First things first, and this is kinda obvious, but where’d you buy it? If you picked it up from some dude selling watches out of his trench coat in a back alley… yeah, probably a fake. (Unless you *like* that sort of thing, no judgement here). Seriously though, stick to reputable sellers, especially the official Invicta store on Amazon, or authorized dealers. This cuts down your risk *big time.*
Now, let’s talk details. I mean, Invicta’s not exactly known for subtlety, right? But even *they* have standards. Check the finish. A real Invicta, even the ones that are, like, over-the-top gaudy, will have a decent finish. A fake might look kinda… plasticky? Or the gold plating might look, well, cheap. Like that costume jewelry your grandma used to wear. No offense, Grandma!
And speaking of the back, take a good look. A lot of fakes will skimp on the back. Maybe the engravings are sloppy, or the logo is off-center. The “real vs fake U” article mentions branding on the stem – I’ve noticed that too! Those little details matter. Sometimes they just straight up forget something important, you know? Like, how hard is it to put the logo in the right spot? Sheesh!
Then there’s the certificate of authenticity. Every genuine Invicta is supposed to come with one. If it’s missing, alarm bells should be ringing. Loudly. Think air raid siren levels of alarm. Although, honestly, even *with* a certificate, I’d still double-check everything else. You know, just to be super sure. Fake certificates exist too, sadly.
Oh, and that band! Check that baby out. On some of the dive watches, the real ones have a nice weight to them. A fake might feel like cheap plastic even *if* it’s not supposed to. And the article I read mentioned a stainless steel and polyurethane band. Make sure the materials look like they should!
Honestly, sometimes it’s just a gut feeling. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I mean, if you’re getting a supposedly $500 Invicta for $50… come on! Use your common sense. I got burned once with a “gold” Invicta (turns out, gold-colored *paint*), and I’ve been paranoid ever since. Learn from my mistakes, people!
