[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Invicta Watches (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/1/2012 9:38:31 PM EDT
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I was at Sams Club tonight and saw a blue Invicta 9094 for $90. Since its my birthday on Sunday, I decided you give a try and buy it. Its my first auto watch
How are Invicta auto watches, was it worth the $90 bucks? Here is a pic of the watch from the internet that I stole: 
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I'd avoid them. I hope it lasts you a long time. What's wrong with them? Just curious, because I have been thinking about getting one. They're like $30 watches that sell for $80 and the manufacturer's of the watch will give it a ridiculous MSRP to make you think it's a Movado. I mean if it's an $80 watch, advertise it as such. Don't dress it up in shit and call it an apple pie. |
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They come in a number of grades.
Japanese/Chinese made are shit, and you should avoid. Some are made from a minimum number of Swiss components and are not bad, I own a couple. Got them for around $80 on closeout on Amazon. Those are a steal, and I get a ton of compliments on the style. Their top of the line watches are made from Swiss parts including high end Swiss auto movements. They can be had for around $300 to $3000 or more. Unfixed does offer gold watches. I own a couple that were in the $500 range street price. Never fall for the suggested retail, those numbers are bullshit. I also own Omega and Breitling, and have owned Tudor and Tag Heuer, and other premium Swiss watches. The Invictas are NOT on par with these, but, for $200 or less you can have a pretty nice Swiss watch. Some people will say Seiko or Citizen, and they make some nice watches. Just not my thing. Primer on what constitutes a Swiss watch |
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I'd avoid them. I hope it lasts you a long time. What's wrong with them? Just curious, because I have been thinking about getting one. They're like $30 $5 watches that sell for $80 and the manufacturer's of the watch will give it a ridiculous MSRP to make you think it's a Movado. I mean if it's an $80 watch, advertise it as such. Don't dress it up in shit and call it an apple pie. |
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For the price they aren't too bad... They are a fashion watch. They don't even register on the watch aficionados radar.
Chinese auto movements have gotten a world or two better in the past few years. (most likely what it contains). They tend to be very poorly assembled, i.e. dirty and either over lubed or bone dry. Some work great, some will be dead in a few weeks. These are mostly contained in off brands and counterfeits (some of the counterfeits these days are scary good... Buyer beware). I have a Chinese clone of the ETA-7750 Chrono movernent that has been running within a second a day for the past six years without a servicing (custom cased and dialed... Nice watch all in all) Another one arrived dead... They are hit and miss, Japanese auto movements (mainly Seiko) are pretty solid. These are starting to gain ground and respect in the watch world. Swiss movements are pricey and worth it. there are a couple Amercian makers as well, RGM being the one I most often think of.. Swiss prices and American built. Good quality. Seiko makes from pretty robust autos for low dollars.. The Black (Orange, Yellow, Blue) Monster is well regarded for its value. These days, a used Omega, Oris, Tag and other "intro" level Swiss watches are going at amazingly low prices. |
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This review on Amazon might shed some light on the previous posts.
Me, i have Seiko Spork and a Seiko 5. One is more expensive than your Invicta, the other less. The point being they're inexpensive Japanese autowinders and I'm very happy with both. So ultimately: you'll like your watch. It ain't an Omega or a Breitling, but at 1/30th the price you'll be plenty happy. Enjoy, and don't torture it. |
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Invicta is the Vulcan/Hesse of the watch world. Bullshit. Invicta is just fine. I assume you are someone who has to impress people you don't know with what is on your wrist. You buy a watch because you appreciate it. Not for what it says to someone else. |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Please tell me that's an optical illusion, and that the watch is not really as big as your arm. |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Please tell me that's an optical illusion, and that the watch is not really as big as your arm. Invicta is the best value of watch available when measured by weight on wrist/$. |
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Invicta is the Vulcan/Hesse of the watch world. Bullshit. Invicta is just fine. I assume you are someone who has to impress people you don't know with what is on your wrist. You buy a watch because you appreciate it. Not for what it says to someone else. I wear Seikos and could care less what people think. Invicta has a history of being dishonest and even if it's labeled Swiss, it's more than likely a chinese Alpha. Also, most of their shit is gaudier than fuck. |
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Sorry for the shitty cell phone pics. These are my Invictas. Again, they are not Omega or Breitling or Olex, but they do offer affordable, decent quality dail watched for those who can't afford -or don't want to spend the money on a higher end watch. http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c89/HiramRanger/4c26b8df.jpg Hmm...you could actually have the Seiko that a couple of those are trying to rip off for not much more, and have a immeasurably better watch. |
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Sorry for the shitty cell phone pics. These are my Invictas. Again, they are not Omega or Breitling or Olex, but they do offer affordable, decent quality dail watched for those who can't afford -or don't want to spend the money on a higher end watch. http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c89/HiramRanger/4c26b8df.jpg Hmm...you could actually have the Seiko that a couple of those are trying to rip off for not much more, and have a immeasurably better watch. Swiss movements, Swiss cases, stainless steel, mineral glass. I've owned them for years and they still function flawlessly. Citizen and Seiko make a nice watch. I just don't wear Japanese watches. I picked these because I like the look, and I bought them dirt cheap. I think the least expensive one was the blue GMT in he front row, was on Amazon closeout for $60. The most expensive was the monster stainless steel diver in the back that I bought on a lark, was $300 and comes with a number of replacement straps. These are fashion watches for me when I want a different look. My daily wear is an Omega Seamaster, or a Breitling Super Ocean. Sometimes I just don't want to wear a $4,000 watch but I still want something distinctive looking. |
OP, IMO the neatest thing here is that you bought your first automatic watch. If you become a fan, and start perusing those nutty watch forums and such, you'll probably decide to get one or more additional automatics, and then of course find you can spend a little or spend a ton. Many budget minded collectors tend to have at least a couple Seiko Divers autos in their collections. Beyond that, consider that many here, including myself, have complained about the lack of a watch forum. 
