I am a huge fan of these Pro Divers. I own quite a few of them and this one did not disappoint. Great time keeper. my watch looses about a minute every 3 weeks.
Bezel measures exactly 45mm. The crown stalk feel more substantial than the 8926 and is screw down. The titanium is great, feels light on the wrist. One thing though with titanium watches, when you turn the bezel the lighter medal feels a bit cheap but that only because the watch weighs next to nothing. As always, I am a very satisfied customer. Thanks for a great product Invicta.
Owning both the 8926OB (8926C now) and 9937OB (no longer sold by Amazon), I can say that this watch is the best looking of the three.
Quick summary: 8926 and 9937 are stylistically nearly identical. The 8926 has the 21-jewel Japanese Miyota. The 9937 has the better 25-jewel ETA 2824-2 Swiss movement and crystal (flame fusion over mineral) but is more than twice the price of the 8926.
The 0420 is a relatively new watch and uses the Seiko 21-jewel Japanese movement which is nearly the same in performance as the Miyota, i.e. you can't manual wind the watch, it can't be hacked (second hand does not stop with you pull the crown out) and the accuracy is similar. The Seiko movement is smaller in diameter than the Miyota and has a flashy flywheel with cursive lettering. The 9937 can be manually wound and hacked.
The 0420 visually is larger and has the better bezel lettering both in style and in size. The numbers are wider and easier to read. The "1" used in the "10" marker is greatly improved over the 8926 and 9937, which lacked style and difficult to read as it got lost in the minute markers. The date with cyclops is larger in font and also easier to read. (Magnification seems higher.) It's nearly ideal for me since it's visual size is close to the size of the bezel font. The larger face allows for larger hands and larger hour markers.
The crystal used in the 8926 and 0420 is mineral while the 9937 is flame-fusion. The flame-fusion according to many comments I've read is superior. I have banged against the crystal of the 8926 a number of times and it has not scratched. That being said, I don't know why Invicta continues to release new watches with mineral crystals since they have said that all of the watches will eventually have flame-fusion. There are some Invicta watches that are less than 8926 that have flame-fusion, so price is not deciding point here. Strange company.
The titanium case and bracelet is so much lighter than the stainless steel in both the 8926 and 9937. The titanium is matte finished and does not stand out. Some people may find this a positive, others a negative. I like it because brings more attention to the face. The bracelet center links are highly polished though. Previous reviewers have been critical of the scratches they attract. I have not experienced this after more than a week of use.
All in all, this is a very sharp looking watch and in my mind, the best of three I own in terms of styling. It's priced between the 8926 and 9937. I would definitely buy it over the 8926. The $50 or so difference in price is made up for by the styling and weight.
I own a lot of watches, about 15 at last count. Some are super cheap, others are really expensive, but most are mid-priced (e.g. in the hundreds of dollars). I bought this watch as I was specifically looking for a cheap-ish 200m automatic with an exhibition back. I've got 3 other titanium dive watches and have owned a couple of others in the past.
It's a decent watch, the case is very good, but it's not worth anywhere near what Invicta publishes as the retail price. It's a common strategy among watch makers to inflate the retail price, then offer the watches at a 'deep discount'. In reality, few if any watches are sold at the retail price... What follows is a more detailed review for watch connoisseurs.
First impressions
The packaging is typical Invicta. Invicta has built it's reputation on packaging and products that mimic what expensive brands do, which means fancy, high quality packaging, something which will impress non-collectors and be well received. This model is no different, with Invicta's typical yellow box with terry-cloth interior. The watch itself is also very well packed with a lot of clingy plastic protection (several layers) on the band and case.
It's quite large. My wrist is about 7.5 in diameter and the case covers it completely. Because of the lug shape, it doesn't sit that well, but it's acceptable. I had to remove 3 links to get it to fit on my wrist properly.
Watch case
The watch case is solid titanium with a screw-down exhibition back and a stainless steel rotating bezel. Front and rear crystals are mineral, the front one protrudes by about a millimeter and has a cyclops glued on over the date. The bezel inlay looks like painted aluminum and has a luminous pip at the zero position. The crown is stainless steel, screwdown, shrouded and has the Invicta logo cast on it. The case itself is engraved on the left side with the Invicta name and has a bead-blasted mate finish all around, with a good overall finish (no rough or casting marks) in typical titanium grey.
