Switzerland is such a seemingly calm country, its centuries-old neutrality is respected by the whole world ... However, the most dramatic changes occur in the life of Swiss watch companies, from triumphs to disasters and vice versa. Invicta belongs to such companies. Here are 10 curious facts about the company's past and present.
- The Invicta brand was founded in 1837 in one of the capitals of the Swiss (and also the world) watch industry - the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The founder's name was Raphael Picard.
- Despite the sonority of his own name (it would have looked very good: Rafael Picard), he decided to name the company differently. The word Invicta is derived from the Latin invictus - invincible, invincible, invincible.
- Picard and his successors were in no hurry; they developed gradually, but reliably. As a result, the Invicta watch took its rightful place in the market, and in 1932 the first own automatic movement, Invicta, was created.
- In 1959, a batch of Invicta watches was produced by a special order of the USSR Ministry of Defense, for admirals and officers of the Soviet Navy. As a result of a mistake by Swiss designers, the dial of this watch was written not "Navy", but "IMF". Such a conspicuous model has become coveted by collectors. By the way, in the modern Invicta brand book there is a Russian Diver collection that goes back to that historical model of 1959.
- The quartz crisis of the 1970s crippled the company, but in 1991 the rights to the brand were bought out by a group of American investors, including the Lalo family - descendants of Ralph Picard. The brand was revived!
- Invicta is headquartered in Hollywood (but not California, but Florida), and production is located in China and Switzerland. Accordingly, some of the products are labeled as Swiss Made.
- Invicta watches, both mechanical and quartz, are equipped with high quality movements, mainly from Japanese and Swiss manufacturers.
- When launching a new generation of one or another of its collection, Invicta always stops the production of models of previous generations. The latter thus become rarities.
- In 2004, the company became the Invicta Watch group, which includes, in addition to the parent, S. Coifman, TechnoMarine and Glycine watch companies, as well as its own hotel in San Juan (Puerto Rico).
- Invicta has its own patented technologies: Flame Fusion Crystal - a special hardening of mineral glass, Tritnite - a proprietary phosphor, Invicta Swiss Gold - a gold coating of increased resistance and durability.
Further - 4 models of Invicta watches, well characterizing the current state of the brand's catalog.
Angel
The name of the model - "angel" - adequately reflects its essence: women's watches, moderately exotic and even a little flirty. This is manifested primarily in the large window in the central part of the dial, through which you can admire the work of the mechanism without removing the watch from your hand. By the way, this movement - G2665Z manufactured by the Taiwanese company Tang Hoi - is self-winding. Moreover, some coquettishness is aggravated by the fact that the self-winding rotor is not visible from the side of the back cover (it is transparent); the clock shows something intimate ... but not everything!
And, of course, there is elegance - mother-of-pearl, crystals ... the 34-mm case is made of steel, the bracelet too, the glass is the aforementioned Flame Fusion, water resistance is 50 m (you can swim).
Grand diver
Powerful men's watch in a 47-mm steel case, self-winding mechanical movement - three dials with date on Seiko TMI NH35A caliber. Quite a professional diving instrument, water-resistant up to 300 m - it is not for nothing that the name of the model contains the word Grand! Naturally, all other requirements of the international standard ISO 6425 are met: the bezel rotates in one direction, the crown and case back are screwed down, the hands and markers glow in the dark, the clasp of the steel bracelet is equipped with a safety lock.
It should also be noted that the bezel, firstly, is fluted, and secondly, it is digitized with a 24-hour scale and is two-tone. The crown is protected, the case back is transparent, the phosphor (branded Tritnite) is light green. The glass is also branded, Flame Fusion, and there is a lens above the date window. Ease of use and readability are beyond praise! In general, the influence of the Rolex style is noticeable, which is by no means a reproach ...
ProDiver SCUBA
The heart of the model is also Japanese, only quartz - Seiko TMI VD57. The absolutely masculine steel model is large (45 mm) and pleasantly weighty, while the style and functionality are sporty: we have a chronograph with 60-minute and 12-hour accumulators, as well as a tachymeter scale. Suitable for swimming and freediving (water resistance 100 m), and as for the design, one cannot fail to notice the original execution of small counters and, especially, the date indicator.
The silicone strap with steel inserts characteristic of Invicta is also noteworthy. Other proprietary features are also used - Tritnite luminescent coating, Flame Fusion glass tempering.
Marvel hulk men
The superhero Hulk was born in the distant 1962 - it was then that he first appeared in a comic book dedicated to him on the theme of the Marvel Universe. However, the Hulk does not age, and the fresh model of the Invicta watch (limited to 3000 pieces) is evidence of this. The watch is more than brutal, which is only the diameter of the steel case - 53 mm, you need a powerful man's hand! The bezel is decorated with a decorative cable, the case back is engraved with Marvel, the silicone strap is decorated with steel inserts.
The case water resistance reaches 100 m, the glass is tempered by Flame Fusion, the phosphor is, of course, Tritnite, and functionally there is a chronograph on the Seiko TMI VD53 quartz caliber, with 60-minute and 24-hour counters. The combination of steel, black and green tones turned out to be very successful, the dial is quite impressive (except that the date window at the “4.30” position is slightly lost).
