The first watch I ever got was a wind-up Timex date watch back in the 1970s when I was about 7 years old. I still have that watch, it still runs fine, but it's a boy's watch and looks too small for my wrist, now. Back then the commercials said "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking". Timex was known for affordable quality watches. In recent years that reputation has slipped into "cheap", and it was sad to see Timex give up on mechanical watches.
Along comes this good-looking watch with a Chinese movement to regain my interest. I've had it for about 2 weeks now, and it's for real.
The brown leather strap is sturdy and a bit stiff; it will need a little softening up, but it's not going anywhere. The case is brushed stainless steel and the face is an attractive off-white/cream color. First impression is a classy-looking watch, although the case is a bit thick, which makes it look rugged but not so upscale. The back is clear and it's cool to see the "Timex"-marked rotor and moving parts.
The power reserve and 24-hr hands are thin but easy to see, as is the thin red second hand. The date and its magnifier are elegant-looking, but you have to look straight down at the date to read it. The hour and minute hands are a simple polished metal, and to me are a weak point in the design. They have no luminescence so you can't see time in the dark, and the minute hand sticks up at a slight angle if you look at the watch from a low angle. I can live without glow-in-the-dark for a classy watch, but simple black hands would look nicer against the light face.
The mechanism fully wound runs for about 36-48 hours or so, but this watch can also be manually wound, which is nice for pulling it out of storage, setting it and go. My biggest fault with it is that the accuracy should be better, even for a cheap watch. It's off by a minute or two per day it seems, and the "second" hand is off within minutes of setting the watch, despite the time hack feature.
I'm not sure how rugged this watch is, but I wouldn't wear it on a construction site or around lots of water and fluids. It's a good office-worker or student watch, and it looks pretty sharp.
Overall I like it. Timex just needs to tighten the standards a bit for the mechanism and do something with the hands.Buy Timex Men's Automatic Brown Strap Watch #T2D941!
