I am familiar with Invicta's range of watches as I already own one, a rather simple number I bought at a local sports store. Simply put, I have nothing to complain about; the watch is well-constructed and solid, and important for me at the time, cheap.

The 1435 Russian Diver watch continues that theme: when you open the rather lavish-looking box, you're presented with what looks like a black and chrome tank, shiny and boy, is it hefty. It's a good-looker: the silver positively gleams and the black rubber band offsets that gleam in a very pleasing way. You're going to get some comments on this watch, if that's your bag.

The price is very reasonable, although it's weird that the manufacturer's suggested price is over 90% more expensive than what you buy it for--about $400 cheaper. I say that's weird because you have to think why there's such a drastic difference between the price tag and what you pay for it--simple human nature at work here.

Well fear not, the tank look I mentioned earlier is exactly what you get in form and function: it's a very-well-constructed watch. After you strap it on, you're going to feel like your arm weighs 20 more pounds. That's OK, you'll quickly get used to it. One thing I thought would be an inconvenience is the small chain that keeps the screw-on cap over the solitary dial--used only for setting the time: it simply hangs there and I thought for sure that as I moved, it would endlessly tickle my wrist. Surprisingly not true. At least for me, I've felt nothing in the weeks since I began wearing the watch.

The cap, which is required to always be screwed on per the warranty (diving without it voids the warranty) contains a rubber O-ring on the inside that is designed to keep the water out, showing its original intended use as a dive watch. Knowing something about diving (I am a PADI Open Water Certified Diver), I can see why a lot of the design decisions were made: the rubber band is solid and opens large enough to fit over a wet or dry suit. Underwater, especially as you work, the watch is going to stay put. Even the twin silver cylinders on the band, I surmise, may be where they are to protect the watch face as the hand moves around objects such as air cylinders and regulators. The band end is inserted into two very solid stays that keeps it from flapping around. Very, very solid.

The watch face is, in a word, large. Which means easy-to-read. The documentation that came with the watch says its hands glow in the dark if they are first exposed to light, up to four hours, if I'm not mistaken. I've not had the opportunity to test this out.

I'm going to bet that majority of the people who buy this watch aren't going to care whether its original design as a dive watch is solid. Even with a stated waterproofing of a 100m (330ft), most of these watches are never going to get anywhere near even an inch of water. That said, if you're a diver, this is going to quickly become a favorite accessory.

That said, there is one design feature that I'd like to see added because it's missing. While many divers today use dive computers that take the mathematics of time-keeping and submerged times out of the equation, in all dive watches I've ever seen or used, there's a time-lapse bezel on the watch face. What this does is that it allows the user to twist the bezel's zero mark on the minute-hand as they submerge so that a simple glance at the minute hand and the bezel will show how many minutes have elapsed since the dive started.

Perhaps the watch used to have this bezel and the designers know almost no diver goes down without a dive computer. Or they know 99% of the watch's owners will never go near a dive boat, but for me, I'd like to see this added to what is billed as a dive watch.

Apart from this miniscule tarnish, I love this watch. Replacing anything on the watch will tarnish it. Buy this watch because you're a diver or you'd like to be one. Five well-deserved stars.

*Update* January, 2012. I have now owned this watch for a few months. In that time, I've not found anything to completely dissuade me from my earlier review. Except one: the hands and numbers are supposed to glow in the dark. I have never had this happen, which is a shame considering it's one of their claims to usability. I'm therefore demoting the review by one star.