Timex Weekender 38mm Review - The Iconic Watch Timex Wants You To Forget
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Timex is one of the most storied brands in US watchmaking history. Founded back in 1854 as the Waterbury Clock Company, they have had a pretty successful run over the last century and a half. By the 1960’s, one out of every three watches sold in the States was a Timex, due to their low margins and consequently low prices.
Unfortunately, the Chinese watch invasion of the late 1970s and early 80s all but killed the American watch industry. Timex was hit especially hard by this shift in manufacturing, with their value proposition being made obsolete by the tidal wave of lower-priced offerings coming from the east. They were forced to either adapt or die.
So, by 2001, the majority of the brand's US watch production had ceased completely, with most manufacturing being relocated abroad; in an attempt to cut costs and maintain some semblance of market share. They had to go back to their roots, some way or another.
Perhaps no watch better showcases this mentality than the iconic Timex Weekender. This cheap and cheerful piece is known to take a licking but keep on ticking; which has arguably sealed its status as Timex’s most popular model ever.
When you think of Timex, chances are you think of the Weekender aesthetic.
Despite the success, in the 2020s, I’m not sure Timex wants you to think that way.
To find out why, let’s run through what this watch offers; then we’ll assess how in some ways, this approach may be holding the brand back today.
Watch case & Specifications
The model I have here is the 38mm Weekender, with an 8.9mm depth and a 45.6mm lug to lug. This suits my slim 6.25 inch very nicely, though they do make several other versions of this watch. Notably, you have the 40mm weekender, with a slightly different layout and a range of alternatives including the Weekender chronograph and the Weekender Fairfield watches which I’ve covered before.
|
Specifications |
Timex Weekender |
|
Lug to Lug |
45.6 mm |
|
Case Diameter |
38 mm |
|
Case Thickness |
8.9 mm |
|
Lug Width |
20 mm |
|
Water Resistance |
30 metres |
All of the options maintain the same brass construction, with a chromed finish, to give that highly reflective, glossy look. This is a lower-end material, which won’t last as well as stainless-steel in most situations, however, I must say Timex has done quite a good job of making this feel like a reasonable quality product.
When you consider that most watches at this price point are either made of brass or resin, it’s not bad at all; though you can get some obscure Chinese brands with stainless-steel cases for a similar price. It does feature a steel snap-back rear, which provides a low 30m of water resistance to handle splashes and rain; though swimming is a no-go with this watch.
Performance
While water performance is below-par, the low-light capabilities are among the best out there. Introduced in the early 1990s the infamous Indiglo technology gives some of the brightest visuals when the crown is compressed. This impressive feature is present on all of the Weekender watches and can prove very handy in a pinch, something very few rivals can compete with.
Design
Stylistically, it’s all in the name. This watch is a casual one designed to be versatile for weekend usage with a variety of different clothing items. It has legible bold numbers indicating each hour, with a plain black handset and raised chapter ring housing the minute track. This particular variant has a more modern white dial, though these Weekenders come in a huge variety of colours for maximum flexibility.
This is aided by the large range of 20mm straps that you can use to transform the aesthetic completely. Mine came with this basic blue and red NATO strap. As you can guess, these default options are not the best quality, but they’re better than I expected considering the incredibly low retail price.
Watch Dial
I also didn’t anticipate the printing on the dial to be quite so precise. I’m in no way claiming this competes with luxury watches, obviously it doesn’t. However, even at a super-macro level the inking still looks fairly decent.
Aside from the case, other factors do show it’s a low-end watch. Overall, the dial is very flat, with nothing applied at all, even the Timex logo is printed. There is also the odd imperfection, such as tiny bits of dust and dirt under the crystal.
Movement
Most noticeably, of course, there is the heavily audible tick. This watch has a mythical status as one of the loudest out there and by gosh is that true. While the quartz movement within is very accurate and well-aligned, at least in this unit’s case, the brass housing doesn’t do a great job of sound isolation. Good luck trying to sleep with this watch in the room.
Price & brand perception
Despite the flaws, it’s still a solid, reliable watch for very little money. In fact, on Amazon, you can grab these for under £50 even during the pandemic. If you’re in the US, these drop much lower, often closer to $20.
Additionally, you can often pick these up in a variety of department stores for similar prices. Unfortunately, I think that’s where some of the issues start to emerge. For decades Timex has been seen as this cheap, grab and go department store brand; because in all honesty that is how they positioned themselves, in an attempt to survive the Chinese quartz influx.
Over the last few years, Timex has been making efforts to upgrade its public perception, by producing some more premium watches, alongside many limited edition models; including some mechanical options, for the first time in what feels like forever.
Despite the great success of some of these forays, such as the popular Q Timex lineup and the substantial improvements in Timex’s digital presence, something still looms overhead.
It’s clear to me that the brand hasn’t fully shaken off that cheap, grocery store image. You can see it in the comments on some YouTube reviews; with users questioning why anyone would ever consider spending £200 on a Chinese-made quartz Timex watch.
To be honest, I think this is a very fair question. Fundamentally, there isn’t a huge difference between this Weekender and some of these newer watches at 10x the cost. My dad said something very similar a few weeks back when I showed him a more expensive Timex watch, he couldn’t understand why it was so much more expensive.
When considering products to purchase in general, we subconsciously assess the brand’s image, history and previous track record to construct our expectations of what they should be moving forward. I bet if cheap watches like this Weekender didn’t exist, these reservations about their more expensive models wouldn’t be so strong.
Nevertheless, without these budget models, perhaps Timex wouldn’t even be around in 2020? Makes you think, doesn’t it?
This is an example of a watch that helped save Timex from a bad situation, however, perhaps they would rather you forget it these days.
