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Zeb
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I snagged one of these yestersay, mostly out of curiosity.  I wanted to take a good look at what Timex could do for under $200.00.  The verdict?  Read on... :D
  • Watch: Timex Automatic Power Reserve white dial
  • Model#: T2C261
  • List Price: $150.00
  • Purchase Price: $75.00 (1 day 50% off sale at Penney's - lucked out yesterday. :D)
  • Case: Stainless steel with glass display back
  • Bracelet: folded stainless steel
  • Movement: Chinese automatic
  • Crystal: Mineral
  • Water Resistant 50m
Pictures follow thw review.  I'm too lazy to fit them in the text where they belong. ;)  I'll take one part of the watch at a time, starting with:
  • The case:  The case is solid stainless steel, and feels solid.  The finish is both polished and brushed, with a polished bezel and polished accents at the ends of the lugs.  The quality is... adequate.  The finishing seems like it was done by a machine, not elegant or luxurious, but more functional.  All in all it works pretty well, and is equal to the cheap Chinese watches I've had in my collection.  Which is appropriate, since this watch makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is, indeed, a cheap Chinese watch.  A sticker on the caseback and the label on the box say "Movt China, Band China."
  • The Bracelet: Basically, it's cheap.  It's vey thin and rattly, and it may be made of stainless steel, but it feels like there's a lot of nickel in it.  It does, however, do a good job of looking like a solid link bracelet from the side.  The seams are all at the ends of the links, so when the bracelet is viewd from the top or bottom they're hidden between the links.  The end links are hollow and similarly cheap feeling, and check out the picture to see the rough edges of the steel, complete with burrs and toolmarks. The clasp opens and closes smoothly and easily, and stays securely closed.  It has 2 positions for fine adjustment.  Big guys beware!  The bracelet is just long enough to fit my 7.75" wrist, with one extra position in the clasp to expand.  It will most likely not fit an 8" wrist.
  • The movement:  It's Chinese made, and looks like it was made by the same company that made the movement in this Trias I used to own - Trias Stealth Pilot Movement Pic.  - The auto winding bridge and balance cock are identical.  I would say that the movement is the best part of the watch.  It hacks and handwinds.  The functions are time, date, fixed 24hr indicator at 12, and power reserve at 6:00.  During the 24 hours I've owned it, it gained about 15 seconds, which is pretty good in my book.  This is the first power reserve watch I've had that is hand-windable, and it's really cool to wind it and watch the P/R increase.  And it increases qucikly.  About 10 winds put it up to haslf full.
  • The crystal:  It's just a flat crystal, with a tiny cyclops at 4:30 for the date.  THIS CYCLOPS SUCKS! :D It is way more difficult to actually see the date with it than it would be to see it without it.  Definitely a big thumbs down.
  • The Crown:  It sticks out a little oddly, but functionally it's excellent.  It's easy to grasp and move to the different positions.  Having the knurling slightly away from the case makes it easy for big fingers like mine to use it.  It screws down to the case in a nice positive way, with 2 complete turns of engagement.  Not bad at all for a cheap watch that's only 50m W/R.
  • The Hands: I like the blue second hand, and the subdial hands, but the hour and minute hands seem very cheap.  The don't look quite as bad as in my pictures, but they are basically stamped pieces of sheet metal.  In real life they are highly polished, and have a facet on each side, so they catch the light and look a little nicer than I could capture.  However, they are definitely a weak point for the watch.
  • The Dial:  I think the dial is very well done, and the finish and markings look good even under magnification.  The numbers and markers are applied, and highly polished.  Excellent at this price point.
The watch has it's problems, but for $75.00 it looks nice and is a fun toy.  At list price it may be a little of an underachiever.  I'm wearing it now, and enjoying it quite a bit.  I hope this review helps you if you're thinking of buying one.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.  Thanks for looking!

Dan:)
































oagaspar
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Excellent Review Dan...Concise.....Direct.... and Most of All Honest This is One Timex that will make it's way into My Collection.........Your Pics Make it Very Inviting.......Absolutely Awesome  Ty For the Time Taken to Explain the Flaws and Qualities of this Timepiece Dan ..they Have Made My Decision Much Easier

Gregger
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O.A. Gaspar wrote: Excellent Review Dan...Concise.....Direct.... and Most of All Honest This is One Timex that will make it's way into My Collection.........Your Pics Make it Very Inviting.......Absolutely Awesome  Ty For the Time Taken to Explain the Flaws and Qualities of this Timepiece Dan ..they Have Made My Decision Much Easier
Am I missing something???? All I see are pic's...where is the verbiage???? Looks like a very nice watch.

deidler
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Very refreshing review.  I enjoy when people are honest about the build of a watch.  You could have said it is a good watch for the money, like most.  Great pics and great review.  Thanks!

mcwright
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Excellent review. Great pictures. Well put together. I really enjoyed reading it and looking through the pictures. Thanks!

nrg
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DITTO!!