Welcome to the world of auto-winders. 
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"Swiss movement" = we took some swiss parts and sent 'em to our third world sweatshop for assembly.
Same with "Japanese movement". "Swiss made" is something you see on a lot fewer of their watches. That's a carefully controlled marketing term that literally means that the whole thing was made in Switzerland like you'd expect. Invicta started out making absolute shit, charging a mint for it, and pretending it was on par with good watchmakers. They still make a lot of absolute shit, they just happen to pay for someone to make some not so shitty watches with their name on 'em these days too. Problem is that a large proportion of those folks that think they got the good one didn't. 
Fact is, it's hard to get a bad watch these days. It aint rocket science. You can get a chinese auto for $10 and it might tell fine time and last a good few years. If you like the Invicta and don't mind that they aren't exactly tier 1 and well respected among watch geeks, fine... Grab it. I wore a Timex yesterday. It happens. I personally don't care for them. I don't like their "terms of art" in their advertising. I don't like the way they pretend to be something they aren't. I'd rather have a Seiko, a Citizen, a Tissot, a Hamilton, or a dozen others. When I wanted a Russian dive watch, I bought a Russian dive watch. When I wanted Swiss, I bought Swiss. When Mrs. Smith saw an Invicta she seemed to like, I found her a Skagen she liked more. YMMV. Buyer beware. |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Screw down crown protector on a 100 meter watch? Gotta be Invicta.
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"Swiss movement" = we took some swiss parts and sent 'em to our third world sweatshop for assembly. Same with "Japanese movement". "Swiss made" is something you see on a lot fewer of their watches. That's a carefully controlled marketing term that literally means that the whole thing was made in Switzerland like you'd expect. Invicta started out making absolute shit, charging a mint for it, and pretending it was on par with good watchmakers. They still make a lot of absolute shit, they just happen to pay for someone to make some not so shitty watches with their name on 'em these days too. Problem is that a large proportion of those folks that think they got the good one didn't.
Fact is, it's hard to get a bad watch these days. It aint rocket science. You can get a chinese auto for $10 and it might tell fine time and last a good few years. If you like the Invicta and don't mind that they aren't exactly tier 1 and well respected among watch geeks, fine... Grab it. I wore a Timex yesterday. It happens. I personally don't care for them. I don't like their "terms of art" in their advertising. I don't like the way they pretend to be something they aren't. I'd rather have a Seiko, a Citizen, a Tissot, a Hamilton, or a dozen others. When I wanted a Russian dive watch, I bought a Russian dive watch. When I wanted Swiss, I bought Swiss. When Mrs. Smith saw an Invicta she seemed to like, I found her a Skagen she liked more. YMMV. Buyer beware. Pretty much spot on. If you know what to look for, and look around, you can find a solid Swiss Invicta at a good price. Heck my GMTs are offered in both Japanese and Swiss made versions. So be careful. But if you look you can find the Swiss version for the same price as the Japanese. Tissot is. Great watch, offering much bang for th buck. Skagen is nice, I have a prototype dive watch of theirs somewhere that never made it into production. Zeno is another nice brand, but be careful, a lot of fakes out there. Hamilton is very nice, love some of their vintage military watches. |
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for you watch guys, i have a couple of questions, and i hope OP doesn't mind me jumping into his thread. i've started looking around just a little bit, and the diversity and variety boggles me. ARs and BRD have nothing on the world of watches!
