Just buy it. Then buy a real one later.
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ยท
Look, I'm going to get emails for this. But the Invicta 8926OB is the cheapest way to find out if you like wearing an automatic watch, and that's worth something.
$80 to $130. Seiko NH35A automatic inside, the same workhorse that half the micro brands use. 41 hours of reserve, hacks, hand-winds. 40 mm wide, 200 m, rotating bezel, steel bracelet. The design is a Submariner homage and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Problems. It's 14 mm thick, which is chunky for 40 mm. Mineral crystal, so it'll scratch. The bracelet is pretty basic and the bezel action isn't great. The Invicta name has a reputation (all those "70% off" signs at the outlet mall), and some watch guys will look down on you.
Who cares. You can beat this thing up on a job site, scratch it, drop it off a ladder, and you're out about the cost of a decent dinner. If you get hooked on mechanical watches, great, you now know what you want. If you don't, you didn't blow a grand finding out.