What I know about Invicta watches is what I saw on commercials/infomercials 15 or 20 years ago. Since then, my impression of them is that they’re just knockoffRolexes. The commercials never mentioned ‘Brand R’, but the similarity is obvious. The pitch was along the lines of ‘You can own this fabulous automatic watch for only $250. But wait! Right now, we’re selling them for the low, low price of only $49.95!’ I have not seen a commercial for Invicta watches since the ones I saw in the '90s (or thereabouts). I’ve noticed on the cable guide that a shopping channel has Invicta watch infomercials. I’ve never bothered to look at them.
If they’re available for under $100, seeing a selling price of $800 makes me do a double-take. Obviously a manufacturer can put any MSRP on an item that it wants, and then actually sell it for a fraction of that amount. Heck, they could sell them at a price that they could be given away with a fill-up of at least eight gallons of gas. I see that the under-$100 ones have a Japanese movement, and the 10174 has a Swiss movement. I assume that the movement is the same one used in any number of Swiss watches in the same price range. That would explain the price difference between the ones I linked and the 10174.
So what’s the deal? Are these actually decent watches? I’m never going to buy an Invicta watch; I’m just curious.
I think they have a decent reputation with some fan collectors - sort of like the Swatch fan base, but pricier - in the $300 range.
Some (limited productions?) have greatly increased in price over the years, but most are worth less than the original price after a short time. Then again, there are even some Swatches that have greatly gone up in price - depending on the model/year of production - at least for collectors.
Invicta has/had some cool, interesting designs - and if you are just interested in style, this might be enough to make the price worthwhile.
I don’t think I would put them anywhere near Rolex in terms of quality and reputation and later value.
I’ve owned a few over the years. They have some nice designs and are decent watches. I have a Sapphire Ghost that I really love. If you purchase through ShopNBC they extend the warranty from 1 year to 5 years.
I was honestly shocked to learn that there were Invicta models that could legitimately sell for $800. When Caneknife came back with model 6977 that sells for less than $200 everywhere, my view of Invicta was supported. When he came back with model 10174, which does sell at $800+ I was shocked. It’s a 25 jewel Swiss-movement piece waterproof to 1000 meters :rolleyes: with a list price of $5695 USD. It doesn’t even have a real sapphire crystal. I have a couple Seiko divers with “Hardlex” crystals, so I’m not a sapphire only snob, but on watch with an $800 price tag? No way.
I bought an Invicta dive watch once. I gave it away because I disliked wearing it so much. It was an inexpensive purchase, but more importantly, it was cheap. I have no use for a company that makes shitty watches. If their better constructed watches are worth the price, good for them and anyone who enjoys their product. I have no use for them, personally.
I should clarify my disdain, here. Recreational diving is limited to 30-40 meters. 100 meters is the recommended limit for highly skilled and well equipped technical divers. The world record holder of deep diving is booked at 318 meters. Claiming a 1000 meter water resistance is so far beyond stupid, it marks you as a manufacturer of dive watches that has absolutely no knowledge of scuba diving.
Invicita initially got press around 15-20 years or so ago because their Rolex Submariner like watch was actually not a bad deal. It was around $60-$80 and featured a plain workhouse automatic movement that was decently reliable and the case and bracelet were quite well done for sub-$100 watch. It developed a minor fanbase. I bought one for my kid.
From that start Invicta has gone off into a variety of unique and interesting looking designs. They have always been noted for posting insane retail prices. I’ve never had a problem with the few Invictas I bought but in reading online accounts those people who have had problems generally relate that Invicta customer service is sub-par.
Invicta is (IMO) kind of a novelty watch. If you are buying it for fine craftsmanship or some imagined exclusivity and spending hundreds on them you may want to re-think your strategy. Trusting that a company that makes mass market high volume watches is going to execute properly on the service and craftsmanship expectations of people buying $ 1000+ watches is a risky bet.
I’m wearing that watch right now, I think it’s called an 8926. It has a clear back. I’ve had it for four years, and I’m hard on watches … my only complaint, the crystal is a little easy to scratch. It seems like a tough watch, and at this price ($70) it’s easily replaced if it get smashed.
I bought an Invicta Force lefty from Amazon. I bought it because I’m left-handed, and the buttons are on the left side. Very good choronograph, very accurate. EXCEPT. At some point something went wrong in the stem and now even with the stem fully inserted, it still allows the stem to spin which causes the date to change. This tends to happen with normal wrist motion and so the date is rarely correct.
There is a trumped-up Watch of the Month advertised in Smithsonian Air & Space. The Rolex, Breitling, etc. ads have been supplanted with faux-upscale brands in ads that look just like, say, the John Travolta Breitling ads. It’s sad on so many levels.
There are a lot of complaints on Invicta forums about this sort of thing re stems disengaging and hands coming loose etc. I rarely see these sorts of complaints with Citizen or Seiko watches. It IMO speaks to lack of proper QC and cheapest possible manufacturing.
