Invicta Watch Repair
I just found out something interesting about Invicta Watch Group. They do not service or repair their own watches. They use a service called "Fix My Watch," which is run by a parent company called Lowen Watch Group, Inc. in Utah. They apparently handle repairs for over 100 different watch brands, and their technicians even hold certifications for Rolex repairs.
Outsourcing repairs isn't necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself, I just wish they were more up-front about it. And it seems that one of the reasons that they can't just send you a replacement watch (when the current repairs would cost more than the actual price of the watch) is because this repair company only stocks repair parts, not actual, working, units. (As you would expect, since they are not Invicta. They are a separate entity.)
But in my opinion, they (Invicta) should have a protocol in place, whereby Lowen Group could contact them, and say, "Hey, this customer just needs a replacement watch," and Invicta could then approve the transaction; at that point, Lowen Group could forward the broken watch back to Invicta, and in the meantime, Invicta could mail out the replacement watch, direct from the factory.
The reason that I know all of this is because it happened to me. I sent my Invicta watch in for repairs, because the crown was stiff, and didn't cleanly "pop" out when you unscrewed the screw-down crown; you also could not feel the little "clicks" when you extend the stem to the second and third positions, i.e., the positions where you set the date (pos.2) and the time (pos.3); my daughter has the exact same watch, with the exact same movement (NH35A) and hers pops cleanly, and has definable clicks, and it's a breeze to operate and set, unlike mine. I got an email saying that my watch was placed on a vibrometer, and that the movement was working perfectly, and that the stiffness of the crown was not an issue of concern. In an effort to communicate more quickly (email was proving to be a slow, day-to-day process) I looked the person up on LinkedIn, expecting to find him at the Invicta Repair Center. Instead, I found the Lowen Group.
I don't blame the Lowen Group for the difficulty; they are not the manufacturer. But it is now obvious to me, that because they are a separate entity, their actionable options on what can be done with my timepiece are more limited than they would be if Invicta operated their own repair facility. If Fix My Watch can't find an issue with the movement (which in my case, they couldn't) they can't cover the repair under the terms of the warranty, and therefore must charge the customer for any services done. That's what happened to me; they basically said that since my watch works (which, it does) replacing the crown, stem, and tube (which they say will solve the stiffness issue) is a "cosmetic" fix, and that the cost for this would be $99.00 USD, which is $22.00 more than the entire watch cost in the first place on Amazon. At this point, if Invicta would have simply exchanged the watch for an identical unit, the problem could have been easily resolved, and they could have used my watch for parts. But since they couldn't, I am either stuck with paying for the repair, or with having my unrepaired watch returned to me in its original condition. This is the problem with outsourcing repairs. There is no middle ground. At this point, using Fix My Watch is no different from having the watch repaired at a local, mom & pop, watch repair shop. This is a major drawback to owning an Invicta, as far as I'm concerned. But I guess that you can't expect a great watch (like the Pro Diver, Grand Diver, and Sub-Aqua lines) which costs less than $100 to come with any sort of substantial service package. At these prices, they are basically intended to be disposable. But it's also kind of disheartening, since the watches themselves are great little timepieces. With the exception of this one watch (My Grand Diver 3044) all of my Invictas run smooth with no problems, and work as expected.
Call me Chris! Faithful Christian / Devoted & Loving Husband / Proud Father / Scholarly Librarian / Avid Antiquarian Book Collector / Registered Armiger / Certified D&D Nerd / Watch & Clock Collector.
It has been well documented for a few years that the Invicta "service facility" in Utah is abysmal and manned by hacks. Don't buy into the 100 brands and certified to repair Rolex crap-all just typical Invicta marketing misinformation,which they excel at.
Invicta has proven that they can,occasionally, market a decent watch-but their CS,business model, and after sales service is and always has been "worst in class". And the couldn't care less.
This is the main reason so many dislike Invicta.
Totally agree!
