Invicta Men's II Collection Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch #5290

     I have to admit to being a sucker for many of the watches in the Invicta line.  I have had the opportunity to wear and sell quite a few of their men's watches.  The most recent Invicta to cross my path is the Invicta 5290.

     Many of the watches in the Invicta lineup are clearly contrived to copy a variety of Rolex designs.  That is not the case with the Invicta 5290 which possesses a distinctive original design.  The 5290 is part of the Pro Diver Universe collection.

     A red ion coin edge unidirectional bezel nicely offsets the silver-tone dial.  The dial sports large black roman numeral hour indicators, skeleton Trinite coated luminescent hands, date feature and three subdials.  The band and the case are both made from polished 316L surgical-grade stainless steel.  The crystal is a combination of hardened mineral crystal with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal coating.   All in all, this makes for a handsome (if not understated) watch.

     I wore this watch for a little over a month, and got more comments on it than watches that cost 10 times as much. It has a solid feel, and nice heft to it.  It feels like a more expensive watch.

     Invicta quotes a list price between $315.00 and $495.00 depending on where you look.  Like any Invicta, if you look around at all, you will find this watch for a lot less.  This is one of the problems with the Invicta line.  They regularly assign inflated MSRP's on their watches so that potential buyers feel like they are getting a deal. 

MSRP	$495.00
Case Material	Brushed and Polished Solid 316L Surgical Grade Silvertone Stainless Steel Case and Screwdown Caseback
Case Dimensions	45mm (1.77") in Diameter, 13mm (0.51") Thick
Movement	Precise Swiss ISA Caliber 8171 Quartz Chronograph Movement
Crystal	Scratch Resistant Sapphire Coated Hardened Mineral Crystal
Crown	Textured Solid Stainless Steel Crown with Red Band Accent located at the 3:00 Hour Position, Stainless Steel Function Pushers
Bezel	Solid Red IP (Ionic Plated) Stainless Steel Unidirectional Rotating Bottle Cap Edge Diver Bezel with White Indexes and Arabic Numerals
Dial	Silvertone Sunray Dial with Silvertone Hands, Black Roman Numeral Hour Markers on White Outer-Dial Ring, Contrasting Silvertone and Black Subdials located at the 2:00-6:00-10:00 Hour Positions
Chronograph	Subdials Measuring 60-Seconds, Day-of-Week and 30-Minutes
Calendar	Quick-Set Circular Date Display Window located at the 4:00 Hour Position, Day-of-Week Subdial Located at the 6:00 Hour Position
Luminous	Tritnite Coated Luminous Hour, Minute and Second Hands
Bracelet/Strap	Brushed and Polished Solid Silvertone Stainless Steel Triple-Link Bracelet - 22mm (0.87") Wide, 9" Length
Clasp/Closure	Solid Stainless Steel Push-Button Fold-Over Safety Deployment Clasp with the Invicta Logo and Insignia

Citizen Men's Eco-Drive- AT1160-61A- Asia Only

This is the latest addition to my personal collection.  This is the Citizen Eco- Drive #AT1160-61A Asymmetrical Chronograph. 

Here is the breakdown on the stats:

* Calibre H570
* Powered by Eco-Drive
* Stainless steel case
* Sapphire crystal
* Stainless steel bracelet
* Waterproof up to 10 ATM
* Accuracy: ± 15 seconds / month
* Stop second hand
* Date quick fix
* 1 / 1 second Chronograph (30 minutes total)
* Charge warning function
* Overcharge Prevention
* Power reserve 5 months at full charge

CASE:

• SOLID STAINLESS STEEL IN MATT/GLOSSY FINISH
• MATCHING CROWN & BUTTONS

BAND:

• STAINLESS STEEL BRACELET IN GLOSSY FINISH  
• SPRING RELEASE BUTTERFLY CLASP  

DIAL:

• OFF WHITE DIAL
• SILVER TONE HANDS & MARKERS
• 3 UNIQUE SUB-DIALS
• BLUE CHRONOGRAPH STOPWATCH HAND

OTHER FEATURES:

• 100m WATER RESISTANT
• JAPAN ECO-DRIVE MOVEMENT CAL No H570
• TACHYMETER SCALE
• CHRONO MEASURE UP TO 30 MINS IN 1 SEC INCREMENTS
• DATE DISPLAY AT 4 O'CLOCK POSITION
• INSUFFICIENT CHARGE WARNING
• OVER CHARGE PREVENTION
• QUICK START FUNCTION
• NO NEED FOR BATTERY
• SOLAR POWERED
• ECO-DRIVE WATCH CHARGES IN SUNLIGHT OR INDOORS
• WHEN FULLY CHARGED HAS A 150 DAY POWER RESERVE
• SCRATCH RESISTANT SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL GLASS
• SCREW CASE BACK

DIMENSIONS:

• CASE DIAMETER 41mm EXCLUDING CROWN
• CASE THICKNESS 10mm
• BAND WIDTH 21mm
• TOTAL LENGTH 210mm

 

Activa by Invicta SL190-001

I thought that I would begin this blog with a quick review of the Activa SL190-001.  After all, given the current economic climate, a lot of people are looking for a sharp looking watch with an attractive price.  This might be it.

First, it is worth mentioning that Activa is one of the family of brands at Invicta.  These watches are designed to be stylish, yet very inexpensive.  

Cost cutting measures are quickly visible on close examination of the watch.  The chronograph dials are non-functional (although they do give the watch a handsome look), the band is made of some form of leatherette and the watch has a very light feel to it.

What you do get is a nice sized watch (42mm case size) that is water resistant to 30 meters, with a basic yet reliable quartz movement and mineral crystal.

It looks good on what I would consider an average sized wrist.  The black face has a nice textured appearance when viewed from up close.  In addition, the black and green color combination goes together quite well.  The watch does not look cheap up close.

Perhaps the most important feature of the Activa SL190-001 is the price.  This watch can be found at many internet retailers (including ebay) for as little as $19.95.  For the price, this is a nice little watch.  I liked it so much, I am giving a few as stocking stuffers!

Size: Men's
Case: Silver tone base metal with stainless steel back
Dial Color: Dark green dial with luminous hands
Movement: Swiss parts quartz
Crystal: Mineral
Subdials: 60 second, 30 minute and 24 hour subdials
Case Thickness: 10 mm
Water Resistant: 30 meters
Strap Width: 22 mm
Other: Tachymeter on black and green inner bezel
Case Diameter: 42 mm
Bezel Function: Unidirectional
Strap Length: 8.5 inches