WWR# 17: Timex Gents Elegant Dress Watch T2M528

It's quite or rather a big direction right now that oversize watches, 40mm and above are the norm.  Even though it defies the satorial rules of the tastefully inclined, you can see them being brought about in formal wear, denying to be covered on the sleeves.

And so the the industry answered with a boost in dress watches that went out who could make the thinnest watch of course with a mechanical movement.  Piaget came out with the Altiplano, JLC with Master Ultra Thin, and then Vacheron Constatin Patrimony Grande Taille, and many others followed suit.  But of course, these would all cost more than your car probably, so for a wallet friendly thin watch, I recommend the Timex Gents Elegant Dress Watch T2M528. 







This quartz watch is 42mm and 8mm thick and weighs only 300 grams.  So basically from the front, it is in town with its size, but will definitely fit under those cuffs. Best of both words isn't it?  And you can have it at of course very affordable prize.  Lots of em available around.  Basically you got all of this, incredible value for money, will take on a lickin and keeps on tickin, and will look good on that tailored suit of yours.

WWR #6: J. Crew X Timex Andros Watch

The Timex and J. Crew collab has been very successful with the military watch model that you can see it in most fashion magazines or websites or simply people buying it aside that it has quite a hefty price for a Timex.

And with its new piece from their partnership, the Timex Andros Watch is our 6th Weekly Watch Recom. When I first saw this watch, I didn't expect it to be a Timex, well to think that Timex really doesn't have a consistent design, they adapt to the market, and upon seeing the Timex Logo upfront, guessed it right, it was another J. Crew. And boy does it look good. It has an matching ocean blue color for the dial, rotating bezel and the neat nato strap. With matching explorer style markings and a pilot inspired hands, this is a sure winner.

Now the price of this piece is a bit high for a Timex ($175) at this level, but I do believe that brand and exclusivity add another value that is hard to find these days. Fully justified you think? If you have the funds, I think it is. Timex is known for providing dependable, robust and quality watches that will take a licking, add that with a classic uniqueness and simple class from the J. Crew group, I think that is a good back-up for your fashion getaway.

There aren't too much info on the J. Crew site except for the obvious 100meter WR rating from the 330ft indication on the dial. A quartz movement and a functional rotating bezel. I would assume it has luminous hands, but for indiglo, I doubt. But none the less, I'm pretty sure this watch will serve a proud owner for many many years and will become a collector's classic in the future on.

And from this on, we'd only hope that Timex and J. Crew to continue what they are doing.

Pictures from the J. Crew Website.

Timex Ironman 100-Lap T5E231 Review

It takes a lickin and keep on ticking...That famous line from the watch brand that started way back 1854 with their 1 dollar watches. Well, you can't have those watches on that price scale in these ages but Timex still offers the affordable watches around the world. Timex, is one of the few brands that really have diverse styles in their watches. It's like there is always a timex for every kind of person in this earth. Sports, Dress, Quartz, Mechanical, Casual, Outdoor, you name it, they have one for everyone. And one of the most popular line is the Ironman. Ironman watches are designed for athletes in triathlon and marathon.

The unit that I will be bringing some thoughts to day is the Timex Ironman T5E231. It is one of the current models today in the 100 Lap category and currently has like 200+ user comments on the amazon website (yes believe me, check it out).

The case:
Case is made of resin plastic with stainless steel caseback. Diameter is at 40mm. It has a black plastic painted bezel up front and about 18mm lugs. This watch doesn't have the shock resist features unlike other ironmans. It's really a standard case design with 4 buttons on the sides and one top button for the convenience of start/split. I had quite bad experiences with their buttons on previous ironmans, they just fell off for no apparent reason, so I hope it doesn't happen to you.



Dial:
The lcd dial is protected by mineral crystal. LCD display is big and easy. Like you can read the time even if the watch is on the other side of the room or even other side of the road. Which is one of the biggest points considering you are targetting runners and marathon athletes who would never want to waste an extra amount of effort for just reading the time. ANd yes, the bright and effective Indiglo is on.



