Among my male friends sixteen to sixty, a big honkin' watch is definitely an object of desire. In this competitive male universe, the Invicta Russian black dial black rubber diving watch is as big and bad as they come.

My husband took to this watch like a duck to water. This model doesn't have a lot of little dials. It just tells time, which is all Tom wants. He feels his life is complicated enough without a watch that requires intensive study. He'd rather get out on the lake. Setting the time is really easy, and the Swiss quartz movement holds out a welcome promise of reliability.

Although this watch is designed for diving, I suspect that the majority of wearers will not be divers but men and boys who just want to get wet safely. Tom sails, canoes, paddle-boards and is a year-round kayaker. He rolls his kayaks all winter. The rolls can be somewhat violent. But a watch this tough, water resistant to 330 feet, should have no trouble surviving the underwater pummeling. He thinks this watch is just the ticket for his water-based life.

The watch comes in a variety of colors, but I find the combo of black rubber and steel especially seductive. As a gift, it's impressive. It comes in a big honkin' yellow box that looks and smells like leather. Probably is.

Some inconveniences: The watch is huge and heavy, so you'll never be able to forget it's on your wrist. The gleaming abundance of macho stainless steel elements weighs up. And you shouldn't wear it to bed. It could injure your sleeping partner. (On the other hand, in a fight it would made your backhand strike a fearful thing.) Finally the dial is only faintly luminous and hard to read in the dark.

The watch is slightly big for Tom, who is thin and medium height, but he won't admit it. His motto is, "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

Whatever the inconveniences of this watch, as an Alpha Male accessory it deserves five stars.