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Mortuus Fakeuus
Invicta Commemorative Edition Grand Divers (Three of 'Em!)
Everyone who collects things has a theme or a dominant sub-type among the things they collect. In the case of watches, a given collector, such as myself, might like diver’s watches best, even if he or she gets nervous and hears the theme to “Jaws” in their heads every time they get close to the two year-old’s kiddy pool. Sometimes, though, they might not like every diver they come across, for whatever reason; it might not be the right shade, or the bezel might not go well with the dial color, or, heck, it might have Mickey By Gosh Mouse on the dial. In my case, it was Invicta’s Commemorative Edition Grand Diver, with the big “Diver Dan” logo on the dial.
I mean, I got the idea of the enlarged “Diver Dan.” Okay, so maybe I didn’t, but it seemed to me that Invicta was proud of their excellent-selling Grand Diver, and that was the reason for the commemoration. Okay. But turn old “Dan” upside-down…
…and it looks, for all the world, like a toilet you’re standing at, preparing to make agua por los baños (that’s “wee-wee,” for those of you in Rio Lindo and Perth-Fremantle). See, there’s the tank, and the stool…all you need’s a magazine rack, and you’ve got yourself a gen-u-wine “reading room,” as Archie Bunker used to call it.
Nonetheless, people change as the years pass. Tastes change, as well. And suddenly, there I was on feeBay, looking at the white-dialed Commemorative Edition Grand Diver in the above pictures, and it hits me as being, well, kind of cool. Cool? Yeah, cool. So what’s a guy to do but bid on the doggone thing and bring it home to the casa de los muertos?
And, of course, I won, and became the proud owner of my first Commemorative Edition Grand Diver, with white MOP dial and now-very-cool “Diver Dan” logo, not to mention timekeeping’s latest wrist workhorse, the NH35A movement. Wonderful. Marvelous. My collection of Grand Divers is fait accompli, and I am a happy man.
However, as often happens to us collectors of watches, things conspired to make me aware that my fait wasn’t as accompli as I thought it was. There were, in fact, other Commemorative Edition Grand Divers out there. And, of course, I discovered that I must have them, as well. And the result? See below…
Just like a little chorus line ‘o Grand Divers, eh? And not just everyday Grand Divers, mind you; we’re talking doggoned Commemorative Edition Grand Divers…by GUM!
Yep, all three of the colors, “and they’re mine-all-mine," I thought, with smug satisfaction. The first, by way of recap (just in case you’ve forgotten it within the last five seconds
) with white MOP and Seiko movement:
Second in line; an older version, with black MOP dial and white MOP inserts that create good old Plongeur Pete (“Diver Dan’s” French cousin) in a most artistic and satisfactory way. And let’s not forget that the older model carries with it a 21-jewel Miyota movement, a once-and-former workhorse of the wrist-ticker industry.
Third and lastly – at least for now* – the exquisite BROWN iteration of the Commemorative Edition Grand Diver, this one also with the MOP dial and white MOP inlays creating everyone’s favorite living logo, “Diver Dan,” first cousin to “Buzo Bill,” his Spanish counterpart.
*There is the new Grand Diver with abalone dial and large "Diver Dan" executed with dial cut-out's to consider. (Dang, they never let up, do they? Always selling some other, additional version of a watch you don't actually need...)
Thus far, fit and comfort have been excellent, even though my usual comfort zone is 38mm to 44mm. There’s just something about Grand Divers and their 47mm cases that I find exceptionally comfortable. Maybe it has something to do with my liking divers so much, or maybe Invicta’s design of this iconic piece is just naturally comfortable. Either way, I like the feel of this larger-sized watch.
And, of course, the appearance of each of these watches truly speaks for itself. The use of MOP (and MOP inlays in the two older versions) really make these three watches stand out amongst their fellow Grand Diver family members. It’s all good.
It’s rather funny, nowadays, when I think back to my earliest reactions to this most unusual design under the Grand Diver moniker. I couldn’t have imagined buying one of them, let alone all three, yet that’s exactly what ended up happening. And I remain amazed at how much I’ve come to really like the look of this Grand Diver, big logo and all. Still, as I found out by the less-than-usual amount of “likes” my first one received when I snuck it into my WURW rotation over at WIT, it isn’t for everyone. True enough. But maybe that’s all just part of this special watch’s charm.
