Watch Wearing Wednesday: Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro-Diver Chronometer

Here are some photos of my Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro-Diver Chronometer from a night out on the town.  

Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro-Diver Chronometer Among Rubber Ducks

I can't believe that I first published a review of this great looking watch back in 2015.  Today, with a fresh battery and a new watch strap, it looks as great as ever.

Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro-Diver Chronometer

The replacement watch strap is a Fullmosa 22mm Silicone Watch Band (No Gaps) and has proven to be nice replacement for the original strap. 

The guilloche dial of the Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro-Diver Chronometer

Watches with gold tones look nice in the low lights of a restaurant.  One of the things that makes this watch special is the guilloche dial.  Guilloche has repeating patterns in the dial. There are lots of Invicta Pro Diver watches here on Amazon, but it's hard to find one with that kind of unique dial.  It's kind of neat when you find something unique.

Watch Review: Invicta Pro Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch

This beautiful watch is an Invicta Pro Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch (Model 6981) with "Master of the Oceans" inscribed upon the caseback. It's a big bold watch that really stands out on the wrist.

Invicta Pro Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch - Model 6981

WATCH FEATURES

This watch has a uni-directional rotating bezel, an extended calendar window, chronograph functions, and three subdials.  The subdials support the chronograph function and provide the 24-hour time, a 60 second stop watch, and a 60 minute stop watch.  The watch is powered by a Japanese VD53 quartz movement and takes a SR-920SW battery. 

All of the watch features worked as advertised. I initially found the date a little challenging to pick up at a glance, but it provided within a gold-toned box at the 4:30 position on the watch dial.  In my opinion, the chronograph features of the watch would be a little more useful if the subdial at 6 o'clock was graduated in 1 second increments so you could time things down to the second.  Similarly from a functional perspective, I like hashmarks on the first 15 minutes of a rotating bezel.  But, these criticism are mere nits.  This Invicta is a fashion watch.  It's designed to draw attention and it does that very well.   

WATCH DIMENSIONS

The Invicta Pro Diver Model 6981 is an undeniably big watch.  It feels solid and hefty.  The case is 48mm in diameter and 16.8mm thick.  The watch weighs in at 190 grams (6.7 ounces).  It definitely feels like you are making a statement when you put this bad boy on your wrist.  It's a flashy watch to wear when you are going out to a restaurant, bar, or club.

 

The Invicta Pro-Diver (Model 6981) is a big watch

WATCH CONSTRUCTION

This Invicta is constructed of stainless steel and feels very solid.  It has a black silicone band and a mineral crystal.  The watch offers 100 meters of water resistance which makes it suitable for swimming, but not SCUBA diving.  In truth, it's a fashion watch that would look perfectly at home at the yacht club.

Invicta Model 6981

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I really like this watch. It's fun to own. I sometimes wear it out to restaurants or for short jaunts around and about town.  Due to its size and weight, it's not a watch I would chose for all day wear. It simply gets a little heavy. This watch is like a flashy car.  It's not always practical, but it is usually a lot of fun.  As a statement timepiece, it's a good addition to a well-rounded watch collection.  If you'd like to get an Invicta Pro Diver (Model 6981) at a good price, look for it here at Amazon.

To see more photos of this watch, check out my Watch Wearing Wednesday feature.

Wristwatch Review: Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro Diver Chronometer

Pro Diver with Tachymeter Markings and Polyurethane Strap

It's easy to make fun of the Invicta watch shows on latenight infomercial TV. But, those shows often feature some very nice watches.  My wife recently spied this Invicta Specialty Pro Diver Chronograph watch on evine television and ordered it for me.  The watch arrived very quickly.

An Invicta Pro Diver Chronograph Watch

Design.  This Invicta is an attractive gold and navy blue watch with a blue polyurethane strap.  It has tachymeter markings on a non-rotating bezel.  The watch has three subdials.  At 3 o'clock, you'll find a 24-hour clock.  A 6 o'clock subdial provides the stopwatch seconds. The 9 o'clock subdial provides up to 60 minutes of elapsed time.

Invicta Pro Diver Chronograph Watch in Box

 

Invicta is known for providing value by giving extra unexpected touches.  This watch came with a very cool bright yellow one-slot dive case.  On the watch itself, the dial has a guillochè pattern that provides a background with texture.  It's a touch normally found only on very expensive watches for the elite.  It makes this Invicta look rich.  On the flip side, the caseback has a nicely etched design and provides information about the watch.  The strap has the Invicta logo etched onto the buckle.

Construction.  This Pro Diver watch has a stainless steel case that provides 100 meters of water resistance.  The back is a screw on back which should make changing the battery a little easier somewhere down the road.  The strap is made of flexible polyurethane.  According to the evine website, this watch has a flame fusion crystal.  The watch has lume (which Invicta has trademarked as  Tritnite) on the hour, minute, and second hands.