Gregger wrote:
Am I missing something???? All I see are pic's...where is the verbiage???? Looks like a very nice watch.

deidler
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I don't know why you guys wouldn't be able to see it.  I hope the op doesn't mind.  I copied and pasted.  It is a great review and shouldn't be missed imo.  Hopefully you can see it now.


 Posted: Thursday Jun 15th, 2006 09:38 PM
Quote
Reply Trias Stealth Pilot Movement Pic.  - The auto winding bridge and balance cock are identical.  I would say that the movement is the best part of the watch.  It hacks and handwinds.  The functions are time, date, fixed 24hr indicator at 12, and power reserve at 6:00.  During the 24 hours I've owned it, it gained about 15 seconds, which is pretty good in my book.  This is the first power reserve watch I've had that is hand-windable, and it's really cool to wind it and watch the P/R increase.  And it increases qucikly.  About 10 winds put it up to haslf full.[/list]
  • The crystal:  It's just a flat crystal, with a tiny cyclops at 4:30 for the date.  THIS CYCLOPS SUCKS! :D It is way more difficult to actually see the date with it than it would be to see it without it.  Definitely a big thumbs down.
  • The Crown:  It sticks out a little oddly, but functionally it's excellent.  It's easy to grasp and move to the different positions.  Having the knurling slightly away from the case makes it easy for big fingers like mine to use it.  It screws down to the case in a nice positive way, with 2 complete turns of engagement.  Not bad at all for a cheap watch that's only 50m W/R.
  • The Hands: I like the blue second hand, and the subdial hands, but the hour and minute hands seem very cheap.  The don't look quite as bad as in my pictures, but they are basically stamped pieces of sheet metal.  In real life they are highly polished, and have a facet on each side, so they catch the light and look a little nicer than I could capture.  However, they are definitely a weak point for the watch.
  • The Dial:  I think the dial is very well done, and the finish and markings look good even under magnification.  The numbers and markers are applied, and highly polished.  Excellent at this price point.
The watch has it's problems, but for $75.00 it looks nice and is a fun toy.  At list price it may be a little of an underachiever.  I'm wearing it now, and enjoying it quite a bit.  I hope this review helps you if you're thinking of buying one.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.  Thanks for looking!

Dan:)

James Haury
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That was a very good review of the timex Auto .If i could find one for 75 dollars i might get it. The trouble with my autos (i have 5) is that i always feel they are too pretty /vauable to wear out biking etc and so they sit in the box while one of my less expensive quartz watches get an adventure.I would probably get my vostok amphibia cleaned  and timed before buying a new timex auto or get my old timex auto worked on first. 

KenC
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Great review.........and a handsome watch........except for those hands - they bother me!

canadajo
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EXCELLENT REVIEW....NICE PICS....VERY HELPFUL

RandyG
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Awesome. I'm glad Timex is back making mechanicals. A power reserve for $75 is a deal

psychobooe
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Are the new Timex Automatics true mechanical automatics?  I have the original Seiko Kinetic Auto Relay, and I love that watch, but I am really wanting a true mechanical automatic with a constant sweep second hand.  I thought maybe the Timex would be an inexpensive option.  Thanks for the help.

canadajo
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It is a true mechanical

James Haury
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A good inexpensive option would be a Seiko 5 from overstock.They are a smaller watch ,but if your wrist is around 7 inches they are proportionate and a good looker and almost gauranteed to be cheaper than a full price Timex auto.Also check if there are any Prague autos  available i think they are a good value.( the ones I have are wr to 50 m and are  chinese automatics like the timex.They are made in Hong kong according to overstockand have a visible balance and a display back .They are chunkier than the seiko 5"s. I have 2 prague autos and 2 seiko 5's Military style( wr 30 m) and a  Diver style(wr 100 m) and i am happy with them.Also check out the watches on russia4u .type that into the search box and follow it to Stuart Tomaneks site.If you order a watch though keep bugging him about delivery on second thought while you can get some good deals from russia4u ,the hassle may not be worth it .But if you go check out the lucky dip section.I recieved a slava auto from that section for about 36 dollars with shipping.  A good translation for lucky dip is grab bag.

Last edited on Sat Feb 10th, 2007 09:06 am by James Haury

zippofan
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I bought the same Timex right after Christmas for just around $100.  I like it, but first thing I did was ditch the bracelet and replace it with an Alpha bracelet left over from my Newman chrono.  The end links didn't work so I just used the Timex end links with the rest of the Alpha bracelet.  Works well, no rattle and you would never know it wasn't the original :)

The main hands are a bit iffy in pics but in person they work, IMHO.  The blue second hand looks great.  I really like the power reserve indicator, and it is keeping excellent time.  However, the cyclops does suck big time!

I have put it in regular work rotation, looks good with a shirt and tie hand6.gif

Cheers,
Griff

KenC
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NICELY DONE REVIEW!!!!  Well written and detailed!

watchguru
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thanks for the review! that was very helpful.  i'm a collector, but i really want a cheap auto - a beater, so to speak - and the timex is surely on my radar screen ...

