Invicta, with conviction: the 8926OB

The Invicta 8926OB is a Submariner homage, and an easy choice if you’re looking for something affordable. This one represents good value for money. Let me tell you how…

The Invicta 8926OB borrows from the 16610LN Rolex Submariner, but it’s not a replica. The shape of the crown guards isn’t the same, the crown itself is lower than the original, the bezel rotates with a decently large amount of play, the hands are thin, and the dial indices have a bit of “nipple dial” to them. Fortunately, the hand length is right, reaching all the way to the minute track, and the lume isn’t bad either.

I liked wearing it on the gray nato. It’s sharp.

I couldn’t go on without addressing Invicta’s reputation. Invicta has a cheap mall watch reputation. They earned this by making garish, faux bling, giant-sized watches that offend people’s tender sensibilities, and then signing them INVICTA everywhere on the watch. However, they’re a major US watch company, and they recently bought historic Swiss manufacturer Glycine. Besides the garish pieces, they make decent ones, as well as higher dollar Swiss-powered watches.

What makes this 8926OB such a great value is a few simple things:

It has a Seiko NH35A movement.
Stainless steel.
It’s available for $85 on Amazon. We purchased ours for $41 on sale.

The proportions are right. The Invicta 8926OB is a 40mm diver, and from a few feet away, it looks the part of the Rolex distant cousin. This isn’t bad, especially for the price of admission. You get a solid watch, mineral glass crystal, reliable movement, with decent lume, and the only things you have to get over are the constant INVICTA signage on it. Invicta engraves their name into the side of the case, signs the crown, the dial, clasp, and puts their logo on the counterweight of the seconds hand. Even the rim of the display caseback is blessed with INVICTA signing.

The movement is the NH35A Seiko, a Japanese designed movement manufactured in Malaysia. This shouldn’t be a real concern with both the affordability of the watch, and it’s the same robots making most of it whether they’re in Japan or Malaysia. The movement is free of pretty much all decoration in this form, where some models had a Geneva Stripes pattern on the rotor. Here, it’s painted yellow and has the Invicta signing on it.

There are two best things about this watch. One, as said, it’s an affordable dive homage with a decent movement. Two, it’s a modder’s sandbox, because it takes Seiko-compatible and Rolex aftermarket-compatible parts. Dress it up with aftermarket Seiko hands and dial, change the bezel insert to a ceramic one, put on an aftermarket crystal, and take a chequering file to the bezel, and you’ve changed the character of the watch in some pretty cool ways. For $85 off of Amazon, that’s hard to beat. It’s even better when it pops up for $41.

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Invicta 8926OB
Price: pricing starts at $85 (watch for discounts.)
Who we think it might be for: You like a nice Rolex-homage. You don’t even care that it says INVICTA on nearly every surface.

Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I’ve had two of these things. In the company of watch wearers sporting 7-10k pieces, it got respect for what it is at its price-level.
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: They won’t listen to me. Be more subtle about the branding on the case.
What spoke to me the most about this watch: Classic design borrowed from someone else, affordable reliability. Normally at this price point, you’re getting a DG2813, which is a clone of a Miyota. This thing is a steal.