful watch. It doesn’t look loud. It just looks like classic Victorinox – a round Swiss army knife.

It feels practical, but not boring. You get the white dial, the big easy numerals, the 24-hour track, the date, the lume, all the stuff you want. But it also has enough of its own look that it doesn’t feel like every other field watch.

It was also just easy on the trip. Easy to throw on. Easy to live with. It looked right sitting by the hotel window in Atlanta, and it looked just as right next to my laptop. It fits into the day instead of turning into a thing I have to think about.

I also like that it’s from that older Victorinox period where the brand had its own look. This one has that slightly quirky 1990s feel, especially with the black case and that red ring around the dial. It’s a little unusual, but in a good way. It feels like a real product from a real brand point of view, not something designed by committee.

Around 39mm is just a very comfortable place for a watch like this. Big enough to read easily, small enough that it never gets in the way. Add in the Swiss quartz movement and 100 meters of water resistance, and it just makes sense as a grab-and-go watch.

This model gets some attention because of the Marlboro Adventure Team connection, and I get why people remember it. But even without that, it’s just a nice watch. Useful, distinctive, comfortable, and kind of fun.

After wearing it on this trip, I liked it more than I expected to.