Watchlords

Ahhh Invicta..Is there a more hated/beloved brand that exists today in the watch world? The level of animus related to the brand and the associated mouthpieces is astonishing to me on a personal level. Let me try and give a perspective without any bias. Much like Switzerland I remain very neutral on the topic, but would like to share a personal story of my journey into watch collecting.

As a young green 2nd lieutenant I landed at Rhein-Main AFB in Frankfurt in 1983. I was headed to Wurzburg and 3rd ID (Rock of the Marne). I was blessed to have been assigned to a unit that had a CO that was an astute (Watchlords level) collector. His vision for the future of Horology was innate. At that time the quartz revolution had all but decimated the swiss mechanical watch world. I was attempting to curry favor with my CO and I purchased what I thought was an amazing watch from Breitling ( Breitling NAVITIMER QUARTZ 2300 Jupiter Pilot ). I proudly showed this to my CO and he literally put his head in his hands. A bit of backstory: The dollar was so strong at the time $1 American was almost worth 4 marks. So at my meager butterbar paygrade I was only able to buy the Navi due to this exchange rate. He stated that I could of had a 7730,40,50 in a Breitling for what I had paid. I humbly said " Sir I do not know what those are?"

To this day the knowledge/passion he imparted to me regarding Watches still guides me in my collecting to this day, but back to the thoughts on Invicta. Why not look at Invicta as an opportunity to first engage an individual in our passion. Then second to use it as a springboard to introducing that Invicter as I hear them called here to the wider world of Horology? Beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder and I love the Hamilton Ventura, but whenever I wear mine I get an even split of love it/hate it.
We know Elvis the KIds know Men In Black. If our world of collecting is only going to include a rarified air of vetted classic brands deemed worthy by a select few. Then I think we are missing the point. Having lived in West Germany during the quartz crisis and spending years being questioned as to even why I'm wearing a watch "I've got a cell phone why would I need a watch?" Today watches are more popular than ever in the history of Horology. Find your local Invicta Fan and instead of Bashing them congratulate them on beginning the Journey that so many of us have taken. Maybe even take some time and introduce/educate them on the wider world of Watch collecting.

To close I wonder to this day what I would have done as a green 22 year old 2nd Lieutenant if I encountered Invicta as it is today? Probably bought one.

You lost me at "Invicta".

Fascinating...just the word seems to make people go off the rails. I know the word has 7 letters, but to see it here I would think its a 4 letter word..lol..

We have introduced many an Invicta fan to the world of "legit" watches over the years. Waaaay ahead of you on that. Something you should have investigated prior to this bogus BS filled post.
Welcome to WL.

Just curious...what part do you deem bogus? I do not own an Invicta watch. So if you gather or infer that I am shilling for them you are mistaken. But for whatever reason the level of pure unadulterated hatred for this company... and anyone who dares not follow along lockstep... has made me interested in the people who feel that their time is better spent bashing than educating. Why are you so intent on hating anything much less a Watch Company? Note: I have read 100's of posts related to this Company and I'm not here to defend them, but find it difficult to understand the time and energy spent hating this brand could not be effectively used another way. Not a sermon just a thought.

And I'd like to teach the world to sing, with a Coke and a smile.

If anything, we've been too easy on Invicta here, mainly because it's become mundane and monotonous to keep listing their shoddy products over and over. What our newbie OP is forgetting here is that Invicta Watch Group is a "company" that has blatantly ripped off so many buyers with false claims, shoddy workmanship and materials, and the worst customer service known to man. For that, we should just chuckle and say "Invicta is a gateway drug"? Instead, the members of this site have uncovered so many IWG problems that, collectively, we could probably write a book - not the least of which is that the company employed a guy who ran around pretending to be a Navy SEAL to represent them. I'd call that "educating," Jasper.

Invicta is a blight on this hobby, and fuck anyone who stands up for them. I have no tolerance for either ostriches or idiots.

