CrunchGear

I had a Timex watch once, and it was a piece of crap. Horrible accuracy, it would drift by minutes every week. Whereas I’ve never had problems with any Casio watch. I’d have a really hard time spending $500+ on a Timex.

I think they are making a huge step on the market and want to explore another level of watches. If I read the spec OK I find It’s a incredible price for what they offer. I’ve been collecting watches for years and this from different types and price ranges. I will buy a timex in the near futur and see what they have to offer.

Mathew is a dumb ass & I think he is a piece of crap! He sounds like he drifts all over the place. I’ve always had problems with dumb asses like Mathew but I’ve never had problems with any one else. I’d have a really hard time pissing on his ass if it caught fire.

Gotta admire a traditional compass embedded into the watch like this. Rather than the digital varieties one sees all the time. That alone is an invaluable prop for an inhabitant of NYC.

I bought TX 730, white dial, leather band. Compass calibration is explained there . Precision Navigation is the company behing TX electronic compass… Great watch, btw. :)

http://www.pnicorp.com/index?nodeId=c1d and read “Multipoint Calibration Primer (PDF 148 Kb)”

Thanks for the review! I’ve been looking for info on these watches for sometime and yours is by far the most complete. I am going to purchase one soon based upon your recommendation.

Hey Paul, do you mind saying what you paid for yours? I purchased the same watch (730, white face, black leather band) on ebay for $439. The seller was asking $549. I low balled him at $400 just to see the reaction. He came back at $499. I countered with $439 and he accepted. I must admit I’m a bit surprised as these seem pretty hard to get at that price (thus the reason for my curiosity). Thanks!

hi,

I purchased the tx 730, as in the one displayed above. here are some items that need mentioning, besides my incredible disappointment..

1-watch is unreadable in daylight hours unless you hold your wrist in a certain direction. as in the photo above.

2-the hands are also a little too lean to clearly read the time. I found I had to work at reading it.

3-for $549, I expect more from a watch. they used indiglo on the watch. which in translation means that as soon as you go indoors or the dark… so does the watch. after about 120 seconds… it goes dark and does not retain the glow. At this price point, super luminova should be used. I have a luminox ultimate seal…well that is a whole other category.

4-the bezel does not sit firmly onto the case. there was a click sound that emitted whenever you pressed the bezel at certain points.

needless to say.. this is a fantastic looking watch , that fails as far as usability is concerned. they have skimmed on the items that should not have been. it was a challenge to use this watch for what it is intended for. telling time and also doing it in the dark. the fact that there is the compass on the watch and it is not a digital one is an incredible selling point. but $500+ is a steep price for a compass.

so, i returned the watch and even checked the other ones and guess what? same result. No disrespect to the reviewer, though my experience was quite different.
Respectfully

I recently purchased the white face TX 730 with Steel bracelet. Regarding the 4 points raised by the reviewer above:

1. This is not the case for me at all. I find the watch to be very easy to read, and I love the skeletonized hands.

2. Not sure how they are “lean” in that they are not thin at all in my opinion. I find the hand design a strength of the watch (for me).

3. The lume seems fine to me, although I will grant it is not the same caliber as my Sinn 103, but I find it lasts much longer than 120 seconds. much.

4. I will agree with the reviewer above. I had not even thought to try this, but he is right.

Overall, I am personally very pleased with this watch. I like to look and feel (it’s solid an heavy), I am finding it to keep excellent time, and I love the retro dials and also the compass.

The only gripe I might have is when you press the chrono or compass buttons, there is no “click”. They just go in, and the function starts. I would have preferred some tactile feedback when pressing a button. Oh, and I would have preferred something other than battery power. Kinetic or Solar would have been perfect, but as this is my only watch needing a battery, it was worth it to me based on the looks and functions.

I expected a pretty nice watch, and feel like I got one a little better than I expected.

Would love to hear other owners comments.