Invicta Pro Diver Case Back

Dimensions.  This watch has a 45 millimeter diameter case that is 12 1/2 millimeters thick.  The maximum wrist size is 8 3/4-inches.  It's a comfortable, well-proportioned, watch that I didn't find clunky.

Drawbacks.  This watch is really nice.  For me, the only drawback might be the longevity of the polyurethane strap.  Otherwise, it provides a rich look in a comfortable watch.

Overall, I really like this watch.  Initially, I wasn't a big fan of watches in gold.  However, this watch uses gold as an accent and looks really good.  This watch looks like a million bucks, but retails for a lot less. 

Wristwatch Review: Invicta Men's 1460 Vintage Collection Riveted Leather Strap Black Dial Watch

My Invicta 1460 Vintage Collection Quartz Watch 

[This is a repost of a watch review of the Invicta 1460 Vintage Collection Watch that I originally published on Yahoo Voices back in the 2012 timeframe.  I've updated the article with new links, headings, and photos as of 2024.]

The Invicta 1460 Vintage Collection Quartz Watch

Most watch enthusiasts enjoy viewing Invicta presentations on the ShopNBC cable channel. While I sometimes ridicule Invicta for making big, honking, watches, the company usually sells watches that are interesting, luxurious, and relatively affordable. When I bought my Invicta Men's 1460 Vintage Collection Riveted Leather Strap Black Dial Watch at TJ Maxx, I was attracted by the finish and fine features that I saw under the watch counter glass. These are the same features that are often showcased by Invicta Watch Group hosts on television. A quick review of my new Invicta quartz watch reveals a least seven high end features that are found on far costlier timepieces.

Invicta 1460 Features

Stainless Steel Case. My Invicta Black Dial watch has an all stainless steel case, caseback, and clasp. Cheaper watches often have base metal bezels made from inexpensive materials like zinc. Plastic is also commonly used in cheap watches. The all stainless steel construction of the Invicta Men's 1460 is a rugged and attractive alternative.


Detailed Crown. The crown of this Invicta men's watch is nicely detailed, ribbed for easy manipulation, and stamped with a small Swiss Cross logo. You won't find this level of detail on the crown of any low budget quartz watch.

Coin-Edged Bezel. The bezel has a similar ribbed design that reminds me of a coin edge. The stainless steel bezel provides good protection for the "flame-fusion" crystal. Little extra details like the coin-edged bezel take extra time, equipment, and money.

Etched Caseback.  Most cheap watches have a plain caseback that either has no design or a simple battery number and the omnipresent "Made in China" label. In contrast, the vintage design inspired Invicta 1460 has an interesting and complete design. The Invicta wings logo dominates the back. It sits on a field of small squares that contain the same Swiss Cross logo that is found on the end of the crown.

Stitched Genuine Calf-Leather Band. The Invicta 1460 has a soft leather band that is generously sized and incredibly soft. Lower priced watches usually have a velcro band, plastic band, or short band. For example, my Timex Expedition Metal Tech came with a soft leather band that was too short and too narrow. With this Invicta, it's nice to have a comfortable band that actually fits!

Detailed Band Rivets and Clasp. The leather band has a rivet on each side of the watch case. The rivet has the same Swiss cross logo that is found on the crown. It's an extra feature that simply doesn't appear on my wonderfully inexpensive Walmart watches.

Luminous Hands and Numbers. Finally, the hour and minute hands on this Invicta are broad, readable, and coated with luminous material. They are supported by broad hashmarks at five minute intervals, smaller hashmarks at one minute intervals. Large white numbers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock and a 45 millimeter case diameter make this Invicta watch very readable.

Overall Review

The extra features of the Invicta Men's 1460 Vintage Collection Riveted Leather Band Black Dial Watch made it a good value at $99 at my local TJ Maxx. I was even more amazed when participants on My Wristwatch forum found it for roughly half that price from a variety of internet vendors. When compared to other watches in the price range, it is definitely a bargain. You get a lot for your money.

Invicta Men's Vintage Collection Leather Strap Watch

I bought this Quartz Invicta for $99 at TJ Maxx down.  However, it didn't come with any paperwork and I didn't even know what model it was. Fortunately, the gang at mywristwatch forum was able to identify it for me.  Although my watch is black, in brown, it's an Invicta Men's 1461 Vintage Collection Brown Dial Riveted Leather Strap Watch.  In black, it's model 1460.

Invicta Vintage Collection Watch

This watch has a stainless steel case, a genuine calf-leather strap, Swiss-made parts, 50 meter water resistance, and nice details on the rivets and crown.  Amazingly, the forum folks were able to find it for only $46.32 on Amazon.  You can find my review of my Invicta Vintage Collection watch here.