Ahh My DC watchgeek could also be an issue..I've had that nickname since the late 80's. Sorry not affiliated with that now defunct shill site....

foghorn wrote:We have introduced many an Invicta fan to the world of "legit" watches over the years. Waaaay ahead of you on that. Something you should have investigated prior to this bogus BS filled post.
Welcome to WL.

Have to agree....
This forum in particular has tried to show the light to the legion of Invicta fans. Problem is, there almost a cult following that actually believes all of the crap that spews forth from Eyal and the TV talking heads and refuses to accept what it really is.....a fashion brand and nothing more.

I never stopped buying Tag because Tiger Woods was an Adulterer/Liar..did you? And cmon the Swiss Watch Federation defining what is really "Swiss Made". That keeps changing constantly. Go to Hong Kong and see the amount of Swiss parts being made and shipped to Switzerland. Your just lucky that Invicta is not as sophisticated as the Hayeks. Also thank the Swiss for creating the monster that is Chinese watches. We all know what the did when MAO was around..IE: Seagull

Well, DC, an interesting and well-written intro post, no doubt. Welcome to the forum, goddamn it!

Speaking only for myself, I tend to not target IWG with most of my disdain, but rather the lemming-like followers of the brand. If some schmoe walks into a store and buys one because he needs a cheap watch and isn't really interested in horology, and the hands don't fall off in the first month of ownership, and he's happy with a watch the size of an onyx ashtray, then good for him. The worst that can be said about him is that he's got lousey taste.

The people who attract my wrath are those, as JAS points out above, who have been brutally assfucked by the brand before and yet still choose to defend them--as well as continue to buy from them--without thought. This is why we use Geekspeak so often; it is the way Geeks (from "Watchgeeks," the now defunct forum that Invicter used to shill its odious products) communicate, Oftan with manny Mispellings & a Strang use of capitalazshun & sew Fourth GODAM it.

I've had interactions with Geeks in real (not internet) life and have tried to talk sense to them. It's usually a lost cause. I'm sure many of our members have tried to do the same. Confronted with this ox-like stupidity, it's only natural that we let our disdain shine proudly here. Thus, we are known as the Haterz foram. This in spite of the fact that we've raised and donated thousands of dollars to several worthy causes, including:

--Northwest Harvest, a charity that collects food for food banks in the Pacific Northwest;

--St. Judes Childrens hospital;

--Wounded Warriors Project;

--Toys For Tots:

And others as well.

These are the type of GODAM hatarz I want to be associated with.

DCwatchgeek wrote:I never stopped buying Tag because Tiger Woods was an Adulterer/Liar..did you? And cmon the Swiss Watch Federation defining what is really "Swiss Made". That keeps changing constantly. Go to Hong Kong and see the amount of Swiss parts being made and shipped to Switzerland. Your just lucky that Invicta is not as sophisticated as the Hayeks. Also thank the Swiss for creating the monster that is Chinese watches. We all know what the did when MAO was around..IE: Seagull

Can't respond since I don't own any Tags, but Tiger being an douche-bag paid spokesman is different from an actual employee of the company who impersonated a Navy Seal in my opinion. The Swiss Made designation is the least of Invicta's issues.....check the forum some more. You see pics of dials with Swiss Made on them, but the movements being proven as Asian in origin. Yet the lies continue....

The Chinese were going to be a "monster" in due time anyway, despite what the Hayeks did or didn't do. Just like they will do so in other industries.

If Invicta was more up front with their claims, I daresay they would earn a bit more respect......Swiss factories, etc? Where's the proof?
Stop with the exaggerated claims, tell everyone during the broadcast and not just in the fine print, that the watches are Asian in origin and see what happens.

Full disclaimer....I still own Invictas in my collection... Pro Diver variations.... but I don't believe the fake hype nor am I a rabid fan boy who refuses to accept that Invicta is a shady-ass dishonest vendor.

To each their own...buy what you want, but don't think you're going to change the opinions here.