Like you, I have some experience with this leading to my own personal Invicta boycott. After 4 out of 6 Invicta watches in my collection developed problems not covered by warranty, I was leaning towards giving up on the brand. A fifth one broke as well, an automatic Pro Diver, but it was definitely related to the movement, so it was covered. However, when I received a quartz Pro Diver back instead of the automatic Pro Diver with the NH movement I had sent in for servicing, I gave up. A chacun son gout, mais pas Invicta pour moi. 😁
I broke a springbar & lost an end link on my Pro Diver and trying to get just an end link is impossible. I'd basically be better off buying another watch from them, which I will not do.
This even helped me decide I wasn't buying any more mechanical watches that have an RRP of under $500. In turn, because buying $500+ watches would keep pushing my Speedy back, the only mechanical watch I will now buy will be my Speedy. So Thanks Invicta!
My brother has a Sellita SW200 powered Invicta that broke on him. I think it's the mainspring. He refuses to send the watch in for repair although it's under warranty because of the stories he's heard.
I broke a springbar & lost an end link on my Pro Diver and trying to get just an end link is impossible. I'd basically be better off buying another watch from them, which I will not do.
This even helped me decide I wasn't buying any more mechanical watches that have an RRP of under $500. In turn, because buying $500+ watches would keep pushing my Speedy back, the only mechanical watch I will now buy will be my Speedy. So Thanks Invicta!
@TwiceTollingClock don't be sad.
This is a net positive. Budget-wise, the Speedy was always going to be the best watch I ever buy. Me realizing that buying cheap mechanicals and the likely service costs would push the Speedy acquisition further out just solidified my go forward strategy.
I can still appreciate all the nice & fun watches, just from afar.
Well now, I have 15 Invictas:
13 Grand Divers (NH35A)
1 Pro Diver (NH35A)
1 I-Force Lefty (Quartz chrono)
All of them have functioned perfectly, and for the prices I paid - all very reasonable - I'm not concerned about servicing. In a worst case scenario, such as the movement dying, just replace the movement yourself for $25. This should be a basic skill for any collector, and from what I know about you from our conversations, you can easily pick up that skill. You have the brain for it.
I'm sorry to hear about your Invicta woes, given my past encouragement for you to buy them.
Well now, I have 15 Invictas:
13 Grand Divers (NH35A)
1 Pro Diver (NH35A)
1 I-Force Lefty (Quartz chrono)
All of them have functioned perfectly, and for the prices I paid - all very reasonable - I'm not concerned about servicing. In a worst case scenario, such as the movement dying, just replace the movement yourself for $25. This should be a basic skill for any collector, and from what I know about you from our conversations, you can easily pick up that skill. You have the brain for it.
I'm sorry to hear about your Invicta woes, given my past encouragement for you to buy them.
Well, I should say, despite what has occurred, I am STILL an Invicta enthusiast, although I have had my eyes opened in the most rude fashion about their servicing (or lack thereof.)
For me, it's the whole "disposable appliance" culture that North America seems to be stuck in. (I say North America, because this culture pervades all of Canada, and to a lesser extent, even Mexico, as well as being most prevalent in the U.S.) I hate the idea that repairs cost more than the unit itself, and that the best solution to repairing one's watch (or any other appliance, tool, device, etc.) is simply to toss it out, and buy a new one. It hurts my soul to even think about it. Analogy: I have two airguns in my collection that will outshoot (in terms of both accuracy and raw power) most modern, non-PCP airguns, and both of them are antique rifles (1934, and 1971, respectively) that still have 90% original parts, and which have been restored to pristine working condition. The thought that these two, exquisite, hard-hitting rifles could have ended up in a parts bin, or on a scrap heap, is terrifying to me. The same goes for watches.
Besides the disposable appliance culture, I also don't like being talked down to, by a technician who has no idea what level of knowledge that I'm at; at one point, I was actually told that:
To which I replied:
I happen to LIKE watches that are heavier, sturdier, and more robust; that's why I like Invicta so much! But there is a difference between sturdy and stuck. I know what the crown is supposed to feel like, and how it's supposed to behave, because I helped my daughter set her watch. Her crown moves and operates freely. Mine does not. And the assumption that "I'm just not used to how sturdy these watches are" is infuriating. Does he assume that I don't have the finger strength to properly operate a screw-down crown?!?
