I had said I wanted a Rolex. I still do, really. I love the GMT Master II, the Submariner, and the Milgauss. But here’s the sad reality: I can’t afford one. I tried. I really did, but the finances weren’t working in my favour. (It’s hard to justify the high price when you have a small child, and we’re far from “rolling in it”.)
My major problem was that I still wanted an automatic movement — no quartz. And I really like the Rolex style — it’s not just iconic, it set the mould for watches around the world. Within my price range, there weren’t a lot of ones available that I actually liked. Most were atrocious, gaudy, tacky, or just downright ugly. Or quartz.
My co-worker Matt turned me onto something I hadn’t previously considered: Invicta.
Invicta is a bit of a weird company. They were originally Swiss, before being bought up by some Florida-based investment firm. They don’t really seem to have retail stores, either, which naturally brings up the question of authenticity. Among other things. And when you purchase from a place called the “Discount Watch Store”, you really have to wonder if what you’re getting is gonna be good or not.
(For the record, I do recommend DiscountWatchStore.com as a place to purchase. While their “free sizing” chart seems to be about 1/4″ off, the prices are right, delivery is fast, and they deliver what they promise.)
It also doesn’t help that Invicta is, for all intents and purposes, a bit of a knock-off company. Their catalog is filled with watches that look eerily familiar, like you’ve seen them somewhere before. Rolex isn’t the only one with identifiable models, Bell & Ross has a line that appears amongst Invicta’s lineup as well.
So I did a bit of reading. A lot of reading, really. Invicta, despite the fact their designs tend to be oddly familiar with other watches, actually has some decent products. There are even collectors who make some of the models darn hard to get.
I fell in love with the Pro Diver 4469. I liked it. Black face, stainless steel bracelet, automatic movement, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, watertight to 300 metres, and date display. And the movement is Swiss — it’s a Sellita SW 200, which is based on the well-worn ETA 2824-2, which powers watches that cost many times as much as the 4469. I was already to snap it up … when I found out that they were all back ordered.
Nurtz.
But then I saw the 4468. Almost exactly the same, but with a “white” face (think brushed steel). And after a few minutes, I really liked it.
So I bought it.
Took a few days to show up, and figures that it would arrive while I was in Costa Rica, but it now adorns my wrist and I’m pretty darn happy about it. Let me give you a tour…
First, the box. The watch is inside. This is my first view of my new watch.
Lid’s off, and this is what I first see: the front flap opens, and I see some documentation on top.
Documentation removed. So far, I gotta give these guys credit. That can’t be that cheap of a box to make.
The box, more clearly shown. Given, yellow isn’t my favourite colour, but I can’t really complain.
I get my first glimpse of the watch. I’m now very excited.
Closer view.
Really close view. I really want to take it out of the box now.
Out of the box and on its side. The watch is ticking, probably as a result of me jostling it. Proves that it’s a mechanical!
The clasp and bracelet. Note the protective plastic still in place!
Okay, now we get into the artistic. The caseback is sapphire, so you can see the movement inside. Too bad the movement is pretty plain. I prefer a more artistic look, but I can’t afford that. Also note that “Invicta” is embossed on all the bracelet links.
This is the only part of the watch I don’t really like. Etching “Invicta” on the side is really silly. This is where Rolex really has it nailed down. But I can’t afford one of those.
Side-on for the crown. There’s even a little “+” on the end of the crown, a nod to Invicta’s Swiss origins.
Plastic’s off, and I’m about to put the sucker on. It does feel nice, I have to say. Need a link taken out, but once that’s done, it should fit like a glove.