We now return to your regular programming.

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your service.

I appreciate your good natured intentions to start a dialogue with a potential enthusiast/collector but it would seem your approach is akin to trying to encourage a Coors-Light swillin' buddy to try a beverage more befitting of an adult - perhaps an IPA or a stout? Some might be inclined to give it a try, some might appreciate the change of perspective/focus on quality and broaden their choices. However, I suspect more might be inclined to tell you to eff off because Coors/Schlitz/Lucky Lager is as good as any beer at thrice the price and only arrogant snobs would say otherwise...

I have a couple of Invicta and have no problem with my particular watches, but I do have a big problem with the shuckster/shyster marketing suggesting - no, out right stating I managed to snake a REALLY great deal because the MSRP was ten-fold higher that what the original buyer paid. The bullshit train left the station and had continued to run out of control in a way that has been thoroughly documented at this site.

A lot of hype & fakery does not provenance make. Fieros are cool little cars that can stand on their own, but if you kept hearing about how they are pretty much the same thing as a Ferrari - mid-engined, red, leaks Mobil 1 - you would quickly develop disdain for their fanboi even though you may not have a problem with the actual product... Fieros and Invicta are fun, but they are crap. There's nothing wrong with that, but to deny it is to lie.

I believe hope springs eternal - however, there is something to be said in the accuracy of my dad's adaptation of a well-worn truism: "Son, you can lead a Horse's Ass to water, but that's not the end that drinks!"

conjurer wrote:
The people who attract my wrath are those, as JAS points out above, who have been brutally assfucked by the brand before and yet still choose to defend them--as well as continue to buy from them--without thought. This is why we use Geekspeak so often; it is the way Geeks (from "Watchgeeks," the now defunct forum that Invicter used to shill its odious products) communicate, Oftan with manny Mispellings & a Strang use of capitalazshun & sew Fourth GODAM it.

Let's not forget those derpy wads who start accounts here and at other forums for the purpose of 'initiating a dialogue' about how Invicta is 'misunderstood'.

DCwatchgeek wrote: I wonder to this day if I encountered Invicta as it is today? Probably bought one.

Without doubt.

Then you could have later read up on the "100's" of posts here and be educated on why the brand is a hemorrhoid on the watch collecting hobby.

For the record, if someone wants to collect Invicta "timepieces" , Cabbage Patch Dolls or Beanie Babies for that matter, it is not for me to embrace nor educate them. Got more important things to do.

Thanks for sharing.

There is no defense in regard to shoddy/suspect business practices. The level of investigative reporting has been excellent here and I applaud the forum for exposing them.

I came here largely ignorant of Invicter and TV watch brands in general. I was a recent member of the unfortunate acronym WTF, WUS and Watchgeeks and still on the steep end of the learning curve.

However I did come here with a deep and abiding disdain for television marketing channels generally so I may have found it easier than most to jump on the Invicter disdain bandwagon.

This was due to my not believing a damn word of the "gateway to fine timepieces" meme based on unrelated fields that I had grown somewhat familiar with.

At the top of the heap was television cutlery. This abortion hardly ever led from buying junk blingy knives to quality knives - maybe about one in a thousand.

The overwhelming majority of invictims don't go from Invicter to say, Tissot - they graduate to more invicters until they've built up a hoard of staggering proportions. Sometimes they'll pull a lateral into Android or Stuhrling but there's no progress; it's just junk of a different stripe.

I could probably change my mind about invicter or any other TV brand if presented evidence that even 5% of invictims learned and grew.

To this day I only know of one single lonely example. It is such a rare thing I even believe I recall the user name - Sober Dave or something similar wound up in the fullness of time with a pretty nice selection. I don't know if he managed to get better than 20 cents on the dollar when liquidating his invicters. I suspect not and I harbor speculation that he wasn't all that sober while amassing the bulk of the TV watch collection.

