Wikipedia of the Invicta Watch Group

Interesting Wikipedia on Invicta...I wonder who wrote this? I am pretty sure that it wasn't the company. What do you guys think?

Invicta Watch Group

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Invicta Watch GroupTypeIndustryFoundedHeadquartersKey peopleProductsWebsite

Watch Maker

Watch manufacturing

1837

Hollywood, FL

Eyal Lalo, CEO Gany Cohen, VP Roxsana Guzman, Asst. Mgr.

Wristwatches, accessories

www.invictawatch.com

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Invicta Watch Group is a Florida-based watch company, not the same company founded in 1837 by Raphael Picard in La Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland. The Picard family owned and operated the company until 1991, when the company was purchased by a United States-based investment company. The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities. Eyal Lalo, a third-generation watchmaker, is the CEO of the company and frequently appears on televised ShopNBC programs, (see below).

Invicta meaning “invincible” in Latin, was designed to bring common people Swiss watches at affordable prices. The company began its history in La Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland – a land well-known for its watch making endeavors.

Swiss watches have been highly prized in many parts of the world, and Invicta watches capitalized in that popularity. The name was lessor known than well established Swiss watch makers for more than a century.

Electronic watches like Casio and Timex known as the “quartz invasion” of the 1970s pushed Invicta watches out of popularity. Invicta watches all but disappeared.

In 1991 new management took over manufacturing and continued to market watches under the Invicta banner. Apart from the Invicta brand, the Invicta Watch Group is also responsible for the S. Coifman, Potger-Pietri, Activa, Brizo, Cacciato & Joss, Pastorelli and Technica lines.

Upon moving primary operations from Switzerland, Invicta has continued to design watches, but has outsourced manufacturing to third parties in Switzerland and the Far East. Recently the company also began assembling from facilities at the company's Florida headquarters.

Watches made and assembled on several continents: Parts labeled today as "Swiss", is one major reason for concerns about the company (see below). Many of the watches made by Invicta today are of Swiss parts and assembled in whatever location brings back the best return on their investment dollar.

Timepieces manufactured in the United States are part of the "Made in the USA" collection. Some 100% Swiss-made watches are still available, but marketing has a tendency to confuse people what watches are made in Swiss factories and which watches are assembled by lessor skilled laborers in far eastern countries. Far East watches are labeled with the country of origin of their movement, as Invicta utilizes ETA (Swiss), Sellita (Swiss), RONDA (Swiss),ISA (Swiss) and Citizen/Miyota (Japanese) movements in their product lines. Invicta is developing its own proprietary movements upon the purchase of Technica Swiss Ebauche Microtenique.

Many Invicta watches, including the company's more popular Pro Diver series, borrow heavily from design cues from seminal watches like the Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster.^{[citation needed]} The Lupah is one of Invicta's new models of tank (rectangular shaped) chronographs that is targeted towards younger buyers and so available in 196,560 optional variations of dial color and strap types.^[1]

The Invicta Watch Group also markets products besides watches including hats and bags. Invicta uses as a principle outlet for their watches, hour long blocks of programing, sometimes played back to back on ShopNBC television, and also on their web site at www.shopnbc.com.

The company currently holds an unfavorable rating of over 30% or a grade of D+ from the Better Business Bureau.^[2] and averages hundreds of complaints each week at the Internet forum and over 86 formal complaints at the BBB over the past 36 months.^{[citation needed]}

The company has as additional outlets, mall shops in tourist destinations like Cancun Mexico.

Seems pretty factual to me. Obviously not written by those whom we have come to know.

Almost 200,000 variations of the lupah? HOLY CRAP! So they must have guzillions of variations of all the styles they produce. Can you say FASHION WATCHES? I knew you could!

. . . . available in 196,560 optional variations of dial color and strap types.[1] . . .

. . . you gotta be shitting me!!!!!

I'd better get with it, my collection is about 196,560 Lupah variations short of complete. Wikipedia content is written by anyone who takes the time to do so. As such, its accuracy should be vetted against other sources. That said, its interesting that the article admits Invicta manufactures nothing but markets all kinds of stuff.

merichar wrote:

I'd better get with it, my collection is about 196,560 Lupah variations short of complete. Wikipedia content is written by anyone who takes the time to do so. As such, its accuracy should be vetted against other sources. That said, its interesting that the article admits Invicta manufactures nothing but markets all kinds of stuff.

I know...that is why I find it interesting. It is fairly unbiased. If I was in charge of the Invicta marketing department, I would certainly add some content...but maybe they have seen it and are OK with it!

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

glasshalf wrote:

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

Welcome aboard. I think the more immediate and pressing question is - Where is the alleged "Swiss" factory Invicta claims to have? No one has ever reported having found it, or a mailing address for it.

Doesn't it seem odd to you that a factory is so hard to point to and show to folks?

glasshalf wrote:

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

I actually e-mailed Invicta Europe and they were unable to tell me where the factory in Switzerland where the repairs are done is located but assured me there was one. And the locale in South Florida is their Corporate Headquarters. Again

bodypeersur1 wrote:

glasshalf wrote:

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

I actually e-mailed Invicta Europe and they were unable to tell me where the factory in Switzerland where the repairs are done is located but assured me there was one. And the locale in South Florida is their Corporate Headquarters. Again

YES....YAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN

I doubt watches are repaired in Switzerland.What would be the point in contracting a repair facility in switzerland when 95% of your
watches aren't swiss made? the lead time for a repair is supposed to be 6 to 8 weeks but averages about 4 months.
The wiki article also says the ceo is a 3rd generation watchmaker.Anyone locate him anywhere as a certified watchmaker?
maybe a watch taker/copier but if he was a watchmaker then those watches really do look bad.