James Haury
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Unless you get a good discount on a timex auto. You can get a better deal on a Seiko 5 from Overstock( which is a very good watch) or from one of the members selling off a watch right here.Here is another website which offers some very inexpensive options . I cannot post the link sorry. Look around you may run across it.

Last edited on Thu Mar 1st, 2007 06:41 pm by James Haury

ern1911
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Very slick lookung watch, might have to get one for the heck of it!

Skipdawg
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Shoot I would not mind snagging one of those. May have to take a run to JC Penny's this week. :cool:

JohnMichael
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I recently bought a Timex auto to add to my collection. The model I have is with the leather strap and black face. I was surprised a Timex caught my eye since I have not owned one since childhood. My watch is running about 24 seconds fast a day which I find to be good for a watch of this cost.

Lyndonville
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These watches are made for Timex by Sea Gull.  Here is another version.


Attachment: Model M163S.JPG (Downloaded 42 times)

Skipdawg
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Lyndonville wrote: These watches are made for Timex by Sea Gull.  Here is another version.




KEWL! :dude:

Thanks for sharing that pic. Nice! ;)

hand6.gif

Lyndonville
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Your welcome.  Here is the Timex version Sea Gull makes for them.  Tim

Attachment: Timex Version.png (Downloaded 46 times)

Skipdawg
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Very cool Tim. And hay welcome to 3T it's a great place to be. ;)

Lyndonville
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Thanks.  I'm on a few other forums and accidently came upon this one while searching for a price on the Timex/Sea Gull.  I'm looking for a price, but, so far, no luck.  The Sea Gull sells for $250.00.  It will be interesting to see what Timex wants.   Tim

oagaspar
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Lyndonville wrote:

Welcome to 3T Timhand6.gif Timex gets $175.00 for themwatch2.gif

http://www.timex.com/gp/node/n/238519011?ie=UTF8&timexBrand=core
Thanks.  I'm on a few other forums and accidently came upon this one while searching for a price on the Timex/Sea Gull.  I'm looking for a price, but, so far, no luck.  The Sea Gull sells for $250.00.  It will be interesting to see what Timex wants.   Tim

Lyndonville
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I went there and looked.  In fact I was in it at the time I received your posting.  I don't see a price, but I do see that it is "unavailable."   Tim

Excuse me, yes I do see the price.  Tnx!

Last edited on Tue Sep 11th, 2007 02:07 pm by Lyndonville

Lyndonville
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I did notice a difference between the specs on the watches.  The Timex is a 22 Jewel movement.  Also, the Timex has glass, I assume mineral, on the back and front.  These are the specs on the Sea-Gull.  Perhaps the difference between the two support the higher cost of the Sea-Gull.  In addition to that the Sea-Gull seem to me a watch style you could wear out for the evening along with day use without being tied to a "sports" watch.  Anyhow, it's all kind of interesting.

Brand:SEA-GULL
Model number:M163S-21
Watch size:Diameter:38mm Thickness:12mm
Movement:High-quality POWER RESERVE AUTOMATIC 38 Jewel MOVEMENT .
Vibration:21600A/h
Case: 316L stainless steel
Dial:White.
Crystal: sapphire crystal
Back cover:sapphire crystal
Water-resistant:5 ATM
BRACELET :STAINLESS STEEL
Buckle: Stainless steel
Warranty:2 year(free)

a2phone
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I'm new, and don't know if anyone will see this or if this is appropriate but I thought it was too good not to share.

The white faced model is just $32.99 at kohls.com (plus $6.95 postage if you don't spend $75.00).

Mine is supposed to be here Thursday.

JohnMichael
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a2phone wrote: I'm new, and don't know if anyone will see this or if this is appropriate but I thought it was too good not to share.

The white faced model is just $32.99 at kohls.com (plus $6.95 postage if you don't spend $75.00).

Mine is supposed to be here Thursday.


Great first post. I just ordered one and I do not know if it will be a gift or for me. I have the black dial auto and the white would be fun to have. No sweat at that price.

snoopy1.gif 

oagaspar
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TY for the tip a2 and Welcome to 3T...the white dial model only as you say...great buy!....and I don't expect it to last longhand6.gif why don't you post a link to the Kohls site and sale in the Time Talk section Buddy as many more will see it there...TYwatch2.gif

hairspring
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hand6.gif nice review, i have been wearing the beige dial with red second hand and brown

leather strap for about 6 weeks now and i have enjoyed it. Its large and heavy but

keeps the time well and holds its reserve. haven't had to restart it yet. im a big fan of mechanical watches and clocks, i own a few mechanical watches and prefer to wear them anyday over a quartz,, the timex although inexpensive is a nice addition to any timepiece collection.. and yes i do agree the magnifier sucks bad.....

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Great review and nice watch........yourock.gif


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