Invicta is a long-running watch brand, currently known for mid-priced fashion watches.
Raphael Picard founded a watch company in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland in 1837 selling Swiss watches at moderate prices. The company, Les Fils de R. Picard introduced the Invicta brand name in 1911.
Invicta claims to have produced its first automatic watch in 1932. In 1959 the company produced a watch for USSR navy officer use.
Invicta SA of La Chaux-de-Fonds was a mass-market brand in the 1950s. The company advertised their watches as “waterproof” and “shockproof”.
Other brands used by Invicta in the 1960s included Seeland and Eno, and these brands were distributed in the United States by Morris Hoffman, Invicta-Seeland.
Invicta SA became a member of the Société Horlogeère de Production et de Participation SA (Sagiter) federation by 1970 alongside other mid-priced brands like Sandoz and Camy. Invicta, Sandoz, Waltham, Elgin, and others were members of Société des Garde-Temps SA (SGT) by 1974, giving the brand access to quartz, LED digital, and electronic movements.
Invicta was part of ONDIX SA by 1984 but appears dormant by the late 1980s.
In 1991, Invicta was re-launched. The modern company claims that this was “descendants of the Invicta family” but it is not clear who they are referring to. Invicta was distributed by the Italian Artime Group along with Sector, Lucien Rochat, Philip Watch, Chronostar, and MoDe.
In 2000, Artime was renamed Sector Group with the primary focus being the Sector brand in Italy, but continuing to market Invicta, Lucien Rochat, Chronostar, and MoDe and launching , Roberto Cavalli. These watches were manufactured in Switzerland at first, with sourcing from Japan and China as well by the mid 2000s. Later sister brands included Just Cavalli, Pzero Tempo, Moschino, Valentino, Xenia, and Mariella Burani. An agreement with Benetton Group in 2003 added Sisley and United Colors of Benetton.
Invicta added Technica Swiss Ebauche in 2000 as a Swiss producer of watch movements, though many were sourced from mainstream or Asian suppliers. In 2002 Invicta was permitted by ETA to continue using their movements, even as Swatch Group began restricting access.
In 2004, Invicta became part of the American company, Invicta Watch Group. The company sells inexpensive watches with a focus on skeleton movements and cases inspired by Swiss luxury brands like Hublot. But Invicta still sells Swiss-made watches with COSC certifications as well. Invicta presented at Baselworld in 2011, demonstrating their rise as a major world watch brand.
Invicta added the S. Coifman brand in 2004. The group purchased the TechnoMarine brand in 2015 and the Glycine brand (from Maurice Lacroix owner DKSH) in 2016.