Invicta Watch Group is a company that was founded in Switzerland in 1837. Now located in Hollywood, Florida, the group includes brands such as Glycine, S. Coifman, and TechnoMarine.
For an old Swiss watchmaker, although now located in the US, Invicta doesn’t behave like one. Most of Invicta’s line is devoted to what I would call fashion watches. There are some crazy, gaudy designs that are not for everyone. Most Swiss watchmakers are pretty conservative.
I purchased the basic Invicta Pro Diver, which I would call a Rolex Submariner homage. This is the most basic design, I have not counted all of them, but I think there are literally hundreds of models of the Pro Divers in all ranges of designs and colors.
They come in both quartz and automatic movements, some cost less than the one I purchased and many cost much more. The one I got I paid $82 for.
Let’s dig in.
Watch Specifications
Case diameter: 40mm
Case thickness: 13.6mm
Movement: Seiko NH35A
Weight: 143 grams
Lug to lug: 47.8mm
Lug width: 20mm
Water resistance: 200M
Crystal: Mineral Crystal
Case
The Invicta Pro Diver is made from 316 stainless steel, which is what you want to see. There are many grades of stainless, and this is the grade they use on yachts. It is not impervious to rust and corrosion, but pretty close.
I have noticed no corrosion on this watch, and I’ve had it in and out of the ocean over a dozen times.
The case is a mix between brushed and polished surfaces, for an $80 watch it is done nicely.
The big bonus on this watch is the exhibition caseback. I’m not sure if Invicta is making any money on this watch, but this is an added expense that really makes this watch stand out. There’s something about seeing the automatic movement ticking away in the back of the watch that is pretty neat.
This is the cheapest automatic dive watch on the market, for it to have an exhibition caseback is pretty cool.
The case features an etched Invicta logo on the side, which I’m not really a fan of, but some people really like this. To each their own.
Crown
The crown is a little gritty on the Invicta, but not bad. It operates and winds as it should and is protected snugly by the crown guards, which I like to see. The Invicta logo is in a relief on the top of the crown, which is a nice touch.
I have no complaints about this crown.
Crystal
The Invicta Pro Diver features a mineral crystal, which is what you would expect at this price. Obviously you would really want to see a sapphire crystal here, but at roughly $80 putting on a sapphire crystal would push this watch well above $100.
The crystal does feature a cyclops for the date function. Some watchmakers on lower end watches mess this up by either mis sizing it or worse putting it a little to the side one way or the other so it misses lining up with the date. Invicta put this one perfectly on the crystal.
It works great.
Bezel
This bezel features an aluminum insert with clearly marked minute indicators. It is clearly legible and easy to read.
My biggest complaint with the Invicta is the bezel itself. It is very hard to turn. Often on these lower priced dive watches with use the bezel gets easier to manipulate, the springs soften up and it becomes easier to turn. I have been using the Invicta for over a month and it is just as hard to turn as it was on the day I took it out of the box.
There is no machined grip or texture to manipulate with your fingers, it is the indented scallops, or that is what I am calling them, which you are supposed to grip. Either way, with or without gloves, they offer little to nothing to grip. That coupled with how hard it is to turn make this bezel nearly inoperable.
I don’t know if it’s just the one I received, I am guessing that at $80 there is a lot to be desired with the quality control of the Pro Diver. I’m going to be looking around to see if other people are having the same issue with the bezel as I am.
If you have an Invicta Pro Diver please put a comment below or message me via my contact form to let me know how your bezel is. Perhaps it’s just the one I received.
Strap/Bracelet
The bracelet is a mix of brushed and polished surfaces, the fit of the end links to the case is pretty nice, they fit well. The bracelet is a little nicer overall than I would have expected. It is adjustable using cotter pins, which is expected at this price.
The clasp is pressed metal and when I first pulled the watch from its box I was nearly unable to open it. To say it was stiff is an understatement. With use however it is still a little stiff, but definitely workable. The clasp has four micro adjustments which helped me to perfectly size to my wrist.
For an $80 watch the bracelet isn’t too bad.
Dial
The dial on this watch is pretty nice. As far as I can tell the writing on it is printed on the dial, and the rest of the markers are applied. It’s a simple design that Rolex pioneered and dozens of watchmakers have copied. No one does it as well as Rolex, but this one isn’t too bad.
Hands
These are the standard Mercedes type hands that you find on a lot of dive watches. Rolex has been using these for decades, there is a reason why. People like them a lot.
The second hand has the Invicta logo on it, depending on your preference this is either a nice touch or a little gaudy. It’s not really my cup of tea, but some people really like this.
Lume
The lume on the Invicta is pitiful. The indices are small to begin with, but you can tell they didn’t put a lot of the luminous paint inside of them or the hands. When a watchmaker is trying to cut costs on a watch the lume is one of the first places they cut.
If you are looking for a watch with a lot of lume you probably need to look elsewhere.
You don’t necessarily need a lot of lume on a dive watch. If you are diving at night you are going to have a flashlight anyway. Reading your watch with the flashlight is easy enough to do. This is what I would classify as a nice to have feature. The Pro Diver just doesn’t have it.
Movement
The Invicta Pro Diver contains a Seiko NH35A automatic movement with hacking and hand winding. This is an excellent movement contained in a lot of watches that are considerably more expensive.
This movement is a workhorse that is highly accurate. To get a watch with this movement for under $100 is a great value for money.
I give the Pro Diver an A++ for the movement.
Note: You can also purchase the Invicta Pro Diver with a quartz movement. I think it’s a few dollars less. For my money I would get the auto.
Wrist Presence
I am very conflicted about this watch. Overall it does have a nice look. At 13.6mm you can sneak it under a shirt cuff if you wear dress shirts to work.
I am absolutely not a fan on all the branding. Even if it was a high end watch I just don’t want all of the branding.
If you take away my disdain for the branding this watch does have a nice wrist presence. People are going to notice it. The mix of polished and brushed surfaces on the case and bracelet are very nice.
The watch does sit up on the wrist a little bit because of the exhibition caseback, it is a little thicker than a normal caseback.
Pros:
Automatic movement
Exhibition caseback
Cons:
Lume
Bezel
Bracelet and clasp
Too much branding
Final Thoughts
This is a tough one for me. I really want to like the Invicta Pro Diver. Depending what you are looking for in a watch this could be the one for you.
For me, I am going to let this one go. I’ll either sell it or maybe do a giveaway, but I’m not going to be keeping this one. I can’t get past how hard the bezel is to operate.
The other thing as far as personal preference is that it’s just a little too small for me. I like a 42mm watch, and at 40mm this one is just a little too small for me.
If, however you are looking for an automatic movement that is durable and you aren’t going to dive with it, this could be the one for you. I really like the exhibition caseback.
The other thing that really isn’t my taste is all of the Invicta branding. It’s too much for me. I prefer more subdued branding. This is a matter of personal preference however, and a lot of people like that about this watch.
This watch purchase was one of four I bought for under $100 for my sub $100 dive watch shootout. If you are looking for a dive watch for under $100 check out that blog post here.