I have been coveting a Breitling Super Avenger with white dial for some time, but it's 4K price tag is out of my budget and I don't buy replicas. It's not beneath me to buy some Invictas that evoke the great watches or do an "homage," as is often said.
I don't know if the Invicta Stingray Pro Diver 12428 is an homage to anything, but for me it's a consolation prize for the man who can't spend 4K on a Super Avenger.
With a 50mm case and 48mm bezel, the Stingray plays midsize on my wrist, perhaps because the dial is truncated by the huge scalloped bezel.
A pebbled white dial is unusual. I've never seen a dial like this and I like it a lot, both in photos and in person. I haven't tested the lume and probably won't. Invicta's in-house tritnite is, by all accounts, including Invica fanboys, less than average. Don't look for good Invicta lume unless you get their tritium tube watches.
The watch is made in China but the build quality is above average. I had two links removed for my 7.5 inch wrist, but it's too loose right now and the crown is digging into my hand. I'll have another link removed today.
Overall, if you can find this for under $200 and like the styling, as I do, it's not bad. Just don't kid yourself. It's no Breitling.
I like it. One thing that can be said about Invictas is that they give you a nice solid chunk of metal for the money. It might not be finely finished or with high quality parts, but its a lot of watch for the fashion category.
It doesn't really remind me of a Breitling, though. I suppose the raised bezel markers and chronograph have some similarity, but other than that i don't see it.
Posted by: jonnybardo | July 06, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Yeah, the Breitling comparison is a stretch, for sure. But on its own terms, the Invicta is very nice. I just removed the third link and it doesn't dig as much but it still dugs so I give it a minus for comfort.
Posted by: herculodge | July 06, 2013 at 11:59 AM
http://youtu.be/WWaLxFIVX1s
Posted by: Ulysses | July 07, 2013 at 11:13 AM
A wail of despair?
Posted by: herculodge | July 07, 2013 at 12:40 PM
Invicta is the path to the Dark Side... You must complete your training...
Posted by: Ulysses | July 08, 2013 at 03:39 PM
I hear you. I'm engaged in an internal Manichean battle, light and darkness. You're probably right. I'm wearing the Invicta Sting Ray today to work and I'm not feeling it.
Posted by: herculodge | July 08, 2013 at 05:09 PM
I like it. And as far as the "fashion watch" moniker goes----in reality, what really differentiates a fashion watch from a "serious timepiece" these days? I know the point of view----I've read it. But my point is, with smart phones in most of our pockets with the accurate time, most of us who wear watches----we do it for fashion, right? Do we NEED the watch on our wrist to have access to what time it is? For most of us, the answer is no. We have clocks in our cars, on our computers, on our phones----but we wear watches because we like wearing watches----and collecting them. So while Invicta might fall short of Seiko or Rolex and others----in materials and assembly----they do fill the role of bolder designs, affordability, "impact" value----and in most cases, hold together and keep good time. My issue with Invicta is that they seemed to stay on their "trendy trend" too long----they were still bringing out new styles of huge watches with styling cues that were already looking dated to me. Just an opinion----I don't think they got ahead of things the way they should have. After all, when your business is built on trends, you have to be very careful not to stray into "fad" territory, which is what happens when you're behind instead of in front of what is popular.
Posted by: Angelo | July 09, 2013 at 04:06 AM
You'd be surprised just how inaccurate smart-phones are, as well as many other digital timepieces that are not primarily intended to be used as wristwatches or clocks. The accuracy can be very variable in my experience.
Personally I wear a watch on my wrist because of the unbeatable convenience compared with fishing out a smart-phone (and simultaneously painting a big bullseye on the back of my head visible only to muggers). A fashion watch in my view is a watch that, like clothing, has a limited lifespan in terms of style and can easily go out of fashion after some length of time. In other words, the love you feel for a fashion watch and its funky styling can be fleeting - you occasionally ask yourself why you bought it, only to remember again months after having left it in the drawer. It's a love/hate relationship. In recognition of how fussy and quick to tire we humans are, the fashion watch manufacturers don't kill themselves trying to build a timepiece that's built to last a hundred years and look pristine throughout that time. That's the difference. High-end manufacturers tend to have a focus on quality, materials, workmanship and reliability such that their products form a relationship with you that can potentially last a lifetime.
Posted by: Ulysses | July 09, 2013 at 09:24 AM