Well, these comparison things, when done right (hopefully mine qualifies), take a while. The pics and just how to word the comparisons take the longest—there are also other challenges that are unexpected—equipment being one of them. Amongst my own pics, I borrowed imagaes from John Holbrook II (Invicta Forum Moderator), and Reto Castellazi (PMWF Moderator); Let’s get started:
Let’s go through the numbers:
Case Size (diameter): all three 40 mm.
With crown: 43 mm. Sandoz & Invicta—Rolex: 44.5
Lug to Lug: all three 47 mm.
Spring Bar: all three 20 mm.
Width—smallest link: Rolex & Sandoz 11mm. – Invicta 17 mm.
Clasp width: Sandoz & Rolex 12 mm. – Invicta: 19 mm.
Thickness of links: 2.8 mm Sandoz – Rolex and Invicta 3 mm.
Thickness of case w/crystal: Sandoz 11 mm. – Rolex & Invicta 12 mm.
Crown width/diameter: Sandoz 3/5.5 mm. Rolex 4/7 mm. Invicta 3/7 mm.
Indices (markers): Sandoz, Painted – Rolex & Invicta, Applied
Color of markers: Sandoz, Turquoise – Rolex, White – Invicta, Ivory White
Sweeping Second Hand: Sandoz, Smooth – Rolex, Smooth – Invicta, Adequate
Logo: Sandoz & Rolex, Painted – Invicta, Applied
Luminosity: Sandoz, Poor – Rolex, Excellent – Invicta, Adequate
Bracelet: Sandoz & Rolex, Matte – Invicta, Matte sides—Polished Center
See-thru back: Only on Invicta 8926
Movement: Sandoz, ETA 2824-2 – Invicta, Miyota – Rolex, In-house 3135
End links Solid: Only on Rolex
Water Resistance: Sandoz, 100 m – Rolex, 300 m – Invicta, 200 m
Sapphire Crystal: Only on Rolex – Sandoz & Invicta, Mineral
I thought about using a rating system, but it doesn’t work for me—I think it might offend owners of all three watches, and serve little else in return—because of the approach I’m taking: which is that you can not go wrong with any of these three pieces. I will first discuss the Sandoz Diver:
An awesome piece right out of the box, as you can see here:
Look at the box that it comes in!
Does the box matter? Absolutely. It is part of the package, and Sandoz makes you feel as though you have just purchased a Tudor and not a hundred dollar wristwatch. It was impressive enough to make a family member put his Rollie in it from now on! The bracelet is virtually the same size as the Rolex, but just a little short on the thickness—very adequate and of high quality—much higher than expected at this price range. The matte finish of the bracelet is exactly the same as that of the Rolex. The 2824 movement sweeps smoothly, and keeps accurate time; +5sec/day. Right of the bat, I will tell you that the Sandoz Diver, while inspired by the Rolex Sub, does look quite different. The painted markers (indices) and the turquoise hue given by them set it apart immediately from the 8926 and the Submariner. The crown is noticeably smaller—and the specs tell the story. The time and winding is not very difficult, but it would be nice if the crown size were increased. The Sandoz also appears the biggest—an optical illusion created by a combination of a bigger indices and a slightly thinner bezel. The weight of all three pieces is considerable—these are not light watches—but they are divers; and they fulfill that spirit just sitting on the palm of your hand. Overall, I think the Sandoz delivers incredible value for the price ($109)—its weaknesses are the warranty support is available only in China (I believe—and there are no U.S. suppliers that I know of), the luminosity can be greatly improved, and the lack of a sapphire crystal. It’s strongest assets are its movement (swiss 2824), bracelet, Super Smooth turning bezel (this is an AWSOME bezel, extremely precise and almost as good as the Submariner’s), and overall finish and quality. This is not a cheaply made watch, no way would anyone guess that this piece sells for less than $200-$300—it is that good. Sandoz also has a history that goes back to the 19th century, perhaps they have gone through ups and downs, and with time can regain some of their lost status—a dead bang winner.
The Invicta Diver:
The famed 8926; how does a watch become a legend in its own time? IMO, through quality and word of mouth—no advertising can accomplish what this diver has done for the Invicta name. Out of the box, it is quite striking:
The box is not very impressive, but better than the cheapy junk you get with other similarly priced brands.