Anyway, what can you all tell me about the Citizen Eco-Drive deal? They make some nice looking watches, that are in my price range, at least some of the used ones. Exhibit A: 
This is one I am thinking about. What is the used watch market like, and how does a lower end watch like this typically hold its value? Finding out the street price is simple enough, but what percentage of that is reasonable for a used watch? Any thoughts on this one? |
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Invicta also isn't the only maker playing the "XXX Made" vs. "XXX movement" game, nor are they the only ones playing the MSRP game. I occasionally buy a watch from Chronoshark.com, and they're great at price faking. Got a Seiko 5 from them a few weeks back for $99 or so. Japanese movement (assembled in singapore). Good price. They showed the same watch three other places. I don't remember the exact prices, but all considerably higher than theirs. If you did a little googling though, you could find the same watch for the same price elsewhere. They often have the military style seiko 5's on the nylon bands for $69. One day sale!! Get it while it's here!! OMG!! You can get the same thing from Amazon for $64, free shipping.
Oh, and that Seiko I bought? "Pepsi mini sumo". Total ripoff of a Rolex. 100 meters water resistance, but no need for a screwdown crown. My vostok with the screwdown crown and the monster thick acrylic crystal? 200 meters. $85 to my door.
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for you watch guys, i have a couple of questions, and i hope OP doesn't mind me jumping into his thread. i've started looking around just a little bit, and the diversity and variety boggles me. ARs and BRD have nothing on the world of watches! Anyway, what can you all tell me about the Citizen Eco-Drive deal? They make some nice looking watches, that are in my price range, at least some of the used ones. Exhibit A: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/rickdarris2004/139064dd.jpg This is one I am thinking about. What is the used watch market like, and how does a lower end watch like this typically hold its value? Finding out the street price is simple enough, but what percentage of that is reasonable for a used watch? Any thoughts on this one? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=298733&d=1346375855 If it's not a higher end Swiss watch, they don't hold value. Higher end starts around Omega and Breitling and Rolex. Think $2,000 starting point for Omega, $3,000 for Breitling, and $5,000 for Rolex... And those are entry level. Out of those Rolex is the only one likely to truly hold value and actually appreciate in value. Take a $1,200 Tag Heuer. Wear it and you'll be lucky to get $800 for it in excellent condition in a few years. Why? Tag Heuer is still considered a mass produced watch. Seiko and Citizen? Unless some limited edition, don't expect to get more than 50-60 percent of street price used. Street price being about 70 percent of MSRP new. I never think about resale value on a watch as I buy them to wear until the die. |
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for you watch guys, i have a couple of questions, and i hope OP doesn't mind me jumping into his thread. i've started looking around just a little bit, and the diversity and variety boggles me. ARs and BRD have nothing on the world of watches! Anyway, what can you all tell me about the Citizen Eco-Drive deal? They make some nice looking watches, that are in my price range, at least some of the used ones. Exhibit A: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/rickdarris2004/139064dd.jpg This is one I am thinking about. What is the used watch market like, and how does a lower end watch like this typically hold its value? Finding out the street price is simple enough, but what percentage of that is reasonable for a used watch? Any thoughts on this one? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=298733&d=1346375855 If it's not a higher end Swiss watch, they don't hold value. Higher end starts around Omega and Breitling and Rolex. Think $2,000 starting point for Omega, $3,000 for Breitling, and $5,000 for Rolex... And those are entry level. Out of those Rolex is the only one likely to truly hold value and actually appreciate in value. Take a $1,200 Tag Heuer. Wear it and you'll be lucky to get $800 for it in excellent condition in a few years. Why? Tag Heuer is still considered a mass produced watch. Seiko and Citizen? Unless some limited edition, don't expect to get more than 50-60 percent of street price used. Street price being about 70 percent of MSRP new. I never think about resale value on a watch as I buy them to wear until the die. Thanks. I'm not nearly classy enough (or have the funds or inclination to spend $3k on a watch). Just curious on what was "fair" in the used daily/beater market. |
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for you watch guys, i have a couple of questions, and i hope OP doesn't mind me jumping into his thread. i've started looking around just a little bit, and the diversity and variety boggles me. ARs and BRD have nothing on the world of watches! Anyway, what can you all tell me about the Citizen Eco-Drive deal? They make some nice looking watches, that are in my price range, at least some of the used ones. Exhibit A: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/rickdarris2004/139064dd.jpg This is one I am thinking about. What is the used watch market like, and how does a lower end watch like this typically hold its value? Finding out the street price is simple enough, but what percentage of that is reasonable for a used watch? Any thoughts on this one? