★★★★★ 2
Keeps lousy time
Color: Silver-Tone/Black
I purchased this watch off Amazon Warehouse well below MSRP out of curiosity to see what Timex is doing in 2024. The specs are good - bead blasted stainless case, solar movement with quick set date and hacking, sapphire crystal, screwdown crown and 100m water resistance. The movement is Japanese, case and bracelet are made in China, and the watch is assembled somewhere overseas.
The good - the watch is lightweight and comfortable on the wrist. Price, even at full MSRP makes this an extremely good value for what you get. It is a good looking Flieger style watch. Once fully charged it is keeping good time. Case finish is well executed and without rough or sharp edges.
The bad - the lume is weak. When blasted with UV, it fades quickly and within 5 minutes it’s gone. The bracelet is low end, but expected at this price point. I swapped it out with a nice leather strap from my collection with better quality spring bars and it makes the watch look and feel higher end.
The Ugly - the second hand misses nearly all the chapter ring marks. The minute and hour hands are aligned, but that second hand seems to have a mind of its own. On my watch it lines up with chapter ring marks maybe 10% of the time, but it’s not consistent.
Sum up, for a sub $200 watch the specs are great and it’s a good looking comfortable watch. Just keep your expectations aligned with what you are paying for. It compares favorably to Orients & Citizens at this price, and offers better value than comparable competitors now that Seiko has gone upmarket. I like this watch. Just don’t compare it to a Swiss watch costing several times its price.
Update after a few months: I’m changing my rating to 3 stars. This watch keeps lousy time! It is loosing around 5 minutes per month. And it is fully charged. I have other Solar quartz watches from Citizen, Seiko and Vaer which maintain very good accuracy. But this Timex … defeats the purpose of a solar powered “grab and go” watch when you have to correct the time each occurrence you want to wear it.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
