Who tells the truth?
Almost three decades back, Extreme came out with one of their finest – according to their own ratings – which most their fans and critics that time didn’t quite agree with. Their opinions differed from each other and were very different to that of the band. So III Sides to Every Story lived up to its name.
QED: ‘How good are Invicta watches?’- is one of those questions, an answer to which depends upon who you ask.
There’s no definitive answer to it. Only a person (who should possess some knowledge about watches) initiated to the brand for the first time will have the most unbiased opinion. Looking through multiple viewpoints, only a seasoned first-timer will be able to best explain till what extents those points hold good. Or, true.
It might grow very lengthy explaining them with all literary ornamentation and adornments; we’ll avoid verbiage as much as possible and will keep things short and simple. It might sound rude at times; please excuse us for that in advance.
Invicta: Through different eyes
- The ‘vintage collector’ view: “Uh! A modern-day, horological attempt under a name that originated quite some time back! Their watches had a much better build years ago; I don’t mind getting one of those if the price is reasonable. I don’t expect much value at all!”
Targets: Two-Register Chronograph (w/hand-wound Landeron 48 movement), Invicta “Surfboard” Chronograph (w/ Valjoux 7733 mechanical movement), the Invicta Vintage Pro Diver Automatic.
- The ‘connoisseur/snob’ view:”A watch that looked quite a bit like the Rolex Submariner earlier for it greater part, with fancy names for some of their parts that are put together quite well. Like the Tritnite lume; sounding like the light-emitting Tritium (in Luminox); the same one that Rolex used for decades on their upper-tier tool watches and marked them T Swiss Made T” at 6. The newer ones successfully lose that homage stigma, though.
Or the Flame-Fusion crystal, which is a sapphire cap put atop a mineral crystal. The crystal is grown applying Verneuil technique and flame-fusion is its pet name. Synthetic gemstones are also manufactured this way till now, since late 1883. Its inventor is Auguste Verneuil, a French chemist.
But well, their movements are genuine, though not anything great. They use standard Seiko/TMI (NH25, 35, auto-chronos etc.), Miyota 8215 and STBL-005JS movements for their inexpensive autos; Ronda, ETA and Sellita for those priced higher. Some models like the Bolt Zeus and Speedway tuck the Dubois Depraz mechanical movement in while some tuck in the Valjoux.
As for the quartz movements; they include reasonably priced Japanese and Swiss movements (including Swiss parts and Swiss-Made).So yeah; three or four of different styles should suffice.”
Targets: Invicta Sea Hunter Chronograph, Invicta I-Force Chronograph, Invicta Venom, Invicta Reserve, Invicta Bolt , Invicta S1 Rally, Invicta Bolt Zeus Magnum Chronograph, Invicta Coalition Forces, Invicta Russian Diver .
- The ‘Nerd’ view: “Not where I’d like to put all my money. They don’t fetch you back much on a resale, albeit you may give them a fairly brutal treatment if need be. Their looks don’t deteriorate with time if basic care is given and that’s whatever little value you get out of it. Without an idea about resale, I’d keep three to four different models – work, go-to, weekend/vacations and for occasional adventures. More or less, they are acceptable watches in a daily urban and moderately active/outdoor life. But you must know how to sift through the garbage and pick from the gems mixed throughout. They are fun watches to wear.”
Targets: Invicta Hydromax Automatic, Invicta Jason Taylor Automatic, Invicta Pro Diver Professional Automatic, Invicta Speedway, Invicta Reserve Automatic Invicta Reserve Black Dial Automatic , Invicta U.S. Army
Three sides we heard; one still remains
Those who gave their verdicts earlier are not the average consumers, unaware of value in a watch. An average consumer would buy a watch to use for maybe, for the next 5 or 6 years? It’s them, my friend, where the commercial success is at!
In his/her eyes, Invicta watches are: “A great choice for their price vs. features ratio which is sometimes equal to watches priced way higher!”
Personal opinion: Guilty pleasures (anyone you pick)
The Swiss-Made, mechanical Invicta watches aside, quartz tool pieces like the Sea Hunter Chronograph Diver and the SHAQ are very much worth purchasing. At Creation Watches, they come even cheaper!
Nice watch