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=298733&d=1346375855 If it's not a higher end Swiss watch, they don't hold value. Higher end starts around Omega and Breitling and Rolex. Think $2,000 starting point for Omega, $3,000 for Breitling, and $5,000 for Rolex... And those are entry level. Out of those Rolex is the only one likely to truly hold value and actually appreciate in value. Take a $1,200 Tag Heuer. Wear it and you'll be lucky to get $800 for it in excellent condition in a few years. Why? Tag Heuer is still considered a mass produced watch. Seiko and Citizen? Unless some limited edition, don't expect to get more than 50-60 percent of street price used. Street price being about 70 percent of MSRP new. I never think about resale value on a watch as I buy them to wear until the die. Thanks. I'm not nearly classy enough (or have the funds or inclination to spend $3k on a watch). Just curious on what was "fair" in the used daily/beater market. Search completed eBay auctions for that model number in that condition. Should give you an idea. |
| Invictas are OK, but they frequently have fit and finish issues (misaligned dial markers, excessively tight/loose diver's bezel, etc. The warranty is a joke. You pay shipping both ways and they farm out the repair overseas so it will take forever to get your (maybe) fixed watch. If it breaks, just throw it out. |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Please tell me that's an optical illusion, and that the watch is not really as big as your arm. No optical illusion- It's the Russian diver watch and yes it is that big
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| I recently bought a replica tag with japansese movements its been a pretty awesome watch dead accurate on time and looks exactly like the real deal except for the internals. Far as invicta i've had one before work just fine and the time was accurate. Most watches are all about looks these days anyway so long as it looks cool and keeps time who cares what brand it is. |
I bought this 6 years ago. Picked it up at Walmart for $50 or so, and I've worn it nearly every day since. It went 4 1/2 years before it needed a battery replacement, and still ticking true. It's been swimming in many different bodies of water, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing and more. I understand those who like more expensive watches for the collection, name or whatever, but you don't have to spend $100 or more to get a watch that is solid.
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ive been wearing this one for about a year as a dress watch
last week the battery dies so i take the back case off to replace it. when i get it all back together i find that the second hand has fell off and just bouncing around in the face. yeah im done buying them Picked up this Casio Edifice as a replacement: 
its got the expensive Breitling look for around $100 |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Please tell me that's an optical illusion, and that the watch is not really as big as your arm. No optical illusion- It's the Russian diver watch and yes it is that big
Interesting name, as I tend to associate the adjective "Russian" with big, loud, gaudy, unrefined, and of low quality - pretty much the polar opposite of "Swiss." Not exactly how I'd choose to market a watch, but what do I know. The Soviets actually made some really quality watches, though. |
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ive been wearing this one for about a year as a dress watch http://themyshop.com/images/invicta_0379_mens_invicta_ii_collection_carbon_fiber_black_dial_swiss_movement_stainless_steel_multifunction_chronograph_watch.jpg last week the battery dies so i take the back case off to replace it. when i get it all back together i find that the second hand has fell off and just bouncing around in the face. yeah im done buying them Picked up this Casio Edifice as a replacement: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71CufA%2BGiVL._SL1000_.jpg its got the expensive Breitling look for around $100 That Casio is sharp |
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Invicta floods the market with their watches. As mentioned before, they play the MSRP game to make you think you are getting a deal. Invicta's quality control is all over the place and you might get one that lasts or not. I will never buy an Invicta because I can find better watches in their price range and I'm not into the gaudy bling mall watches that they market. If I was into the big blingy gaudy watches, I'd buy a used Kreiger. That said, watches are like anything else. Everyone has a favorite, an opinion, and a price limit. Try the Invicta and write us a review in the watch thread. |
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Very well built- like a tank !!! good watches with great styles http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af13/dwigley1/IMG_20120804_223224.jpg Please tell me that's an optical illusion, and that the watch is not really as big as your arm. No optical illusion- It's the Russian diver watch and yes it is that big
Interesting name, as I tend to associate the adjective "Russian" with big, loud, gaudy, unrefined, and of low quality - pretty much the polar opposite of "Swiss." Not exactly how I'd choose to market a watch, but what do I know. The Soviets actually made some really quality watches, though. It's a copy of these: 
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Not to be an ass but isn't a watch just a piece of jewelry nowadays? Since everyone carries cellphones that have more accurate time.  My watch is a functional necessity for me. Of course, it also cost only around $200, nothing near the prices some here pay for watches. How do you tell the time when on a plane? How about if you are out of cell tower range? Also, there's a shitload of places you can bring a watch that you can't bring a cellphone - even more where you have to have cell phones turned off. |