Invicta

Invicta is a long-running watch brand, currently known for mid-priced fashion watches.

Raphaël Picard

Raphael Picard is said to have founded a watch company in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland in 1837 selling Swiss watches at moderate prices. The firm of R. Picard is listed as early as 1848 but in Fleurier and as a merchant of fabrics, drapery, and other imported goods, not watches. He appears to have moved to Le Locle by 1854 and over time focused on rubies for the watch industry. Picard opened a shop in La Chaux-de-Fonds by 1861, still focusing on jewels rather than horology specifically, and was located on Rue St-Pierre 22 with an entry on Rue de la Serre.

Raphaël Picard is first specifically listed as a watchmaker in 1864 with his workshop listed at Rue Léopold-Robert 23 along with Henri Picard, toolmaker. R. Picard moved to number 22 in 1867, with Henri (and father) moving to number 19. Raphaël Picard then moves to St-Pierre 14 in 1868. Picard Frères had been listed in the city since 1861 and they took Léopold-Robert 11. Raphaël Picard is listed as a manufacturer of watches as well as a buyer and seller in 1875 but remained at St-Pierre 14 through 1886, when he was again located on Léopold-Robert, this time at number 24. The firm now began to expand, advertising for the first time and offering export services. The firm appears to have taken over all of number 24 by the late 1880s as well.

Fils de R. Picard and Invicta

The company is listed as Les Fils de R. Picard starting in 1894, and boasts of a hydraulic-powered factory in Delémont. A large advertisement claims that the company specializes in export watches for Russia, Austria, Germany, Spain, Turkey and South America, and has a "complete assortment of simple and complicated watches" including "fancy watches for ladies" and "simple and complicated repetitions, chronographs, chronometers, automatons, independent seconds, calendars, and grandes sonneries."

The Invicta name is first used in 1900 on a repeater watch with a pusher to silence the chime. This was one of the signature products of the company, along with "The Military Watch", a mass-produced watch with interchangeable components.

By 1908 the company (now using the name "Fabrique Invicta") had moved to a new building at Rue Léopold-Robert 109, and this would be the company's home for decades.

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.

Sagiter, SGT, ONDIX, Sector

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.

Artime and Sector

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.

Invicta Watch Group

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.