The only real issue here is the bezel. It doesn't really match up with the quality of the case itself and the directional click mechanism is both very stiff and cheap feeling/sounding. On top of it, the indentations are polished, so they are not sharp enough to grip. Turning the bezel is virtually impossible when the watch is on wrist, making it pretty useless. This, more than anything else, makes the watch feel cheap.
Face & movement
The face is polished black with round hour markers, dashes at 6 and 9, plus an arrow at 12. The markers are on the surface, polished with a green lume inlay. The lume is green both at rest and glowing. There is a date window at 3 trimmed with a white line. The hands are polished metal with lume on minutes and hour. The minute hand is mercedes style and the second hand has a small skeleton Invicta logo at the balance end. The date is only about 2mm from the watch face. Overall finish is extremely good, on par with a good Swiss or Japanese watch. All of the hands line up with the markers. The lume on the hands is at least twice as bright as the markers (almost Seiko bright on the hands).
Looking around back, the movement is a Japanese Seiko 21-jewel, 21,600bph, 41hr reserve, non-hacking automatic (no hand winding) with date (TMI NH25A based on Seiko 7s26) apparently custom made for Invicta. It has a nicely decorated balance wheel (and it's quiet) and a plain ebauch. The seconds hand is a sweeper, like all automatics and has an accuracy of +/- 30 seconds/day (typical for mechanical watches).
Bracelet
This is where this watch really falls down. Had Invicta spent a bit more on the bracelet, it would really be a remarkable bargain. There are so many things off about, it's hard to know where to start. I guess the first thing is that some of the links where it's hinged are a bit oversized. The net effect is that they bind on flex, which means you get kinks in the bracelet. At the same time, the pin holes in the bracelet are slightly oversized, so the whole thing giggles like a $20 1980's Timex. When I resized the bracelet, you could hear grit as the pins were push out, not the best sound in the world... Also, the end-links are stamped, and because of this, they are a slightly different color than the case.
The clasp is typically stamped titanium rather than a machined piece - it's appropriate for the street price, but would be unacceptable at the retail price. On the plus side, the links are all solid, rather than folded metal and they are stamped with the Invicta brand - although in some places, the stamp is badly done.
Conclusion
A very good watch at less than $130, not worth it at more than $200. The bracelet and the bezel just devalue it too much, which is a shame as the case, movement and face are built to a much, much higher standard. Overall, a good (if large) every day watch you don't need to worry about ruining it's future value.
If you are looking for something slightly better quality, I would suggest looking at Orient or Seiko's dive watches. If you want something more original, look at the fantastic new TX brand from Timex.
- Quality 21-jewel Japanese-automatic movement; functions without a battery; powers automatically with the movement of your arm
- Durable mineral crystal; brushed titanium case and bracelet
- Date function with magnified window
- Black dial with luminous hands and hour markers; sweeping second hand; black unidirectional stainless steel bezel; screw-down crown
- Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)
- Show More
Invicta Men's 0420 Pro Diver Automatic Black Dial Titanium Watch
 With its most inspired creations yet, Invicta demonstrates its technical and design prowess, offering timepieces of style for extreme value."We have long held firm to the belief that supremely crafted timepieces can be offered for extremely modest sums. It is the founding principle of our flagship and the radical notion that still drives us today. By being true to our convictions, we will continue to turn the balance of power, and deliver true Swiss luxury to anyone who desires it. Let all those who possess our timepieces and pass through our doors witness the quality, value and care in every piece we create, and the spirit of never-ending possibilities in everything we do." These are the words that greet visitors and motivate team members inside the Invicta Watch Group's new worldwide headquarters. Emblazoned in stainless steel, it has been the Invicta message since Day One. With each new timepiece, the company sends up a flare for those looking to be defined not by how much they spend, but how wisely they spend. With its strong collections, the gutsy Swiss brand is guaranteed to keep attracting followers. The art of the craft. Inside an Invicta Workshop At our Swiss workshops, we mix time-honored traditions with a little bit of horse sense every single day to produce the greatest values in the watch-making world. |
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