Docrwm wrote:

glasshalf wrote:

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

Welcome aboard. I think the more immediate and pressing question is - Where is the alleged "Swiss" factory Invicta claims to have? No one has ever reported having found it, or a mailing address for it.

Doesn't it seem odd to you that a factory is so hard to point to and show to folks?

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm researching. For example, a 2005 Invicta brochure listed a street address for their Swiss factory, according to a member on another forum. Last night, Google maps showed the Claude Meylan watch factory at that exact address.

To be continued.

glasshalf wrote:

Docrwm wrote:

glasshalf wrote:

Quote :

The corporate headquarters were relocated to Hollywood, Florida, where the company also operates its service call center and repair facilities.

No mention of a Swiss factory. (Wiki can be way wrong, though.)

Anyone got independent verification of their repair facilities being in FL? Invicta maintains they send watches to their factory in Switzerland to be repaired, and owners are without them, usually for 12+ weeks.

Exceptions - watches marketed as made in the USA.

Welcome aboard. I think the more immediate and pressing question is - Where is the alleged "Swiss" factory Invicta claims to have? No one has ever reported having found it, or a mailing address for it.

Doesn't it seem odd to you that a factory is so hard to point to and show to folks?

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm researching. For example, a 2005 Invicta brochure listed a street address for their Swiss factory, according to a member on another forum. Last night, Google maps showed the Claude Meylan watch factory at that exact address.

To be continued.

There were some photos posted at one point of watchmakers in a large room (perhaps 10-12 people, all Caucasian BTW) wearing brand new (creases still in them from the wrappers) Invicta Logoed lab coats. Can't seem to find it right now. Problem is that the only thing to make it an "Invicta" factory were the lab coats which cost about $40 each plus embroidery costs.

Claude Meylan watches are typically marked "Claude Meylan - Valle de Joux' on the diall. Claude Meylan was a brand taken over in 2002 by Antigone S.A - a watch company started out in 1972 by Mr Henri Berney. It is now a family business, run by his granddaughter Carol.

There was some discussion of this in 2009 on BDWF: http://www.bdwf.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66894&page=3
___________________________________________
I just received another e-mail from Carol; the point of contact from Montres Claude Meylan. I had responded to her that it is quite possible that Invicta watches were certainly made there as a sub-contract to them and were, perhaps later moved somewhere else when the contract was up. This is her reply:

RE: Question au sujet d'une catégorie de montre.?
From: Montres Claude Meylan (claudemeylan@vtxnet.ch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
Sent: Tue 5/26/09 3:07 AM

Dear Mr. Perez,

You are right, in the beginning of Invicta watches; we made some of the watches he sold. I checked and we work together since 2002 to 2005 and after he does it himself somewhere else.

In the USA you can see some of our watches in Stoneham or in Spring Lake or Cambridge. If you are interesting, I will send you the exact address. By the way, if you want I can also send you one of our catalogues. Let me know your address.

I hope having answered your questions and we thank you for your interest and best regards

Montres Claude Meylan SA
Carol
END OF EMAIL

As to "himself", I can only assume she means EL, but, I never asked and, at this point, I'm really satisfied with the answer. I put in bold the part that is most important in this e-mail. It seems that the business relationship began in 2002, production was executed as of 2003 - 2005 and the business relationship ended there. "... he does it himself somewhere else" may mean a) that Invicta stood up their own factory and manufacture their own watches in Switzerland (and they guard this information like a state secret), b) that Invicta moved their operations under another sub-contractor in Switzerland, c) that Invicta manufactures outside of Switzerland.

Now, with the town where this company is being that small, I imagine that if Invicta had their own production facility there, that Carol would probably know it (being that she is in the industry and actually dealt with Invicta in the past). But, who knows; it's a short e-mail after all. Anyway, I'm going to try to get one of their Claude Meylan time pieces - so I'm pumped about that! There is still a very good chance that Invicta is made in Switzerland; I still have no reason to believe otherwise. But, my personal opinion is that it is not Invicta's factory, it's a sub-contract.
PS - I hope that she finds me "interesting" so that I could get one of their catalogues. LOL
_____________________________________

Then there is the 2007 "Interview" of JS on one of The King's websites in which JS asserts:

Does he know where the Invicta factories are??? Where are most of the non-Swiss made branded watches manufactured??

JS: "Invicta lists the address for their Swiss factory. They also own the S. Coifman Swiss factory as well. The non-Swiss factories are all over the world. As Eyal stated in my 2003 interview with him he has plants in Panama, Asia, and of course the new larger facility in Hollywood Florida where the "Made in the USA Collection" is produced."
http://jholbrook.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Invicta&action=print&thread=17501

invicta sucks and most likely the last well made piece was in 2005 when some were made by Swiss hands!

With the latest screw-ups, they may need to revise the Wiki soon!!

Seriously, Invicta has totally dropped the ball. Every other week, I read some new QC disaster. I am sure that they will survive...there will always be a market for chinese made watches because of the price point (and value pays )

Good old VP's, the best friend of any geek! why buys some clothing when you can get another watch with 5 VP's!