Vegasvic

Very cool watch.  I prefer DLC (Diamond Like Coating) to PVD, but seems a lot harder to find, especially on reps.

That's just crazy. Scary actually. 

Very nice Mike! Kinda has that IWC Aquatimer look going on. 

Very cool! Hands look great!

Paypal is the worst! Sorry to hear about it Ken, hope you get it sorted!

Just beautiful!

Very nice! Enjoy it in good health my friend!

Well, my wife and I just had dinner a couple weeks back with a friend who works for IWC, and she was impressed with my PAM 111.  Said it could have fooled her, until she saw the movement on the back.  Yah, the really good ones have engraved lettering, and other details obviously, but still, she said the overall quality was impressive for a couple hundred bucks.

Gorgeous shot! Watch ain't too shabby either!

Nice Tag. Very solid choice there, for action or with a suit.

All I can say is. . . Mike, you are the MAN!

Thanks for always getting us the great info bro!

Good write up.

 

INVICTA 9937 - is it worth it?

So you might be wondering what's the difference between this model 9937 and the Invicta 8926. PLENTY! These two similarly styled Pro-diver watches look almost the same - so you might be asking yourself why spend an additional $200 for something that looks like its $100.00 fraternal twin??? Here's why you should own the 9937!

Automatic movements:

The 9937 has a Swiss ETA 2824-2 movement in it's stainless case. This Swiss movement is the baseline for automatic watch quality and reliability. This same movement is used in Oceanaut, TAG, Breitling, Omega and a host of swiss watch names with prices into four figures!

The 8926 uses a Japanese Citizen Miyota 8215 movement. Absolutely nothing wrong with this mechanism. A great time keeper. Miyota movements power many great name automatic watches - but it is not Swiss and is significantly less costly to produce!

Crystal:

9937 utilizes a sapphire crystal for the watch face and display back. Sapphire is most scratch resistant - the most desirable watch face material - can only be imprinted by a diamond. The date magnifier (or as Rolex calls it the "cyclops") is much more prominent on the 9937. Not only is the magnifier larger in area and more prominent than its 8926 counterpart - the date magnification seems to be 1.5X larger on the 9937.

8926 finds a mineral glass watch face and display back. Mineral glass is not as scratch resistant as sapphire - but is more chip and shatter resistant. Mineral glass is significantly cheaper to produce for the manufacturer.

Stainless Steel Bracelet:

The 9937 uses a heavier - higher quality stainless bracelet than its 8926 counterpart. Both bracelets are attractive - double lock foldover clasp - the Swiss Diver bracelet is easily worth the extra money.

Swiss movement vs Asian made:

I'm not a watch snob. Invicta Pro-divers - whether Asian made 8926 or Swiss movement 9937 are lookalikes to the Rolex Submariner. Invicta built its' modern reputation on the 8926 - a good solid diver - the Swiss made 9937 was an answer to a demand for a higher quality timepiece from Invicta 8926 owners! I own both models and enjoy the look of both in different situations.

Both are very attractive - are easily affordable and reliable automatic dive watches that will last many years. The 8926 and 9937 are 660ft water resistant, both have screw down crowns - large attractive 316L surgical brushed stainless steel cases 43mm in diameter -unidirectional scalloped bezels - good LUME coming off the dial and hands, date at the 3 o'clock position - and both are quality built.

CONCLUSION:

The 8926 is (IMHO) the greatest watch value for around $100 dollars. It rivals SEIKO in style and quality and is the price leader when you're looking for a quality dive watch.

The 9937 offers a higher standard of material and construction - with quality components that reassure you every day you wear it. For many of us - a Swiss ETA 2824-2 movement, sapphire crystal diver for under $300 is magic to the pocketbook and the watch collectors soul.

When you feel the need for a Swiss automatic diver on your wrist - with great looks and quality all around -the Invicta 9937 deserves a special place in your watch collection.

Forgive the hyperbole - it was written two years ago when I was enthralled with the ETA 2824-2 movement - be it Asian assembled or Swiss Made ...

