Review of the Invicta IPM30 Watch Winder By: John B. Holbrook, II May 7, 2002
Before I get into the specifics about this new watch winding box from Invicta, I suppose it would be worthwhile to talk about why I bought it.

The Invicta 8926 I purchased over a year ago wasn't just my first Invicta. It was my first automatic. It was the search for my first auto which, like so many people, lead me to discover Invicta and their now legendary 8926 Pro Diver.

Fast forward to today. I've really enjoyed my 8926. But, there are some inconveniences associated with owning an automatic. Mainly, you have to either wear them often or remember to wind them. The three main watches I wear are a Tag Heuer (it gets the most wrist time), a Movado (my "dress" watch) and the 8926. It gets worn occasionally at work on business casual days (Friday), but more often on the weekends as my fun watch, or watch I wear when I'm doing projects around the house. Consequently, I found myself resetting the watch quite often. The solution for me (prior to the IPM30) was to wear the watch during my morning run ? the motion from my running seemed to keep it charged up. This worked quite well, unless I forgot to put the watch on at some point during the weekend, in which case it usually ran down by Monday. I decided I needed a watch winder.

Now if you've you ever shopped for a watch winder box, you know they are expensive. I can't figure out why, but they are. Most single watch models I found on E-Bay were $200.00 or more. Multi-watch models could go for 4 times that figure. Since most automatics are quite expensive, I suppose that it follows logically that the box you display and wind your watch with should be as well. Oh sure, you could find some rough looking models that had all the mechanisms showing for less or even make your own, but I wasn't interested in that. I didn't want to hide my watch in the closet because of the ugly winder. Then, two weeks ago I stumbled across Invicta's new watch winder display box, the IPM30.



Once again, Invicta has discovered a way to deliver a quality product and bring it to market at an extremely affordable price point. The box itself really is quite attractive ? it looks great on my bedroom dresser! It has a mahogany finish, cream colored cushion area for the watch to sit, and a clear piece over the lid for display which is engraved with the "Invicta Elite" logo. The lid fits quite snuggly on the container ? almost too tight, but I'm guessing this will loosen with use. NOTE: After originally posting this review, I was informed by long time Invicta dealer Tom Palmer that the IPM30 was designed to be tight in order to protect the contents from dust.

Turn it on, and the IPM30 spins steadily at a rate of ten revolutions per minute. The motor isn't as quiet as would have hoped. Not having seen or used a watch winder before, I don't really have a point of reference. But I'd hoped it would be quiet enough to let it run all the time. Unfortunately, as the unit is in my bedroom, I will have to turn it off at night in order to enjoy a good nights sleep. The noise it generates might not disturb others (its not THAT loud) but I like complete silence at bed time.



An important feature for me on the IPM30 is the fact that the unit is AC power driven and not battery driven. Many watch winders you see at a lower price point are battery only. Since I have an outlet right behind the dresser where I keep my IPM30, I can just plug it in and forget about it. Another nice feature of this watch winder is that it can be set to wind in either direction to accommodate watches with a uni-directional movement, such as the Miyota 8215 movement found in the Invicta 8926.



The IPM30 is listed as a promotional item on the Invicta web site. I do know that some dealers are giving special deals on this new item, when purchased with a watch. I believe the suggested retail is $145.00, but I've seen it available for between $90.00-$100.00 from several online sources. How long the product will remain as an offering is uncertain.

In summary, the IPM30 is a delightful product that is a "no-brainer" accessory for any owner of an Invicta automatic watch. The only possible improvement I could see for this product would be a battery option for those who didn't have an outlet handy near their intended location for the IPM30. A quieter motor would be nice too, but this may be asking too much of a motorized device. As one of the legion of loyal 8926 owners out there, this product definitely enhances the overall enjoyment of my automatic watch.

UPDATE: after several months of ownership I have determined through personal experience and consultation with other owners that the IMP 30 fails in its most basic task - keeping an automatic watch wound. The reason appears to be due to the angle the watch rests in the winder. A watch in the IPM30 lays too "flat" so the roter isn't turned by the rotation of the winder. I and several others have noted that their automatic watches will run out of power while sitting on the winder with it turning! There is however a simple and easy fix to this problem. Simply prop up the back of the winder to increase the slope. I find a wad of tissue underneath the back of the base does the job nicely without a danger of scratching the furniture on which the winder rests (some rolled up tissue under the back of the winder works well) .

I apologize for my lack of photographic skill! Be sure and let me know what you think of this review.

*All information and images contained in this review are the original work of the author, John B. Holbrook, II and are copyright protected. Use of any of the information or images without the permission of the author is prohibited.

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