REVIEW & COMPARISON:

The Return of the "Original Bezel" 9937

By: John B. Holbrook, II

December 11th, 2004

Back in 2002, while I was moderator of the first-ever Invicta Watch Forum, I organized an effort to convince Invicta to do upgrade some of the features of their legendary value watch, the Invicta 8926.  Our efforts were successful, and in December of 2002, Invicta released the Invicta 9937.  You can read my review of the first 9937, as well as more of the history behind the development of the watch HERE.

The watch stayed in production for roughly a year, but after a bumpy launch (thanks to some regulation issues with the movements in the first batch that shipped from Invicta) the watch was very well received.  An ETA 2824 automatic movement equipped watch with a sapphire crystal on top, crystal display back, and styling cues evocative of the most famous watch in the world, all for about $350.00.  By all accounts, Invicta dealers sold all they had as soon as they could get them in from Invicta.  Then something very odd happened.  Invicta suddenly stopped making the 9937.

I suppose it isn't entire accurate to say they stopped making the 9937.  The longer story is that Invicta radically changed the bezel design in late 2002 of the entire Invicta Pro Diver watch line, which included all of the 89xx and 99xx watches.  Here's a picture of the subsequent bezel design on the 9937, which was called the 9937a:

As you can see, the bezel lost the "coin edge" design which is common among dive watches like Rolex, and gained a scalloped bezel design more reminiscent of watches made by Omega.  Overnight, and with little explanation, Invicta changed the design of their best selling line of watches - the Pro Diver line.  And almost overnight prices for used 8926's and 9937's with the "old style" or "original" bezel escalated as supply simply disappeared.  It was about this time that I, in what turned out to be a fairly inept move on my part, sold my original issue 9937 to purchase another watch.  I reasoned that "I can always pick up another 9937 later right?"  Then came the word that Invicta wasn't making any more 9937's with the original bezel.  D'oh!  Fast forward to the Fall of 2004 - the word began leaking out the Invicta was going to make a very limited production run of 9937's with the original bezel!  Hurrah!  The re-issued, original bezel 9937 arrived at my office on December 9th, 2004 - almost two years to the day since I received my first 9937.  Now the burning question is, "is the re-issued 9937 as good (or better) than the original 9937?

The re-issued 9937 (which I'll refer to hereafter as the 9937RI) does have some cosmetic differences from the original 9937 (it wouldn't be an Invicta without changing something around right?).  But I'll begin by highlighting a few of the important things that haven't changed.  Firstly, the same, wonderful rosewood box with, with the translucent display/dust cover used with the original 9937 is also used in the 9937RI (check out the original 9937 review for pictures and more details on the box).  The case, bracelet, (with the exception of how the bracelet attaches to the case) clasp, and markers are also unchanged.  Here's a side by side picture of the original 9937, and the 9937RI (on the right).

In the photographs above, you'll see that the 9937RI now has holes in the lugs to accommodate screws which are used to connect the bracelet to the case.  It's cosmetic value is in the eye of the beholder, but it's functionally inferior to the previous, more simple spring bar design.  You see, while it would appear that two screws hold the end links on the bracelet to the case, that's not exactly how it really works.  It's really one VERY small screw on one side, with a long tube with a screw head on the other.  The small screw actually screws in to the tube from the other side, and both screws turn freely inside the lugs.  This requires the use of two screwdrivers used simultaneously to remove the bracelet - that's finger gymnastics that I don't need.  The small screw is also very easy to loose.  So, I don't recommend removing the bracelet, which is a shame.  I actually had two bracelets on my original 9937 - one that I kept "stock" with the polished center links, and one that I applied an entirely brushed finish which was more scratch resistant.  But I don't think I'll be doing many bracelet changes on the 9937RI.  Now let's have a closer look at the 9937RI's dial to see some of the changes there:

The dial no longer has the word "Swiss" underneath the logo, but instead has the words "Swiss Movement" at six o'clock.  It's a cosmetic difference, but also denotes a bit more specific information than did the first 9937.  In order to legally carry the label "Swiss Made" (like on my Rolex or Omega watches) watches must have Swiss made movements, and be assembled in Switzerland.  The label "Swiss Movement" means that only the movement inside the watch with this label is Swiss.  The label of "Swiss" which Invicta used on the original 9937 was always a point of controversy.  Clearly the ETA 2824 used in the original was a Swiss movement, but was Invicta suggesting that the rest of the watch was either designed, or assembled, or both in Switzerland?  The point was never clear.  Now that the 9937RI carries the label "Swiss Movement" we know the watch does not qualify for the label "Swiss Made" so it's safe to say that the 9937 wasn't assembled in Switzerland.  I applaud Invicta for applying industry standard labeling in this way which is more specific than the original "Swiss" label.

Also visible in the above picture are two changes which appear to be universal throughout the Pro Diver line - the Invicta logo on the short end of the second hand, and the use of a larger sized crown.  The change to the second hand is no doubt meant to distinguish the Pro Diver watches, like the 8926 and the 9937, from others with a similar design - for much the same reasons as the scalloped bezel was used on the 9937a and 8926a.  Again, the cosmetic appeal, or lack thereof of the logo on the second hand is in the eye of the beholder.  I rather like it - it's distinctive, and doesn't detract from the legibility of the dial.  The larger crown size I am however particularly pleased with.

One of the things I appreciate about the Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller I own are the oversized "Triplock" crowns both of these watches employ.  I think they're size is not only cosmetically appealing, but also functionally a joy to use.  Invicta's new larger crowns on the Pro Divers is nearly identical in size to a Rolex Triplock crown - here's a picture of the 9937RI crown to crown with my Rolex Sea-Dweller (on the right):

Since the milling tolerances for how the threads are milled in the factory are no doubt not as high as the tolerances used by more costly watches, the screw down crowns of Invicta watches have always taken a little extra effort.  The larger crown size now makes unscrewing and re-screwing the crown an easier experience. 

Fortunately, Invicta still uses a crystal display back on the 9937 to view the gold plated ETA 2824 movement inside the case.  Invicta has also applied some really nice rotor decoration which makes the view experience all the more enjoyable:

In observing the accuracy of my 9937RI, it's running about 8-10 seconds per day fast which is fine for a non-COSC certified, unadjusted movement.  It's likely to settle down a bit after the first 30 days, after which I can always regulate the watch myself to within COSC specifications (for my article on how to regulate an ETA 2824 movement, click HERE).  

Many questions remain at this time is, "How many of the re-issued 9937s did Invicta make, and how long will they be available?"  "Will Invicta still sell the 9937a or is it being phased out to be replaced by this newest 9937?"  While these details are unclear at this time, what is clear is that fans are rejoicng that the 9937 can once again be purchased with a coin-edge bezel.  But act quickly if you want one - they're here today, but may be gone tomorrow.

There are some additional points which I'd like to see Invicta improve upon with the 9937.  Firstly, the original issue 9937 had a white dot bezel marker on the top of the bezel, but they're now using the same green colored bezel marker we saw on the 8926 from years ago.  The green isn't particularly attractive, and I'd prefer white.  Also, while I've seen reports online that Invicta has begun using a higher output luminous compound on the hands and markers of their watches, this 9937 RI appears to still use the same old "Tritnite" compound which is inferior to other compounds such as Super Luminova.  And of course, as I mentioned above, go back to plain old, simple to use spring bars to hold the bracelet to the lugs.  But, minor criticism notwithstanding, it's darn good to have the original bezel 9937 back.  It remains the same fantastic watch that members of the Invicta Forum asked for back in 2002.  Let's hope it stays that way.

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