I am very impressed with Invicta style and quality. They offer well-made watches at a very competitive price. I own seven Invicta watches and love each of them. They have the look and feel of a much more expensive watch.
This particular model looks almost identical to a Rolex Submariner. It is an automatic watch (if you don't wear it for around 24 hours or move around enough, the time must be reset) with 21 jewel Japanese movement and has a see through back that lets you view the automatic movement. The watch has a large 43mm face and it has Mercedes style hands and Tritnite luminescence markings with a magnified date marker. It is water resistant to 200 meters (just in case any of you will go down that far).
The one pictured above has an oyster-like bezel (Omega style). The older (Series 1 or S1) model of the 8926 have a coin edge bezel like the Rolex Submariner. The bezel rotates. Invicta makes really attractive bands that have a nice weight. The stainless steel silver band and black face combination is very sharp and will never go out of style. I have an 8.5" wrist and the watch accommodates my wrist with room to spare. They come in the trademark yellow Invicta box with an Invicta pillow.
The 9937 is an upgraded model of this watch that offers 25 jewel Swiss movement instead of the Japanese 21 jewel movement, a sapphire crystal, an improved stainless steel band (even though the one on the 8926 is great), solid end pieces, a better magnifier over the date, a flip lock safety clasp and a large rosewood box instead of the yellow box that comes with this 8926.
Invicta's 8926 is the dive watch that started it all - the watch that kept Invicta from going out of business - like other Swiss watch making firms did as Oriental made quartz watches flooded the shelves of retailers worldwide in the 1980's! For an overall look rivaling the Rolex Submariner at 1/15 the cost, Invicta provides a $100 automatic diver with stainless steel bracelet unrivaled in quality and performance. Let's take a tour of this diving watch and note the value and style of the timepiece:
Movement
The Citizen Miyota 21 jewel movement rivals Swiss automatic movements for a fraction of the price. If it has any weakness - it is in the small power reserve - losing it's mainspring energy with less than one day off the wrist. IF not worn everyday- it should be put on a programmable watch winder or manually wound. The second hand will not "hack" with this movement. A date (complication) window shows at the 3 o'clock position. It must be manually adjusted every February and other 30 day months.
Case
The 43mm (with crown) 316L brushed stainless steel case wears comfortably on the wrist. The case lugs are modestly curved to accomodate wrists of all sizes. The new model (larger screw down crown)l ooks elegent as it gracefully projects from the case with a scuplted crown protector.
The black dive bezel - unidirectional 120 clicks around - is scalloped like the Omega Seamaster and is a departure from older model 8926's which flaunted a Rolex like "coin edge" bezel. Under pressure from Rolex it was changed by Invicta two years ago. The black enamel bezel is very scratch resistant - the numbers clear and bold.
The Mineral Glass crystal is scratch resistant - but not nearly as much as a more desirable sapphire watch face (imprinted only by diamond) which could triple the cost of the watch. Mineral glass is less prone to chipping or shattering than a sapphire crystal. The display watchback is also mineral glass - displaying the undecorated Miyota automatic movement. Mineral glass backs are less likely to cause skin irritation than a stainless steel backed case.
A date magnifier (Cyclops) at the 3 o'clock position carries on the Submariner theme. The watch hands contrast wonderfully with the Invicta black dial. The LUME off the watch hands and number positions is modest - both in brightness and longevity as compared to more expensive dive watches. A "winged" Invicta symbol decorates the counter - balanced side of the second hand. An elegent "INVICTA" product name is embossed on the left side of the case. The watch is rated as a Professional Diver 200M (660 feet) water resistant.
Bracelet
The comfortable stainess steel pinned link bracelet is worth the price of the watch. Solid end links, rounded flexible brushed steel wrist links set off the polished stainless steel center links - all made to look like the Rolex Oyster bracelet. The bracelet's center links are the only part of the watch prone to scratching. The foldover adjustable double safety clasp uses pins as well. There is no wetsuit deployment clasp as found in more expensive watches.
CONCLUSION
Rated 5 Stars because of value and features, the Invicta 89XX series of Professional Dive Watches has kept the company in the forefront of automatic movement watch manufacturers. No one can touch Invicta in the $100 area Pro-diver price range. Fit, finish, design, value and quality cannot be beat. This IS the leader in its class. Those desiring a Swiss made watch with Sapphire crystal and heftier bracelet should first look at the Invicta 9937 for about threetimes the price.
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The watch mechanism is great, but if you're looking for a watch that will last, including the watchband, then look elsewhere. My watchband (all stainless steel) broke at the end and a regular watch repair shop cannot fix it. It must be replaced, so I called/emailed Invicta and their response was that I can PAY for a replacement. The replacement fee was 20% of the MSRP of the watch, which is $255.00 on their website, not including shipping! The warranty that is supposed to be one-year only includes the interior mechanism of the watch. It doesn't include anything that is related to the exterior, including the watchband. I emailed several times to Invicta, and I never got an email reply back. I am extremely disappointed and I thought I was getting a great product that will last. Next time, maybe I should invest my money in something that has a REAL warranty with a real effective customer service department.
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