As always, many thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful remainder to your holiday season.
©2016, Mortuus Aviation, LLC. All rights reserved.
I mean, I got the idea of the enlarged “Diver Dan.” Okay, so maybe I didn’t, but it seemed to me that Invicta was proud of their excellent-selling Grand Diver, and that was the reason for the commemoration. Okay. But turn old “Dan” upside-down…
…and it looks, for all the world, like a toilet you’re standing at, preparing to make agua por los baños (that’s “wee-wee,” for those of you in Rio Lindo and Perth-Fremantle). See, there’s the tank, and the stool…all you need’s a magazine rack, and you’ve got yourself a gen-u-wine “reading room,” as Archie Bunker used to call it.
Nonetheless, people change as the years pass. Tastes change, as well. And suddenly, there I was on feeBay, looking at the white-dialed Commemorative Edition Grand Diver in the above pictures, and it hits me as being, well, kind of cool. Cool? Yeah, cool. So what’s a guy to do but bid on the doggone thing and bring it home to the casa de los muertos?
And, of course, I won, and became the proud owner of my first Commemorative Edition Grand Diver, with white MOP dial and now-very-cool “Diver Dan” logo, not to mention timekeeping’s latest wrist workhorse, the NH35A movement. Wonderful. Marvelous. My collection of Grand Divers is fait accompli, and I am a happy man.
However, as often happens to us collectors of watches, things conspired to make me aware that my fait wasn’t as accompli as I thought it was. There were, in fact, other Commemorative Edition Grand Divers out there. And, of course, I discovered that I must have them, as well. And the result? See below…
Just like a little chorus line ‘o Grand Divers, eh? And not just everyday Grand Divers, mind you; we’re talking doggoned Commemorative Edition Grand Divers…by GUM!
Yep, all three of the colors, “and they’re mine-all-mine," I thought, with smug satisfaction. The first, by way of recap (just in case you’ve forgotten it within the last five seconds
) with white MOP and Seiko movement:
Second in line; an older version, with black MOP dial and white MOP inserts that create good old Plongeur Pete (“Diver Dan’s” French cousin) in a most artistic and satisfactory way. And let’s not forget that the older model carries with it a 21-jewel Miyota movement, a once-and-former workhorse of the wrist-ticker industry.
Third and lastly – at least for now* – the exquisite BROWN iteration of the Commemorative Edition Grand Diver, this one also with the MOP dial and white MOP inlays creating everyone’s favorite living logo, “Diver Dan,” first cousin to “Buzo Bill,” his Spanish counterpart.
*There is the new Grand Diver with abalone dial and large "Diver Dan" executed with dial cut-out's to consider. (Dang, they never let up, do they? Always selling some other, additional version of a watch you don't actually need...)
Thus far, fit and comfort have been excellent, even though my usual comfort zone is 38mm to 44mm. There’s just something about Grand Divers and their 47mm cases that I find exceptionally comfortable. Maybe it has something to do with my liking divers so much, or maybe Invicta’s design of this iconic piece is just naturally comfortable. Either way, I like the feel of this larger-sized watch.
And, of course, the appearance of each of these watches truly speaks for itself. The use of MOP (and MOP inlays in the two older versions) really make these three watches stand out amongst their fellow Grand Diver family members. It’s all good.
It’s rather funny, nowadays, when I think back to my earliest reactions to this most unusual design under the Grand Diver moniker. I couldn’t have imagined buying one of them, let alone all three, yet that’s exactly what ended up happening. And I remain amazed at how much I’ve come to really like the look of this Grand Diver, big logo and all. Still, as I found out by the less-than-usual amount of “likes” my first one received when I snuck it into my WURW rotation over at WIT, it isn’t for everyone. True enough. But maybe that’s all just part of this special watch’s charm.
As always, many thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful remainder to your holiday season.
©2016, Mortuus Aviation, LLC. All rights reserved.