collectors
collectors
But the more I learned, the more that sense of betrayal seemed to fade. It may be considered“ cheap” by many purists, but it did the one thing no other watch was able to do: it got me into horology, opening my eyes to a world I previously didn’ t know existed. I never would’ ve considered shelling out $ 300 for a Seiko SKX009( still on my list of grails, I should add) had I not picked up that Invicta way back when.
By being angry at the brand, it made me hungry to find out what else was out there, in all price ranges, and what differentiated them. I did a lot of learning out of that anger, and I don’ t think it would’ ve been possible without that watch. I spent much of my free time watching videos on the Internet about these watches that, not too long before, I couldn’ t imagine justifying the price of. All of a sudden, a Patek Philippe Grand Complication made sense to me as a watch at that price point, because I understood the sheer level of craftsmanship that goes into designing a mechanical movement to do all the things a piece like that does.
When I began learning about what a Tourbillon is, and why it’ s such a technological achievement, I began to better grasp where the price tag for such a piece comes from. Now, I’ m working on saving up for a Submariner, and I’ ve got a Word document on my computer containing a list of grail watches, each with its unique reasoning and each equally important.
Invicta helped me“ get” horology. I’ ve got a feeling I’ m not alone in that, either. So are they for the seasoned collector? I guess it might depend on your disposable income and price-resistance level. But for the guy or gal who has never even owned an automatic watch before, and has no idea how incredible it feels to have one on his or her wrist, it’ s by no means a bad way to start. Especially if, like me, they don’ t come from a family of people who particularly care about watches, and don’ t understand the horological world the way we all do.
It’ s a cliché, but we all have to start somewhere, and I’ d much rather start with a conservative( albeit homage) Invicta than with a gigantic, oversized Diesel watch any day. It’ s what helped me to understand the difference between wearing a watch, and wearing a timepiece. For that, I owe them a debt of gratitude.
106 | AboutTime Magazine