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This article was first published in the May 2016 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
How do you translate the survival-ready spirit of the Swiss Army Knife into a wristwatch? Take 1.8 metres of handwoven US-Army paracord strap and combine it with Victorinox's solid steel I.N.O.X. - a watch which, having survived being repeatedly run over by a tank, alongside 129 other extreme tests of fortitude, has a pretty robust claim to being the toughest timepiece you can buy.
For the average consumer's more everyday concerns, that translates to the ability to work at depths of up to 200m underwater, survive a ten-metre drop on to concrete, and function in temperatures ranging from -57°C up to 71°C. In part, this resilience comes from keeping things simple. There are no extra dials, switches, barometers and certainly no touchscreen - the I.N.O.X. tells the time, and nothing more.
Instead, Victorinox has loaded all that Swiss Army-style multi-functionality into the strap itself. When unravelled, the paracord has a load-bearing ability of up to 250kg. It is famed for its extensive range of survival applications - not least having been used to perform in-space repairs to the Hubble telescope in 1997.
Back down on Earth, the paracord can be used to rig up anything from animal snares to shelters, lash rafts, or even a tourniquet. When further unwound, the thin nylon strands make excellent fishing line, sewing thread and even dental floss.
Although it's unlikely to be worth pulling apart your limited-edition watch strap simply for the sake of oral hygiene, Naimakka, the strap's maker, does offer a free rewinding service in exchange for a suitably dramatic story of the survival situation in which it was used. £409
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
