Invicta Men's 0420 Pro Diver Automatic Black Dial Titanium Watch
Positive Review:
*If you want accuracy, buy quartz
*Titanium for better or worse is not steel
This is an automatic watch with a NH35A movement with 24 jewels, made by Seiko under the 4R36 name. It has 21600 vibrations/h and a reserve of at least 41h. The specifications admits a -25 s to +35 s deviation per day at 23C. The watch must resist a magnetic field of 4,800 A/m.
I've been wearing it for a week and so far it gains ~5s during the day (9 to 24h), the key to keep the precision resides in the way it lays during the night. The watch slows depending on how it rest. In my particular case, I noticed that when it lays over the 9 it slows 2s/night. Over the 3 doesn't slow anything. I still have to try over 6, over 12, face up, face down and worn.
Basically the key to keep the accuracy is to compensate the daily gain during the night, but so far I'm achieving +2s/d, which compared with the specifications is pretty good.
As you could see this watch, as every automatic, requires some special cares and if you don't feel like doing this maintenance you will probably end up leaving it in the bottom of a drawer.
The first thing that you will do is try to fit the watch to your wrist, the Invicta people have thought that the average customer would appreciate that the bracelet comes with all the links, instead an average size (ironic mode OFF). If you are not planning to buy the Invicta Watch Sizing Tool, you can always copy me and use a common pliers and a simple clip. In my case I had to remove 3 links and took over 10 min.
Regarding the water-tightness, and taking advantage that I work in a lab, I tested it up to 12 bar on a water chamber for half an hour and the watch doesn't complained at all. Just REMEMBER to never adjust the time when the watch is wet, and to screw down the crown to finger-tight.
About the external appearance, the watch looks exactly how it looks in the pictures. The two tones of the titanium look really good.
In my opinion the big bezel is almost cheesy but still ok. The Cyclops lens is about 2x and the date doesn't fill the frame, that's really too bad.
The transparent back case is delightful, the design of the counterweight is classy and the movement is hypnotic the first days.
The big bezel mentioned before shows a bit of resistance and makes a clinky noise (I wouldn't call that sound). It may be a con if you actually use it for something, but a pro for people like me that barely uses it as it stays on the right place. The bezel is besides incongruous with the materials. Having a titanium case and bracelet, why use a stainless steel bezel with aluminium numbers? If you thought about compatibility with other models and minimizing cost you are probably right!
Last but not least, why to buy the 0420 instead the 8926OB which is exactly the same model but made of steel and 30% cheaper?
The answer: TITANIUM
If you like to feel a heavy weight pulling down your wrist (like most of the users defend) this watch is not for you.
Weight is not a synonym of quality at all. This watch is light as a feather, and the thermal conductivity of titanium will make you (literally) forget that the watch is there.
Since it's a diver's watch you may probably want a material that doesn't corrodes as easily as iron, which is the main element in steel. Titanium include an oxide film that can't corrode or rust
Did you know that every time that you wet a steel watch with salty water you have to clean it deeply with tap water? Unfortunately I'm too lazy for that ;)
Titanium is also about 30 percent stronger than steel but weighs about half as much.
To prove that I'm not a titanium fanboy, I'll also highlight that titanium scratches more easily and visibly. (TIP:you can remove this scratches by using one of those rubber pen eraser)
In a nutshell:
Pros: Price, overall quality, good movement
Cons: Bezel, insufficient cyclops lens, bracelet adjustment
Negative Review:
I have this watch with the gray face. It's currently fast but was slow as purchased. Titanium is very light but it scratches as well as the mineral crystal. A great value regardless!
ReplyDeleteI ordered one and got two by mistake, which I considered a result as I could compare both to Atomic Clock time. They were perfectly in synchrony after a week, but were out by five seconds with the AC. So I got out my case-tool, removed the back, and adjusted the one I retained to a 3 seconds/week accuracy, which is twice as good as a buddy's Rolex Submariner which cost a hundred times more. Go figure. PS: I find this snobbery and pissing-contest with what are, after all, timepieces that inferior to a ten bucks Casio pathetic in the extreme. I've had a good laugh at some of the negatives on this site. I have eleven automatics and this is my favourite. It's also preferable if you get mugged; you only lose less than a hundred bucks instead of ten grand :)
ReplyDeleteThis watch is one of the most amazing watch values I've come across. A Rolex will have tighter tolerances and use better materials but they don't offer a Submariner in titanium. It's the most comfortable watch I own because of its feather light titanium weight. I can't think of a valid reason to speed 100 times more and get very little more in return.
ReplyDeleteI am aware of your product. I have used this product before. I think you know the product well. For more information on these products, please visit Invictar
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