The box has one advantage, it has a compartment that I just found (duh!); in which you will find the warranty card. The measurements of the 8926 are almost identical to those of the Rolex Submariner—the biggest differences are the size of the bracelet (much wider for Invicta) and the size of the Crown (bigger for Rolex)—the indices are bigger on the Rolex too. I owned an 8926 just last year, and this model that Tom Palmer sent me 10 days ago is a little different. Gone is the greenish tint that the marker in the triangle gave—I like the new look better. The markers (indices) themselves are improved too—whiter and the paint is more centered on the markers. Luminosity has been improved as well; not as good as the Rolex, but better than previous models. Small changes that add to the value of an already great value. The see-thru back is another nice feature of the Invicta, it may not be par for the course as far as divers go, but it makes a great piece of conversation—especially with new acquaintances that have never seen a mechanical. When placed on your wrist, this watch is just plain screaming for attention—it has the looks of its much more expensive inspiration, and delivers in the overall finish and quality as well. Some minor points: the bracelet, of good quality, does have polished centered links which scratch rather easily (so does the Rolex Yachtmaster—hence the Invicta 9210 Really homages this watch well, as it uses the same bracelet. There are a couple of well-documented downers for the 8926—the Cyclops is very poor indeed—the numbers are significally smaller than the Rolex, and the Sandoz is almost at the Rolex level in this department. The Miyota movement itself however (I looked at it underneath the Cyclops from an angel) comes with smaller numbers already—so the Cyclops is not the only culprit. The 8926’s bezel is also not up to par with either Rolex or Sandoz—it is difficult to work at first, and it does improve with time, but it doesn’t reach the elevated quality of the Sandoz—which quite surprisingly emulates the Rolex’s super-smooth bezel well. The time setting is easiest of the three with the Invicta—the hour and minute hands turn quickly and it’s a snap to get the right time adjusted and screw the crown back in—a definite plus. It’s looks are closest to the Rolex Sub from the Sandoz—the markers are applied, not painted, and overall finish gets plenty of looks. The movement does not hack—but I don’t consider this all that important—it would be nice if they added this feature however. The finish of this piece is of very high quality—unbelievable, really, that a watch this nice can be had for around a hundred bucks.
The Rolex Submariner:
What else can you say about one of the most hated/loved watch in the world—it inspired James Bond movies, and some hate Bond just for this fact alone. Overall, this watch is not that much nicer that the 8926 or the Sandoz—until you begin to look closer, you wear it for a while, and you learn its history. I will not bore you with the specs of this watch—instead I’ll describe it’s never ending intricate details—like how when you pull out the crown, you feel as if the safe to the U.S. mint has just been unlocked. Like how when you look close at each and every marker—there are no flaws to be found anywhere. Like how the second hand sweeps you to sleep. And that the bracelet, hated by some, loathed by others, is just simply supple, clean, and masculine—even the diver’s extension, hidden cleverly underneath the clasp, adds to its eloquence and individuality at a glance. And the best way to enjoy this diver is to actually dive with it (which I haven’t) or bang it against a wall by accident (which I have)—and you will know why it has a legendary past. The date will not change until its exact moment has come, and it keeps such accurate time as to make you think something is wrong with your all your other mechanicals. Each one of these babies has been individually tested for pressure, time, detail, mechanics, and imperfections—and all this after it has passed COSC certification. Overpriced? Absolutely—but, really, every piece over $200 is pretty much overpriced in some way, all the way up the ladder. With Rolex at least you know that prices are likely to be stable for many years (their track record is unparalleled in this regard).
As you can tell, I really do not pick any one of these three as superior or a better buy than any other because they serve different purposes—albeit, the Sandoz and the Invicta are similarly priced—but the Sandoz offers the Swiss movement and slightly different look, while the Invicta offers the Submariner style, with an automatic movement, at a bargain price. The Rolex is the epitome of this style diver. Take your pick—or pick all three.
Some details:
Sandoz Crown
The Rolex Crown
Rolex vs. Invicta crown
Rolex vs. Sandoz crown
Invicta Crown
Nice Touch
Sandoz Triangle; circle is only painted
Rolex Triangle; applied marker
Hope you enjoyed; will try to improve next time.
