Invicta 9179 Review

I recently purchased this watch and thought that others might like to share my impressions of it.

NOTICE: It has come to our attention that this watch has been discontinued. A new version is supposed to be available in the year 2001. Current models with a similar look but different movement are offered as the "Elite" series. These models are not AutoQuartz.

Watch Data
Manufacturer	Invicta International
Model Number	9179
Model Name	Automatic Pro-Chronograph
Movement	Miyota BR10 Quartz (4 jewels)
Power Source	Generator/Rechargeable Panasonic MT920 battery (6 month power reserve).
Accuracy	+- 20 Seconds per month. About 1/2 second per day.
Hands	6 hands, Hour, Minute, Small Second, Stopwatch Large second, Stopwatch minute, 24 hour indicator
Bezel	Stainless Steel, uni-directional ratcheted with detents at 1 minute positions.
Size	39.5mm (Bezel O.D.) - 49mm (lug to lug)
Thickness	15mm
Weight	131.98 Grams
Construction
Case, Band, and Back	Solid ACR Stainless steel.
Crystal	Glass Crystal with date magnifier
Crowns	3 Crowns - Main and 2 Chrono pushers all screw down
Back	See through crystal with stainless steel screw down ring.
Water Resistance	200 meter (650 feet).
Bracelet	Solid cast stainless multi link with fold over locking buckle. 6 removable links
Suggested Retail	$595.00

Initial Impressions.
The watch was received in a yellow box with matching pillow. The packaging materials appear to be some sort of plastic with a neoprene texture. Pulling a tab on the inner top lid opened a compartment containing the manual and warranty paperwork. Lying on the pillow was the watch with tags attached and front and rear anti-scratch protectors on the crystals. The packaging is good quality (despite the garish box color). The manual was generic to all Invicta models and had no information specific to this model or movement. The information shown above was developed by me.

I removed the watch from the pillow and inspected it for scratches and defects. As is usual for this manufacturer none were found.

The tags and crystal protectors were removed and I proceeded to remove 2 links to size the band for my wrist.

The watch "hacks" for accurate synchronization with your time reference so the time and date were set. During this procedure you can also set the stopwatch hands to Zero. This was not required since all hands aligned with the markers perfectly.

I then checked the bezel and found it to be smooth and easy to move with just a trace of backlash. The bezel on my other Invicta (8926) was very stiff initially.

The chrono pushers screw down for water resistance so I unscrewed them and gave the stopwatch a trial run. The large second hand for the stopwatch is very smooth because it moves 5 increments per second allowing timing resolution of 1/5 second. The pushers work smoothly and when reset all hands return to their zero positions. the stopwatch automatically stops after 60 minutes of runtime which prevents timing longer events.

Comfort
The watch sits perfectly on my wrist with no side to side movement. Six removable links on the band and 9 adjustment holes on the band mean that this watch can be sized perfectly. No sharp edges which might catch on clothing were observed on this watch.

Legibility
The watch face is somewhat busy, but the hour and minute hands have been enlarged slightly and tend to dominate allowing "at a glance" reading of the time. The date magnifier is slightly more powerful than the earlier models which allows me to read the date without glasses. All of the other calibrations are small and require me to use reading glasses to view them.
At night only the hour hand, minute hand,large second hand, and zero position marker on the bezel glow. The glow is brighter than that of my other Invicta, and is somewhat neon blue similar to the glow of a Citizen Navihawk. The persistence lasts for only a couple of hours and by morning the watch is black.

Accuracy
It's quartz, what else can I say. I set the watch to my atomic time reference when new and after 4 days the watch clicks over to zero exactly in synch with the time reference. The (Miyota) Citizen movements have proven to be very accurate and reliable and there is no reason to think that this one would be an exception.

Power System
The automatic power generation system was the main feature which led to my purchase of this watch. Unfortunately, there is NOTHING about this feature enclosed with the watch. My observation (through the clear back) show a counterweight mounted on a tiny ball bearing turning a large gear which turns a small gear (perhaps attached to the generator) which charges the battery.
This system looks similar to the Seiko Kinetic charging system except that the Invicta counterweight is much bigger. Most Seiko Kinetics will stay charged for between 3 and 14 days while the Invicta will run for 6 months when charged. I assume that (Miyota) Citizen have developed their own generating unit similar to Seiko's.
There is no mention of power reserve indication, but I assume that like other Citizen quartz movements the second hand will move at 2 second intervals when the battery charge is low.

Closing Thoughts
I am impressed with this watch and the Invicta product line in general. They seem to be providing excellent value, accuracy and quality for the money.
The only negative is that a lot of their watches seem to be based upon a Rolex Submariner design. This is a good design, but you can only use just so many watches which look alike. Now that Invicta have the quality components at the right price I think that some money should be spent on a unique "look" which identifies their watches as something more than a copy of another manufacturers product.

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Packaging	Front Side	Backside	Right Side View	Left Side View