Back in 2012, my Dad bought me this Invicta. I hate to sound unappreciative, but to me, that was like getting handkerchiefs for Xmas, but not coal! I’d owned a few Invictas in the past, and they were awful! However, Dad bought it, so it meant a lot! I owned several good watches at the time, but none were the type that I’d want to wear to work, so I wore this Invicta daily. As a Correctional Officer it was my job to break up fights, respond to medical emergencies and so on. I was also on C.E.R.T. (Correctional Emergency response team) This watch has been through hell! It has been scuffed, bashed, dropped and been exposed to the elements, plus pepper sprayed & Tasered!

It’s a big chunk of a watch at 47mm, but big was cool in 2012, and it’s actually quite a pretty watch, with its salmon colored dial and bezel. It is powered by a smooth, reliable, Seiko NH35A automatic movement. I do love a good dive watch, and I was proud to wear it, and still do now and then.

Seven years later, the lume is excellent, and it still keeps time very well. The Grand Diver has a plain oyster bracelet. The links are of good quality but the buckle is just ‘ok’. The bezel doesn’t line up perfectly, it’s made of a thin Aluminum that scratches very easily and the watch is very heavy. Definitely not a wristwatch for everyone. Sadly the name Invicta drums up thoughts of cheap Chinese made (Swiss assembled) bling. But some models are also value for money, and even come equipped with Valjoux 7750 movements.

They say that on a Vehicle assembly line, theirs always one or two lemons…in the case of the Invicta assembly line, it seems quite the opposite…one or two are actually quite good, but most are shite. All that being said, this watch has endured, and has sentiment attached to it. So whether it was an Invicta or a Rolex makes no difference, Dad bought it for me! If you work in LE, the Military, Corrections or other bash around jobs, I do not recommend an Invicta. Maybe a G-Shock?