Posted on March 21 2020
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No doubt you’ve stumbled across some of Invicta’s more flamboyant watch designs.
Certainly, there are a few marmite designs in their product range. Watches you’ll either love or hate. There’s a lot of colour, particularly gold, and a number of large, bold pieces. If you’ve not taken the time to delve a little deeper you may have a slightly tainted view of the brand.
But this is a brand we’ve featured a couple of times. For example, when we did a piece about Rolex Daytona homages, and also when we wrote about Bell and Ross BR01 alternatives.
So I believe it’s worth taking the time to explore their watches a little further.
Invicta - it’s Latin for invincible - is an American company with a large range of both quartz and mechanical watches.
They’re usually powered by Japanese movements, although on occasion, they’ll use Swiss made.
The company is now American owned.
But Invicta can trace its roots to Switzerland during the late 1880s. Its corporate headquarters are in Switzerland along with its customer service centre and its current president, who is a third-generation watchmaker, is Swiss.
The company's products are based largely around a stable of divers watches.
They are functional sports watches with features you would expect. Decent water resistance, rotating bezels, screw-down crowns and the like. The brand is renowned for high spec watches at an affordable price. With this in mind, I’ve decided to highlight a selection of our current favourites.
Compared to some of Invicta's offerings, this is quite an understated dive watch and a good place to start our list. The colouring, mercedes hands and modest diameter of 37.5m make this a safe choice. Other than the bezel design this is quite a restrained watch.
This is a very affordable desk diver. A reliable quartz piece that boasts 200M water resistance and a mineral crystal.
The Pro Diver series includes a number of Rolex Submariner Homages but we prefer this variation with the Omega style bezel and blue sun-ray dial.
Invicta Pro Diver 9204
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This is a beefier model and more clearly a Rolex homage.
At 42mm thick it's quite a bit larger than the first watch and that is reinforced with the 14mm thickness. The big upgrade, of course, is that this is a mechanical watch, powered by Seiko's ever-reliable workhorse, the NH35A automatic movement.
Stylistically, there's nothing unique or new.
But most watch fans like well-established designs anyway. This particular Invicta has the coin-edged Pepsi bezel and on this model, there's the jubilee style bracelet.
A nice touch is the Invicta logo on the second hand. There's no attempt to pass this watch off as a Rolex. Like the previous Pro Diver there is the addition of a cyclops lens on the mineral crystal.
Invicta Pro Diver 29176
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This model makes more of a statement.
There are two main reasons for this. First, there's the size. At 47mm this is a bit of a monster. It's chunky too, with a case thickness of 18mm. The second notable design feature is the colouring. The white dial with its yellow lume and the accompanying hands make for a bold aesthetic.
As with the previous watch, this diver is powered by an automatic movement, but it has an upgraded water resistance of 300M. Bear in mind, this is a watch you can regularly pick up for less than £100.
There's a lot of watch for the money, assuming that the large size isn't offputting.
Invicta Grand Diver 10640
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This quartz-powered diver is another that makes good use of colour. Again, it's a modern design that pays less of a nod to Rolex than the first couple we've highlighted.
In terms of sizing, at 44mm this watch is in the middle of the Invicta's. It's probably at the upper end of what an average watch buyer would wear. It has a sold case back with logo, rather than the exhibition back of the automatic above.
Everything else is as expected. Full stainless steel construction, 200M water resistance, rotating bezel and a mineral crystal.
Invicta Pro Diver 90295
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The first chronograph on the list is a beauty.
With just a touch of colour and a textured dial, there's a strong sporting feel to this piece. It's quite busy, with the three subdials and the two chronograph pushers.
But overall this familiar design works.
It's very large at 50mm, although it is reasonably thin. Unlike some of the others on this list, there's only limited water resistance. At 50m this probably isn't a functional diver and is more of a diver's style watch.
Invicta Pro Diver 21553
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Reminiscent of a Glycine Combat Sub (more here), this variation of Invicta's Submariner has a vintage inspired style. The stainless steel case is gold plated and, although not strictly for diving, there's a leather strap with gold rivets.
Again this model has 200M WR so it will function as a legitimate diver. The movement is quartz and once again there's a mineral crystal with cyclops lens.
Invicta Pro Diver 20275
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This second chronograph is another large piece. This time coming in at 48mm. Again, it's slim, with a width of 13mm.
There's a very modern feeling to this one, made more so by the inclusion of a rubber strap and bold numbering on the dial. At 100M it has better water resistance than the earlier chronograph and appears more functional.
Invicta Pro Diver 15145
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There's no mistaking the function of this watch.
It's a large, heavy and rugged diver with a particularly distinctive bezel. There's a noticeable propeller at 12 o'clock and a substantial crown.
As with most of this brands automatics, the movement is by Seiko. The stainless steel case is a giant 50mm and has the addition of a screw-down crown. There's the full 300M water resistance and cyclops equipped mineral crystal.
There are subtle touches of blue on the hands and markers and a blue chapter ring. The bezel is uni-directional.
Invicta Pro Diver 29351
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I've tried to steer clear of gold, but this automatic diver uses the touches of Rose Gold well. It still looks like a functional took watch despite the blue and gold.
Unsurprisingly, this is another over-sized design. The unorthodox case is 47mm with a 24mm bi-metal bracelet. The blue is the most noticeable colour, with the gold adding to, rather than overwhelming the watch.
It's another model that features 200M water resistance and the addition of a sapphire crystal is welcome.
Invicta Pro Diver 30418
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Invicta isn't noted for their utilitarian styling, but this watch does just that. It's relatively plain and each component appears to be there for a specific purpose. There's a slight resemblance to Northwind's Armstrong watch.
It's simple. Steel and black.
An uncluttered dial with Mercedes hands and a simple bezel. With this being a quartz model it's a very affordable watch that would make a brilliant starter if you're new to watches.
Invicta Pro Diver 29944
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As a functional diver, this probably wouldn't be our first choice. It's a stark contrast to the 29944 above. It's complicated and includes a number of elements that are most likely superfluous for diving. Still, most dive watches never get wet, never mind submerged for extended periods.
The 22413 is a chronograph, powered by a Quartz VD57 movement. There are three sub-dials and a multi-date window. It's another contemporary design, with the emphasis on the chronograph rather than diving features. The water resistance is 100M.
- Invicta Pro Diver Scuba 22413
- 45mm Diameter
- 12.5mm Thick
- 22mm Lug width
- Stainless Steel
- Japanese quartz chronograph movement
- Mineral Crystal
- 100M Water Resistance
The final Invicta on the list is a simple everyday watch. Albeit, a heavy, chunky one. The design is simple and functional. The emphasis being on legibility.
There's no waste here. No extra logos, subdials, or even text on the dial. It has 300M water resistance but doesn't need to remind us with additional text. As expected, it's reasonably large, uses the same NH35A movement and has a distinctive knurled crown.
- Invicta Pro Diver 27305
- 47mm Diameter
- 16mm Thick
- 24mm Lug width
- Stainless Steel
- Japanese Automatic movement
- Sapphire Crystal
- 300M Water Resistance
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