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- Verified Buyer
Invicta makes some killer watches and just some so/so ones. This one is KILLER. Looks just like the Rolex it was modeled after. All 3 buttons are screw down, the gold portions are PERFECT color, and it must weigh 3 pounds. I usually prefer a mother of pearl face but the white face in this is intentionally textured to refract light. I’m a petite lady, but I love the look of this one - I get lots of compliments from my fancy friends :)Nothing to envy to a top brand piece. Materials and finish on point.The Good1) It is a gorgeous watch with an uncanny resemblance to the Rolex Daytona. An excellent homage, though not an automatic movement. The gold plating is very well done.2) I should dispel myths mentioned in other reviews - the sub dials ARE functional. The buttons screw down, which is convenient as it prevents them from being pressed accidentally. The dial is NOT flat white. As can be seen in photos, it has a texture to it that adds some very subtle highlights.3) It has a good weight to it, at 140 grams it's nearly as heavy as its Rolex counterpart, which I believe is around 160.3) It's packed extraordinarily well with lots of unique packaging. The box is kind of bulky but again, if you're going for the "Rolex for mere mortals" feel, it's not necessarily a bad thing.The Bad1) The bracelet links were an absolute bear to remove. I had to take out 3 and I had the proper tools to do it, but it took forever to get the pins out. They just didn't want to move. I've taken out links many times and every other watch I've had was much easier than this.2) When resetting the stopwatch to zero using the bottom button, it can take several minutes to go all the way around if it has been running all the time.3) I tend to prefer automatic movements, although Quartz movements are still quite good and accurate. I don't know if an automatic would be priced this well. Automatic chronograph movements are rather expensive to manufacture well, so the good ones aren't cheap and the cheap ones aren't good. Perhaps this is better as an inexpensive quartz movement.Unsure how this does with battery power, but amazon sells a 20-pack of batteries for $5.99. Get the proper wrench (also very cheap) and a pack of batteries and you'll be set for a long time to come.I want to say right off that this watch is beautiful! I mean it sparkled all over the place and appeared to be worth far more than what I paid for it. I've read a few reviews of people who have had trouble "working" the different functions of the watch but I personally had no problem once I read the manual.The manual of the watch itself is a bit confusing however. But I have since found out that apparently many wristwatch companies seem to make similar manuals. What was confusing about the manual was the fact that Invicta, (Timex and Nautica to name 2 others), included every watch style they have within this one tiny manual.The size of the manual is about 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and the font size is very small. What they basically do is start out with their simplest watch design and diagram the way to set the time, date, etc. and do that with every variation of that simplest form.Then they go on to the next, more complex design repeating the way to operate the many functions of that watch. So if Invicta had say, 5 different designs to their watches and each design had 4 different variations, you would be looking at about 20 different instructions in the operation of the various buttons and screws.So if you're not reading particularly carefully you can easily find yourself trying to work your chronograph with instructions that they gave for a different variation of that chronograph, (And they don't all work the same).Okay, that's enough about the manual. I must point out that I did send the watch back and the reason for my four stars instead of five really comes down to the manuals layout and the biggest flaw that I found with the watch: it is too reflective! Yes, it's too shiny!The beautiful golden rimmed dials and gold lined watch hands really catch the eye but, the white watch face in the background make it so difficult for me to be sure of what time it is in anything but perfect light conditions.My vision isn't that great I will admit and at 56, I use reading glasses. If the time of day is something like 3:15 PM the positions of the hour hand and the minute hands clash with the gold rimmed sub dials white face in the background and make it impossible for me to tell exactly where the positions of those hands are when I don't have my glasses on.Incredibly, I found it almost as difficult to tell what time it was under those kinds of conditions even when I did have my glasses on because of the high reflections coming from not only the watch hands, sub dials, and white face, as well. The crystal created a double reflection similar to what you would find if you were to put a glossy photograph behind glass in a frame.In my note that accompanied my return I suggested that Invicta apply some form of matte finish to the crystal face. At any rate, this is a beautiful watch and perhaps, for younger eyes, would suit them just fine.The watch felt very well made and functioned as it should and Very good time for the two days that I had in my home. I also have to say that the case that this watch came in was just incredible. The material that covered the case looked and felt like real leather sewn in place. This watch would make an impressive gift right up to and including the box.Oh, I must point out that I did purchase what seems to be the exact same Invicta number 9223 that has a black face instead of a white face. