Refiew of model 5339
by Jim Hunt
(Port Angeles, WA USA)
Immediately the first problem became obvious, the hour and second hand blend in with the face (background) of the watch they are almost impossible to see without going thru some major gyrations, to get the exact right angle to make out the hands from the background and tell time.
The next problem surfaced within the first week, the watch claims to be water resistant to 200 meters. It didn't even pass the bathroom sink and taking a shower test. Moisture got under the face, now it was truly impossible to see the hands. I called the Florida factory after an hour long search finlly bore some fruit with a location to call. It took 3 days and several calls before I spoke to anyone and then I was told to send it to them and it would be 6 to 10 weeks with a minimum charge of $75.00 to fix the watch. They stated it wasn't a warranty issue because Invicta does not claim there watches are waterproof only water resistant. My responce water resistant to 200 meters? I only wore it in my bathroom, no swimming, no diving, not even a fishing trip - all I got was "sorry dude, I don't make the rules, it's the way it is".
Since I had to pay for it I shopped around and found a shop in Seattle that said they could help me with a 2 to 3 week turnaround. The watchmaker contacted Invicta to find out what paint was compatible to use on the hands, he agreed the design of the hands/face was bad and in need of a fix to see them. They also fixed the water in the watch problem. The area he could paint to make a difference in seeing the hands was so small it didn't make much of a dent in the problem, but it did help in a small way. The problem with the water in the 200 meter water RESISTANT watch was, according to a watchmaker with over 40 years in the buisness, that the stem was poorly designed and came loose easily, allowing water to get in.
The poorly designed stem has just came to be my latest haunt in this debacle, it's the reason I came across this review site looking for the factory number and decided to vent, maybe help someone else make an informed decision on Invicta vs ANYBODY ELSE. The stem has loosened without my noticing, until to late, and it has disappeared. I now cannot change the setting on my hands and just returned from a 2 time zone change, I not only have to squint but have to do the math as well. Most likely I'll get at least a 6 week wait and a "sorry dude I don't make the rules", but the stem falling off is obviously owner abuse or something like that and they'll want a minimum of $75.00 plus the wait until they get a stem shipped from Haiphong, Sweden to Florida. If someone from Invicta has a heart and wishes to TRULY help with this watch from hell please email me at oldbull55@gmail.com. I won't be holding my breath based on what service I haven't got so far.
Jim Hunt
