Nearly everyone has a Pro Diver of some kind, but not many people will admit to having the quartz version rather than the automatic with the NH35A, and even fewer will accept that this is the superior model.
I've had this Invicta Pro Diver for a few years now. I'd guess that it's slightly over 3 years because the battery is still going and I haven't changed it. I haven't even opened the case to see if there really is a PC32 movement in there or the usual tiny elves doing their dark magic. As a rule, I don't actually care what's inside a watch as long as it tells the time accurately.
The elephant in the room is that the Invicta Pro Diver is a "homage" of an older Rolex Submariner. We all know that, and no one is buying these things to pretend to be Sean Connery as James Bond, or even to go diving with. I've worn mine in my paddling pool and no water got inside, and that's about as good as it needs to be. Most of us just like the classic design, which Rolex copied from Blancpain anyway, and we love a bargain.
I chose the quartz version because the case is slightly thinner than on the automatics (which I also have), and it wears more comfortably. Apart from that, the specifications are the same as the slightly more expensive models: screw-in crown, "tritnite" lume (whatever that is, it doesn't do much), and the "flame fusion" crystal which is just Invicta's version of hardlex.
The 26970 has the same special Invicta 120-click bezel which you usually need to run under a tap before you can start rotating because of how tightly they put these things together in the factory. To say that the bezel was initially something that only a gorilla could move would be an understatement, but once I'd done the Fairy liquid and warm water trick, it was perfect. No backplay (like I care), and it lines up perfectly.
As you can see, the construction of the case is the same, albeit with a slightly thinner caseback, the stainless steel is 316L, and the bracelet (like it or loathe it) is the same on every 40mm Pro Diver too. You only get solid end links and a milled clasp on the special "Swiss Movement" edition, and for the money, I can't be bothered to upgrade past the NH35A. It's all the same watch.
What I really like about the Pro Divers in general is how the lugs curve down to conform to the wrist. I've had a couple of 1:1 clones of the Rolex Submariner which are more of a straight slab, and of course, I don't wear them because it's uncomfortable. Your mileage may differ depending on your wrist shape.
Coming back to the bracelet again briefly, if it tapered down to 16mm rather than 18mm, it would be identical to the 5 digit Rolex bracelets of the early 2000s, so there's not much to bash here.
There's nothing much else to say except the cyclops is a bit of an afterthought, the crystal could be improved with sapphire to be more modern, and the finishing between the lugs when you eventually remove the bracelet to try out your natos and rubber straps isn't great. A drop of Brasso on a cloth soon makes everything even if you can be bothered.
Now that I've done the required 15/15 reviews to get a "Reviewer" badge, I'm sure some of you will be thinking that I'll stop. Rest assured that there will be more reviews because I intend to go through every watch in my collection past, present, and future eventually. I might take a break for the rest of this week though to let someone else have a chance of being seen on the first page of reviews.
I could keep churning out these dry reviews until you really got sick of them if I wanted to, but I prefer to write the funny ones, and I know you'd rather read those too.
Anyway, get yourself an Invicta Pro Diver Quartz. You won't regret it. They are better than Pagani Design, and nobody ever notices the Invicta etched into the side of the case. Normal people just think you're wearing a deep sea divers' watch, and those with a bit of brand awareness might think it's a Rolex, but the chances of anybody ever paying you a compliment on your watch is pretty much non-existent in real life no matter what the influencers might want you to believe.