Since this has been written - Invicta has switched to another Swiss movement - also assembled in Asia - the 26 j SW200. Personal taste and better experience will guide you through the complexities of this hobby.

Here are some of the most encountered automatic movements:

Citizen-Miyota 8215 21j date complication. Japanese movement - found in Invicta Pro- divers - solid auto movement

ETA 2824-2 Swiss movement from the SWATCH Group... 25 j the Swiss auto standard. Now being rationed and harder to find outside of Swatch Group brands of watches. Invicta no longer can obtain this movement in quantity. Found in two varities:
1. Swiss Made on the watch dial indicates Swiss parts and Swiss Assembly
2. Swiss Mov't or Swiss Movement on the dial - indocates Swiss parts assembled elsewhere - as is the watch overall

SW200 - another Swiss wmovement 26 j available to the industry in quantity - new to the market - slow QC start but now accepted as a 2824 replacement

The 25 j prodiver from Invicta is no longer manufactured - unless old stock. Despite what it says in the ads - your 25 j prodiver is probably as 26 j SW200. I think it's worth the money - I own both types...

Paypal sucks for the most part, but they are really the only game in town pertaining to eBay.

That 9937 has all the features you would want in a watch.  What is the case diameter and lug to lug measurements?

And btw thanks for the great review!

Pretty funny, but you would have to REALLY dislike someone to say that, unless you said it in a "friendly" way, maybe laughing and slapping the guy on the shoulder.

Either way, great comeback. 

In all reality, 99% of any rep or gen I have seen has been DLCd, REGARDLESS of it being advertised as PVDd.

If you were to ask an AD or TD to explain in great detail the process they know to be "PVD" on any of their watches, you will hear them explain DLC.

Does that mean all watches are falsely advertised? Nope. It's typically a miscommunication, so no one is to "blame" per se.

Also, the next question is likely "how can you tell the difference?"...

This is not exactly easy, but with a trained eye you can spot it, with or without a loupe. The best way I could explain it is DLC looks like toast that has been buttered. PVD looks like the same toast, but a few minutes later.

DLC = looks like a coating, ON TOP of the metal/plastic/etc surface.

PVD = looks like it was mixed into the molten metal/plastic/etc, and is PART OF the surface.

If that makes sense.....

Thanks for the clarification.

Haven't had too many black, PVD watches, but I wanted to purchase a Luminox F-22 Raptor, and contacted the dealer about the finish.  Luminox got back to me by email with a one word sentence.  "At this time, none of our watches have DLC." 

If that guy is right, it's a shame, because they have some awesome looking watches at a decent price point, and as you said, DLC is not that expensive a process.  Maybe it would boost the pricing a bit too much for that genre?

DLC is awesome for sure, but so is ceramic.  Can't go wrong with either pertaining to scratch resistance. 

Quick question for ya Mike.  When you said "DLC is what you will find in 99% of rep (and gen for that matter) timepieces. It's easy, relatively cheap, and the results are an excellently strong resistance to scratching. . .", did you mean the choice of finishing for guys who want to scratch-proof their watch? Because I don't see too many DLC coated watches out there at the moment, online or brick and mortar either, so any info would be helpful.

Sweet watch! More pics would be great too!

Dang Mike, just how many watches do you have?? Not bad btw.

I just picked up a Deep Blue Pro Aqua 1500 a few weeks ago myself.  I'll post pics in the near future, love it.

At least their not shutting down rep watch factories. . . scared me for a second, haha!

Looks great! Thanks for posting the pics of the gen Mike, for great comparison.

I voted TC V6.  Lots of great reps out there now, but you just can't beat a rep modded by TC or BK, at least for the time being.

You know, if someone has 45K to spend on a watch, he is a grown man, and it's all on him to trust someone on eBay enough to cough up that kind of cash.

Well. . . you don't see that everyday.

Can't beat a TC sub.  Very nice. 

Awesome piece! Congrats on a thing of beauty!