By the way Eric, I don't blame you for anything negative at all. I can only blame you for getting me hooked on Invicta! 🤣 And I will be the first to admit, when they are in working order, they are truly things of beauty. I wear my Sub-Aqua more than any other watch in my collection. And my son absolutely ADORES the Pro Diver that I gave to him.
And you're right of course; I could simply learn to do it myself. But my life is so chaotic, and I have so many irons in the fire at the moment, that I simply don't have the time to sit down and spend that kind of time on it. So for the time being at least, I am forced to rely on others. But what I have learned from this experience is that if I ever have a problem with another Invicta watch, I'm skipping their so-called "International Watch Service Center" altogether. 😎
Well, I should say, despite what has occurred, I am STILL an Invicta enthusiast, although I have had my eyes opened in the most rude fashion about their servicing (or lack thereof.)
For me, it's the whole "disposable appliance" culture that North America seems to be stuck in. (I say North America, because this culture pervades all of Canada, and to a lesser extent, even Mexico, as well as being most prevalent in the U.S.) I hate the idea that repairs cost more than the unit itself, and that the best solution to repairing one's watch (or any other appliance, tool, device, etc.) is simply to toss it out, and buy a new one. It hurts my soul to even think about it. Analogy: I have two airguns in my collection that will outshoot (in terms of both accuracy and raw power) most modern, non-PCP airguns, and both of them are antique rifles (1934, and 1971, respectively) that still have 90% original parts, and which have been restored to pristine working condition. The thought that these two, exquisite, hard-hitting rifles could have ended up in a parts bin, or on a scrap heap, is terrifying to me. The same goes for watches.
Besides the disposable appliance culture, I also don't like being talked down to, by a technician who has no idea what level of knowledge that I'm at; at one point, I was actually told that:
To which I replied:
I happen to LIKE watches that are heavier, sturdier, and more robust; that's why I like Invicta so much! But there is a difference between sturdy and stuck. I know what the crown is supposed to feel like, and how it's supposed to behave, because I helped my daughter set her watch. Her crown moves and operates freely. Mine does not. And the assumption that "I'm just not used to how sturdy these watches are" is infuriating. Does he assume that I don't have the finger strength to properly operate a screw-down crown?!?
By the way Eric, I don't blame you for anything negative at all. I can only blame you for getting me hooked on Invicta! 🤣 And I will be the first to admit, when they are in working order, they are truly things of beauty. I wear my Sub-Aqua more than any other watch in my collection. And my son absolutely ADORES the Pro Diver that I gave to him.
And you're right of course; I could simply learn to do it myself. But my life is so chaotic, and I have so many irons in the fire at the moment, that I simply don't have the time to sit down and spend that kind of time on it. So for the time being at least, I am forced to rely on others. But what I have learned from this experience is that if I ever have a problem with another Invicta watch, I'm skipping their so-called "International Watch Service Center" altogether. 😎
I agree with you about so many of the things we buy now being disposable. I fight that all the time and always attempt a repair first, but sometimes it's just not worth it, particularly if you have to hire someone to fix it for you.
Since the Invictas are so inexpensive, the only reason I'd have one repaired would be because it held some sentimental value, like the first one I purchased on a romantic cruise after my Mondaine stopped (only a loose battery, as it turned out).
I agree with you about so many of the things we buy now being disposable. I fight that all the time and always attempt a repair first, but sometimes it's just not worth it, particularly if you have to hire someone to fix it for you.
Since the Invictas are so inexpensive, the only reason I'd have one repaired would be because it held some sentimental value, like the first one I purchased on a romantic cruise after my Mondaine stopped (only a loose battery, as it turned out).
Well, on the bright side, when I get the watch back from the "service center," I am sending it to a fellow Cruncher, to have it checked to ensure that the movement isn't simply mis-aligned. I figure that if I am going to pay for repairs, I might as well "support local" by getting a Cruncher to do it, LOL 😎