Invicta is a brand that excels at creating affordable timepieces. They’re most known for their Pro Divers. They are a line of fabulously water-resistant pieces, and the 8926OB is probably the most popular. In our Invicta Pro Diver Watch Review, we took a closer look at it, comparing it to other pieces from the collection.
You’ve probably heard of the Rolex Submariner before. It’s arguably the most famous men’s diving piece around. As its brand name suggests, it’s costly. Due to its price and prestige, many manufacturers pay homage to it. The Invicta 8926OB’s case, face, colourway, and the overall build is reminiscent of the unit.
This is far from a bad thing. The Pro Driver is made to look more expensive. Don’t forget that it’s just a watch under $100.
It rocks a completely stainless-steel build. The steel on it is high-quality, which is why it’s so shiny. As it’s high-quality, scratching it will be hard. The material is expertly water-proof too.
Its face consists of large markers. As they’re on the thicker side, they are great canvases for luminous pigment. In terms of the type of lume present, we unfortunately don’t know. Invicta hasn’t made this public knowledge. We have to say, its luminosity is very good, though. You’ll easily be able to tell the time when it’s dark out.
Not only is the lume on its markers, but you’re getting it on its hands too.
Speaking of its hands:
They’re near identical to the ones on the Submariner. This is one of the first things we noticed about the device. You’ll easily be able to read the seconds passed as well. The third hand on it is very sharp.
What is the glass on its display? It is mineral. If you didn’t know, mineral is not the strongest glass around. You don’t have to be rough to scratch it up. A lot of timepieces with the crystal dome their displays, making them more resistant. Unfortunately, the 8926OB does not do such a thing.
We love watches with calendars. They’re made more functional. There is a date-feature in the 3 o'clock position. The angle prevents you from hurting your neck trying to read it. You won’t be straining your eyes either. There is a magnification lens over it, making the date large and bolded.
Its case is not that big. It only stretches 1.57 inches (40 mm) across. If you have larger wrists, you’ll look awkward wearing it.
You probably noticed the crown-protector available. The feature is widely seen in diving pieces. Because it prevents your wet-suit from getting caught in the contraption.
In terms of its crown, it’s grooved well. This makes it easy to use.
If you look at its case-back, you’ll see an exposed rear. This is as the 8926OB is an automatic unit. It has many gears and jewels in motion (more on this below), so you’ll get an expert view.
Timepieces with thick metal straps make you sweat. Thankfully, the 8926OB’s band isn’t too hefty. It consists of links attached. They’re all attached to a fold-over clasp. It’s secure – you don’t have to worry about the watch falling off your wrist. It’s extra secure as there’s an additional security latch in-place.
Although it’ll keep your unit on you, we don’t think fold-over clasps are the easiest to use. Push-button ones exist. They work exactly as their name suggests. Who wouldn’t want that?
It wouldn’t be a Pro Diver if you couldn’t dive with it, now would it? It’s sadly not a dive-ready piece. It can handle 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. However, it is not ISO 6425 certified. If you were to go to such depths, you’d see water leaking in as its insides were not sealed that well.
As it’s made from quality stainless steel, no muck, mud or grease will stick to it. It’ll be really easy to clean too. All you’d do is wipe it down.
There’s toothing all over its bezel. The Submariner came with such a thing too. Invicta didn’t place it on the 8926OB just to pay tribute, the toothing helps you grip it. Its bezel can be rotated. It’ll work as a timer, ticking as it turns. It’ll tell you when to get out of the water before your oxygen supply runs out.
When submerged, it’ll be hard to read the time. If you remember, we said that its face has superb lume. It’d make the device easy to read underwater.
If you’re expecting a Swiss automatic movement, get ready to be disappointed. The invicta 8926ob movement is a Japanese automatic. If you’re interested in a timepiece from the brand with a Swiss mechanism, you can check our Invicta 9937 review out.
The NH35A is inside. It is the non-branded version of Seiko’s 4R35. As a result, it comes with a 41-hour power reserve. Such a reserve is the standard amount.
Hopefully, you know what the reserves are. They are how long an automatic piece can stay off your wrist. They’re “automatic”, as the movement from your arm causes their gears to move. They’ll continue to power themselves off your wrist for however long their power reserve lasts. Once it has passed, you’ll have to wind the device.
We love the NH35A as it comes with hacking. The feature is not seen in all automatic movements. It lets you adjust the seconds’ hand, making the time more accurate.
What about its jewel bearings? Well, you’re getting 23 of them between its gears. Before you get too excited, they’re not real. They are pieces of glass cut to look like the real deal. They are placed between gears to keep friction at bay.
The more jewels present, the smoother a watch would run. 17 is the bare minimum, which 23 is pretty well-above.
Without a doubt, the NH35A is a work-horse. It’s an affordable automatic movement and the time can be read smoothly.
As mentioned, there is an exposed rear on it. It is protected by strengthened glass, so it’s water-resistant. You’ll be peaking at its 23 jewels at work.
Now that you know everything about it, we thought about comparing it with other members of the Pro Driver line. This will help you be better informed.