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as pretty as the 9212 because it doesn't have any of the gold lined sub dials and watch hands and the band is brushed stainless steel only. I don't know why Invicta did make an exact same variation of the 9212 but with a black face which I think would have looked nearly as good.I received this Speedway Quartz 9212 watch from Amazon today. As usual, Amazon delivery was prompt and the item was well packed. I opened the shrunk wrapped Invicta package and checked the watch. It looked very nice, felt chunky and well built and I was pleased. Then I checked out the functionality. First I read the manual. The manual is generic in that it describes the operation of many types of Invicta watches. I first set the current date and the time without any problem. Then I tried to reset the three chronograph counter dials using button B. Only the seconds counter was set to zero. So I tried to adjust the other two counters using the procedure described in the manual. This involved setting the crown to position 2, then using button B to step through the counter dials. This did not work. I could not use button B to activate change mode on either the MIN or HOUR counter dials. In fact pressing button A or button B only incremented or decremented the SEC counter dial. I also noticed that when I cycled the time setting using the crown wheel, the HOUR counter tracked the main hour hand. The only dial that worked when the stopwatch was started was the SEC counter. So I concluded that the watch was faulty as it did not perform according to the manual. I will send it back to Amazon and get a replacement.***updated after replacement received***After testing the second watch I concluded that the first was indeed faulty. The second watch will reset both MIN and SEC dials to zero when stopwatch button B is pressed. By design, the HOUR dial is not reset by stopwatch button B, as its purpose is to merely indicate the current hour against a 24 hour calibration. Winding the crown wheel to set the time also sets the HOUR dial. I also noticed that the second watch had vacuum seal around all of the strap whereas the first watch had none which might indicate that the watch had been previously sent back to base.I will do a another review for the second watch.I read all the reviews before ordering this watch, so I was fully aware that the second hand could not be zeroed in the stop watch mode, only the two small dials are used for chronograph function. Lost a star for the second hand not aligned with the full second marks on the dial, its half way between each second. Bracelet was plenty big enough, had to remove 4 links to make it fit. Register the guarantee on line (get an extra year making 3 years in total) at the Netherlands service centre not the USA one which wants an up front payment of 28 Dollars when you send it back, if purchased in Europe no prepayment is required. The finish of the watch is of a high quality, including the bracelet, the bezel doesn't rotate on this model and I am still trying to work out how the "tachymeter" function works. As far as accuracy goes, it has gained just over one second in a week which equates to about one minute in a year. Don't forget to screw the crown and other buttons back in after setting the hands etc otherwise waterproofing will be comprised.Update, Wikepedia have an explanation of the tachymeter function:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachymeter_(watch)Nice watch and I did really want to keep it, but I just could not come to terms with the branding engraved in big letters on the side opposite the winders. This is never shown on any Invicta watch listings and was a bit of a shock when I received the watch. Come on Amazon, show this feature so we can make a informed decision.Sent watch back and as usual cannot fault Amazon customer service. Thank you.Beautiful watch, bought it for myself as a treat, it makes such a big impact for a very reasonable price. It’s a tribute to the Rolex Daytona so the styling is on point. Its not exactly a phantom brand, Invicta has been around since 1837! It’s got a good weight to it, definitely not flimsy but not too heavy either. The clasp feels strong and secure. Would definitely recommend buying it. Looks the part for sure. Will be buying the 36545 (Pepsi) soon.only problem you have to watch for. if you bend your wrist too far, it pulls out the winder, and stops the watch. needs winder to be stiffer. IF the crown winder falls out, don't send it to USA. they will charge you more than you paid for the watch. over $100 to repair it. i Sent mine, then they told me how much. told them to keep it. couldn't even gatauntee it would not happen again & again
