With all the watch brands in the market, it can be hard to determine the good and the bad. If you are considering acquiring a large and bold watch but can’t seem to decide, you are in the right place. We will help you to make a fast decision by looking at one of the most common brands for large and bold watches- Invicta. We aim to help you determine whether it is worth your time and money.
However, before we go any further, let’s give you some history and background information about Invicta so that you understand our subject of discussion. Let’s get right into it.
What Is Invicta?
Invicta was founded in 1837 by Raphael Picard. This Swiss company produced mechanical wristwatches at first. Its ownership changed in 1983 when it was sold, and eight years later, Invicta went through a re-establishment. It is currently headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, even though some manufacturing still happens in Switzerland.
The company is lauded for some of the best mechanical timepieces between 1837 and 1991. From 1991, its focus shifted to modern watches, forming the premise of our review and analysis. Now that you have a brief background of this watch brand, let’s find out if it’s a good one.
Is Invicta A Good Brand?
We will look at different features to determine whether Invicta is worth your money or time. We hope that they will help you arrive at a verdict. Let’s find out
Design
A watch’s design says a lot about it, which explains why this had to be one of our first considerations. A quick look at Invicta’s website reveals 4,000+ watches with unique designs. This is unlike other brands that prefer to stand by a few designs, even when mass-producing watches. What, then, makes Invicta afford a variety of designs? Collaborations and homages.
Invicta regularly collaborates with partners such as SpongeBob, Marvel, and South Park, all of which help it develop creative design ideas. It also pays homage to high-end model designs through creations such as the Pro Diver. These two reasons explain why Invicta is quite ahead in design.
However, note that not everybody is happy with this brand’s designs. Invicta makes some of the largest and most exaggerated watches on the planet, which do not sit right with some people. Unless that’s what you want, such models will always look oversized and funny, especially if you have a smaller wrist.
Pricing
Pricing is also an important factor when establishing the quality of a brand. The money you spend on a watch should directly reflect the value you receive. The good news is that Invicta has several affordable watches in its catalog, making it a popular brand among watch collectors. If you are wondering how the brand sells its watches cheaply, they use cheaper parts in some models to keep the production costs low. All in all, you will still get well-built watches.
Brand Recognition
A good percentage of recognized brands produce high-quality watches. Different audiences cannot recognize a brand if it offers subpar-quality products, which supports our first argument. Invicta has greatly invested in product marketing, which seems to be paying well.
The brand has a signature yellow branding that makes it outstanding. You won’t miss it in popular online retailers and several cruises, which may explain why this brand enjoys such a level of recognition.
Build Quality
A watch’s build quality is everything as it determines factors such as durability. Unfortunately, online reviews point to build quality inconsistencies in most Invicta models, which isn’t something to ignore. This doesn’t mean that all its watches have poor quality but, in plain terms, that two watches of similar models may differ in quality.
This may be attributed to Invicta manufacturing its watches in different places. For example, production still goes on in Switzerland, where the company was first headquartered, even though operations moved to Florida. Watches in the same lineup may also be made using different parts, which is a valid reason for the build quality variation. This is a huge disadvantage since you can’t tell the quality of your watch until it has been delivered.
Warranty
Like build quality, Invicta doesn’t perform well when it comes to warranty, with some review platforms even referring to the company’s warranty cover as questionable. Invicta’s website reveals a 3-year warranty on all the brand’s products. However, most people have reported problems when enforcing the warranty. For example, the warranty does not cover any manufacturing defects, which is unfair.
Customer Service
Customer service is just as important as all the other factors we have discussed. It is, therefore, important to find out how a brand treats its customers and the speed at which it solves any customer issues before you spend money on a related item. Unfortunately, most people claim that Invicta’s customer service is not as helpful, especially when issues that require faster resolution are reported.
It is safe to say that this may not be your go-to brand if you put a lot of value on customer service.
So, is Invicta a good watch brand? Before we come to a verdict, let’s summarize the pros and cons based on what we have discussed above.
Invicta Pros
1. Affordability
This brand has several fairly priced products, making it a go-to brand for watch collectors. However, note that some of the cheaper models use cheaper parts such as mineral crystals instead of Sapphire, the former being easy to scratch.
2. Brand Popularity
Invicta enjoys impressive brand recognition thanks to its marketing efforts and signature yellow color. You will definitely sport its branding at your local watch retailer.
3. Variety
Invicta has 4000+ watches, giving you several options to choose from. They also have different designs, which is awesome since you are spoilt for choice.
Invicta Cons
Here are some of the complaints we have managed to identify from different online reviews platforms and customer feedback:
1. Poor Warranty and Customer Service
This brand’s warranty does not cover any manufacturing defects, which is a huge disadvantage. This means you are on your own whenever you receive a faulty product. The customer service is not equally good based on the feedback we have seen on different online platforms, which can be heavily inconvenient if you have an issue that should be speedily resolved.
2. Design Issues
Some of this brand’s products are too large and exaggerated and may not look good on some wrists. Unless you love them, you won’t find any allure in them.
Also, while still in design, it is important to note that this brand copies luxury watch designs, which they refer to as ‘paying homage.’ For some models, one may think that you are wearing a Rolex when in the real sense, it is the Invicta Pro. Even though paying homage to popular brands is allowed and encouraged, Invicta is quite notorious and may be doing it too much.
Copying other luxurious watches’ designs also points to a lack of originality, which all watch manufacturers should have. Copying everything, including the dials, calibrations, and colors, to pay homage may not be the best thing to do, especially when you enjoy the type of recognition Invicta does.
3. Quality Inconsistencies
The fact that you can get two Invicta watches but with different build qualities is an issue of concern. Your friend may have an Invicta watch without any defect, while yours of (a similar model) suffers quality issues. Having to wait till your watch is delivered so that you establish its quality is a nightmare buyers shouldn’t be subjected to.
4. Price Inflations
The last con is the inflated retail prices Invicta watches are sold for, even though it is well-known that this company enjoys economies of scale that lower its production costs. Invicta has even been criticized for participating in misleading business practices and marketing in the past.
The brand is mostly marketed as a luxury brand whose products are sold at a discount, which is a distasteful business practice. There is no need to market and sell non-luxury timepieces as luxury watches.
Conclusion
To answer the main question and issue of concern, Invicta is a good brand if you are looking for an affordable and well-made watch from a brand that enjoys great market recognition. However, it may not be the best option if you need more than that, i.e., great warranty, unchanging quality, and excellent customer service.
FAQS
1. Where Are Invicta Watches Manufactured?
Even though Invicta operates in the United States, its watches are manufactured in other regions, such as China, Japan, Switzerland, and Malaysia. This is because it is cheaper to use third parties.
2. How Does Invicta Sustain Its Large Watch Lineup?
By using third parties in other countries, Invicta enjoys lower production costs and can frequently come up with new designs and, based on customer feedback, determine which ones to keep or eliminate.
3. Does Invicta Use Its Own Movement?
No. Invicta doesn’t manufacture its own movement but relies on third-party manufacturers such as Ronda, ETA, Seagull, and Seiko. Remember, it uses Quartz mechanical movements, which are affordable.
4. Are Invicta Watches Durable?
Invicta may not be the best brand to try out if you need a durable product because of some of the materials they use to manufacture their watches. For example, it mostly uses Sapphire, which scratches easily and is not a mineral crystal known to last longer.