Indeed if people did use TV watches as a gateway I would probably think different of them. But it is so rare as to be functionally non-existent. TV watches are the Mos Isley of horology: a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Want a gateway to "fine tymepeaces"? Buy a Seiko 5.

Ugh... Wake me up when this thread is over.

AJC wrote:Ugh... Wake me up when this thread is over.

Aww...C'mon ADthony. It's nostalgic. It's been awhile since Invicta was discussed.

Like an horological toga party.

foghorn wrote:

AJC wrote:Ugh... Wake me up when this thread is over.

Aww...C'mon ADthony. It's nostalgic. It's been awhile since Invicta was discussed.

Like an horological toga party.

I hate threads like this where we all sit around and beat a dead horse like a bunch of Geeks!!

Hawk wrote:TV watches are the Mos Isley of horology: a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

True, succinct, and indisputable.

DCwatchgeek wrote:Ahhh Invicta..Is there a more hated/beloved brand that exists today in the watch world? The level of animus related to the brand and the associated mouthpieces is astonishing to me on a personal level. Let me try and give a perspective without any bias. Much like Switzerland I remain very neutral on the topic, but would like to share a personal story of my journey into watch collecting.

As a young green 2nd lieutenant I landed at Rhein-Main AFB in Frankfurt in 1983. I was headed to Wurzburg and 3rd ID (Rock of the Marne). I was blessed to have been assigned to a unit that had a CO that was an astute (Watchlords level) collector. His vision for the future of Horology was innate. At that time the quartz revolution had all but decimated the swiss mechanical watch world. I was attempting to curry favor with my CO and I purchased what I thought was an amazing watch from Breitling ( Breitling NAVITIMER QUARTZ 2300 Jupiter Pilot ). I proudly showed this to my CO and he literally put his head in his hands. A bit of backstory: The dollar was so strong at the time $1 American was almost worth 4 marks. So at my meager butterbar paygrade I was only able to buy the Navi due to this exchange rate. He stated that I could of had a 7730,40,50 in a Breitling for what I had paid. I humbly said " Sir I do not know what those are?"

To this day the knowledge/passion he imparted to me regarding Watches still guides me in my collecting to this day, but back to the thoughts on Invicta. Why not look at Invicta as an opportunity to first engage an individual in our passion. Then second to use it as a springboard to introducing that Invicter as I hear them called here to the wider world of Horology? Beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder and I love the Hamilton Ventura, but whenever I wear mine I get an even split of love it/hate it.
We know Elvis the KIds know Men In Black. If our world of collecting is only going to include a rarified air of vetted classic brands deemed worthy by a select few. Then I think we are missing the point. Having lived in West Germany during the quartz crisis and spending years being questioned as to even why I'm wearing a watch "I've got a cell phone why would I need a watch?" Today watches are more popular than ever in the history of Horology. Find your local Invicta Fan and instead of Bashing them congratulate them on beginning the Journey that so many of us have taken. Maybe even take some time and introduce/educate them on the wider world of Watch collecting.

To close I wonder to this day what I would have done as a green 22 year old 2nd Lieutenant if I encountered Invicta as it is today? Probably bought one.

Thanks for your service!

As far as Invicta having any redeeming quality whatsoever or the brand doing anything but damaging horology...

Hawk Johnson is right. Invicter is a poor gateway for the hobby.

AJC Johnson is right. Want a quality gateway? But a Seiko 5. This past week Amazon had the pilot Seiko 5 for the princely sum of $45.

Conjuror Johnson is right. Geeks is mostly all of Them is Morons!!!!!!! Lololol!!!!!!!!

Invicter? Gimmicky, tasteless, contrived fashion watches manufactured by a shady, amoral opportunist, marketed by disingenuous shills to the ill-informed, socially inept who desperately wish to attract attention by gaudy display. As much a "gateway" to horology as Mickey D's is to gastronomy. Want wear an Invicter? Go right ahead, but don't expect me to respect your appalling choice.