The timepiece is a vision in gold. This makes it look rich. The gold on it is shiny, so it oozes luxury. It wasn’t painted on. You’re looking at an ion-plated device. Unfortunately, we have no idea how many karats the metal was.
The 8938 isn’t very big. Its case is 1.57 inches (40 mm), like its sibling. If you have larger wrists, it’ll look awkward on you.
You’ll be able to rotate its bezel. However, there is no expert toothing. Invicta wasn’t trying to make it a homage to the Rolex Submariner.
There are large markers on it, though. They are packed with luminous pigment. The pigment is on its hands too, which are shaped like its counterpart’s.
You don’t have to look closely to notice the gold borders on its markers. They make the unit look elegant.
It is water-resistant. You can handle depths up to 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to dive with it. It is not ISO 6425 certified.
With a wet-suit, you don’t have to worry about its crown latching on. It comes with a protector. Speaking of its crown, it is super easy to use. Just look at its size and the amount of grooving in-place.
The watch crystal present is mineral. As you know, it’s not the toughest – be careful. Just like its counterpart, there is an anti-reflective coating present. When it’s sunny by the pool, you won’t blind yourself.
If you flip it over, you won’t notice an exposed back. If you guessed it, that’s because it is not an automatic piece. You won’t have any gears or jewel bearings to look at. It is Japanese quartz. The name of its specific mechanism is the PC32A. It is buttery and accurate.
Its body is fully made from surgical grade stainless steel. Its strap consists of a couple of steel links. They are thankfully not thick. As mentioned, thick steel bands make you sweat. There is an extra safety mechanism to its clasp, ensuring it won’t fall off your wrist.
The watch is reminiscent of the 8926OB. From a distance, you might not be able to tell the difference between the two. One of the first things you’ll notice when you get closer is the buttons on its sides. They weren’t placed just to spice things up, they work its chronographs.
What are chronographs? You can think of them like stop-clocks. They are the three sub-dials on its face. They read the milliseconds, seconds and minutes passed.
Touching on its pushers again, they’re huge. They’re fun to play with – they are tactile.
There are large circular markers on its face. They are full of lume. The pigment is on its hands too. It has a different design on its hands. They’re thick and arrow-like.
You’re getting an expert water-resistant piece. Like its counterpart and the other alternative we reviewed, it can handle 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. You’ll be able to snorkel and swim with it. However, it is not ISO certified - don’t think about scuba diving.
There is a date-feature present. It’s in the 3 o'clock position, so you won’t be straining your neck. Unfortunately, it’s not the easiest to read. It’s small. There isn’t a magnification lens either, so squinting would be a common occurrence.
What do you think about large watches? The Pro Diver comes with a massive 1.96-inch (50 mm) case. Even if you have large wrists, it might be too big for you. The timepiece would eat up your wrists if your arms are small.
You’re very familiar with the glass on its display. It is mineral. There is an anti-reflective coating at least. You won’t have to deal with glare. We would’ve loved if Invicta domed its display, but you don’t always get what you want.
Did we mention what it’s made of? It is high-quality stainless steel. That’s why it’s so shiny. Its steel bracelet is thankfully not thick. What kind of clasp is on it? A deployant one with an additional safety mechanism.
Once again, you’re not getting an exposed rear. This is as the watch is a Japanese quartz unit. The mechanism inside of it is the VD57. It’s buttery and accurate. Invicta’s known to place good movements.
The timepiece is on the larger side. That being said, it’s not as large as the entry above. Its case stretches 1.85 inches (47 mm) across. If you have smaller wrists, it’ll still gobble you up, though.
It is a vision in blue. Its colourway is fit for such a water-resistant device. It can handle more depths than its counterpart. Its resistance rating is 1000 feet (300 meters). With such a rating, you’ll be able to dive with it. Its bezel rotates, so you can time yourself when submerged. It doesn’t come with great gripping, however. Just look at it, there’s no toothing.
If it’s any consolation, there is a crown-protector. You never have to worry about its large crown getting in your way.
Something else that’s large is the markers on it. They’re packed with lume, just the way we like it. The pigment is also on its hands. But they’re not like its counterpart’s. They’re arrow-like and thicker, being able to hold more pigment.
The glass on its window is mineral. Don’t forget that you can scratch it if you’re too rough.
If you turn its back, you’ll see an exposed rear. The timepiece is an automatic unit. The mechanism inside of it is Japanese. To be more specific, it is the NH35A. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It is the same mechanism we saw in the 8926OB. This means it comes with 23 jewel bearings and a 41-hour power reserve. The cherry on top is the fact that it allows for hacking too.
We’re happy to see a large calendar on it. It reads the day’s date, having a magnification lens over it. It’s in the 3 o'clock position, which you know means you won’t be straining your neck.
Its clasp is a Deployant with an extra safety mechanism. All-in-all, we’re fans.
What did you think about our Pro diver review? The Invicta Rolex lookalike seems more expensive than it is, thanks to its appearance and specs. We think it would make a great purchase. When compared to alternatives, it’s clear that the company follows a formula, and they are all similar.