Band:
The rubber band is quite normal with other timex watches, but still on the doubt if the quality and durability of the bands have improved. I have other rubber bands from timex before, all of em breaking within a year or two, and I'm no ironman athlete, just a normal watch freak who has a daily job and jogs like 2 or 3 times in a week. So don't expect to much on the band. I advice you check em regularly like every month for some signs of wear and tear, you don't want your watch to just fall out of your wrist suddenly without any warning. When you check, don't just look at it, try to bend the band opposite from its usual form, and if you see some cracks or so, stop wearing em and replace em immediately.



Features
Well you have the stopwatch. Which has the Lap time, memory recall up to 100 Laps. Yes 100, and that's more you would need for a serious sportsman. Timex beats everybody out on this junction.

Then there is the interval timer. 9 of which from the product descriptions. I can't say much bout it since I was only able to handle the watch for a couple of days, but I think it is capable of having a timer with intervals like cycles for possibly doing some reps on the gym or so. Pretty neat really. Another plus.

Of course you have the alarm modes.

Water resistance is 100M. Swim with it, just don't push the buttons underwater.

The flix system, where just by flicking your wrist, the indiglo night light activates. I still don't see any use to this feature as I find the button pressing a lot more easier and more normal. Good thing about the indiglo feature is that when you activate the indiglo button, and start operating the modes and the functions, the indiglo night light continues to light up, up to the point when there are no more button operations going within 3 secs interval. Very neat and useful.



In summary, its a good watch for the price. If you just want a dependable watch to accompany you in whatever sporting hobbies or professions you have, this Timex will definitely do the trick. Well the design maybe to much of a triathlon look for me, so I would only wear one when in the gym or pool or jogging. When I take-off my running shoes, I take this off too. I mean, you don't wear running shoes or shorts or spandex casually right? I hope not. As any gym bag or locker should have an ironman in it. On durability, some swore theirs lasted for many many many years, others just died for a couple, I can't really say since I haven't owned digital Timex watches that long, but truth I can say that it is an understanding that when the battery of your timex goes out, people just buy another one. Like its consumable, not the right term but you get the point. It's not a collectible watch but it just gets the job done.

Homage slash Rip-offs

I was urged to write this thought upon a chance topic on a watch forum on homages or rip-offs. Totally surprised on the level of design copies these brands do, sacrificing probably their dignity and character just to get heads above water from the competition. But do they really survive? Guess this defines how dumb or smart you are....

Invicta rip-off of Citizen/Seiko

Invicta's 5747 Force Flight and the Citizen Eco-Drive Nighthawk


The most obvious copy of all. Even a WIS like me would look twice to verify. The dual time hands makes the clear distinction with that aero design.

Invicta 2615 Pro Diver and the Seiko SKX781 Orange Monster


The dial colors, Monster like indices and bezel edges will tell you that you bought the wrong Invicta. Good thing those arrow hands were not applied, the hands on that Invicta look horrible. And the no shroud design just makes it a little monster with no muscle.

Invicta Pro Diver and Timex T29781 now takes on Rolex Submariner




I bet your eyes are rolling over like playing a game of spot the difference. But to be fair, the Timex and the Invicta have their share of markets due to the massive price difference. Quality surely pays a lot of gap, but the two will surely hold up to any beating. But back to my case, would you really buy an original brand with a fake design? Expeditions and Ironmans are a better bet.

Timex T22232 inspired by Tag Heuer Monaco




Well yes they have lots of differences, but surely the designer from Timex was probably watching Le Mans or scrambling through magazines with TH ads when he sketched out this design the next day. Both are good on their own levels of class.

I have personally lost respect for Invictas, good thing I never bought one. Timex, almost but not yet, they're there so that the masses can have a respectable one too. I do hope this list won't be added.