I just bought a TX 730 from Bloomingdales at $550+tax with a black dial and black PVD coating. Overall a stunning watch and I am very happy with it. Minor nitpicks: pushbuttons don’t click during activation; no screw down crown on a “sports” watch but the TX dress watch does have a screw down crown - strange; second time zone hash marks are so fine my middle-aged eyes can barely discern markings; second hand does not align with the 60 second hash marks on the dial precisely but I’ve seen this in TAG watches and Swiss makes. Plusses: Bezel turns and clicks solid like on a Omega Seamaster Chrono (like in picture, I’ve got one too); TX watch is much lighter than an Omega Seamaster Chrono (mechanical) since quartz saves some weight and lighter gage metal on TX bracelet I suppose; bracelet very well made; PVD coating has both polished and matte surfaces and looks way cool; trapezoidal window contains pretty good size date numerals easy to read without cyclops magnifier; compass is a fun gadget. Good value for the money spent - not quite up to the quality or feel of a Rolex, Breitling, TAG, or Omega (all of which I own), but doesn’t cost as much as those makes either.

Just purchased a TX 730, and need to return the watch to have sized. I was in the market for the Breitling Super ocean. Which at this time was out of my price range. So far I find this watch the perfect weight, and a entry level collector watch, which will still turn heads. For the price you get alot of watch to complement any wardrobe. I guess time will tell. I havent seen this style of watch around yet in the $430. range as yet..

Just purchased the brown strap, rose gold bezel with black face from Nordstrom for $425 and love it. I collect timepieces and have the Tags, Omegas, etc… and have paid substantially more for them. This watch wtih sapphire crystal and elegant looks seem to have “expensive look” than some of my much more expensive watches. For $425, I know I am not getting a Rolex or a Baum/Mercier but I feel like I got a beautiful watch and have received many positive comments so to all you negative folks - it does not way Timex, it is a German movement - which is on par with a Swiss movement and a sturdy well made watch. If you want the look with a Baum/Mercier name and an automatic, go spend $2000+.

Will purchase one within the next week for myself.
One month ago picked up a Timex T-Series Racing Chronograph-red. Have never been so surprised in my life–the detail is astounding and it looks and feels like two grand worth. Had no problem whatsoever leaving a Seamaster Chronograph on the winder for a week. Still don’t.

If the 730(old-style) is a worthy extension of Timex’s ability I will be moved. Think I’ll go black face/stainless case and immediately put a good, padded orange or yellow band on the ride so everybody get jealous.

I was enthralled with the TX watches when I first read about them in Men’s Vogue, but I haven’t been taken with their design. Citizen Calibre, IMHO, is leaps and bounds ahead. My 8700 is a phenomenal watch!

In late december of 07 I purchased a tx730 with the black strap, black dial and the stainless steel case. Love the watch. Purchased it for 350.00(in Toronto Canada.) Add GST and PST 400.00 out the door.

I have been working in the watch industry for years (selling to both consumers and businesses). I now have a few retail stores in the Seattle area that specialize in a number of quality watch brands.

I researched the possibility of carrying this line in my stores, but ultimately decided against it. I had a few major concerns and I would like to get some feedback from those who have owned one for more than a few days. Here are my concerns:

1) They have a proprietary movement with 4 independant rotors. This isnt necessarily a negative in and of itself. It concerns me that Timex does not have a track record for producing quality movements.

2) When I pull out the crown to set the time the crown actually “wobbles”. This is big red flag for me. It tells me that the watch movement is NOT as solid as it first appears.

3) They do use 316L stainless steel, but it feel extremely light in the holding it. This goes for both the bracelet as well as the watch case. It appears that they cheaped out in manufacturing by using a low index steel.

4) The watch is completely assembled in the Philipines. This is a HUGE red flag for me. Does this concern anyone else?

5) Similar to the previous posting, I also noticed that the bezel is not securely attached to the case.

After a lot of consideration I think there are a TON of other watches out there that are much better values. A few that come to my mind immediately are: Swiss Army Victorinox, Zodiac, Tissot, and even fashion watches like Burberry.

I am looking forward to reading your responses.

To the above retailer: I have to agree. I collect watches, owning a current collection of about 50 high-end current and vintage watches, and have been looking for a solid everyday watch that can take a beating and I won’t feel too bad about possibly destroying. I don’t mind paying $400-500 for this type of watch, but I have definite concerns regarding its manufacturing and craftsmanship. The movement is NOT made in Germany, but was simply “German-designed” and Asian-produced. Being Asian-mass-produced raises some large quality concerns and red-flags. Its water-resistance is nothing more than ordinary at 10atm. The multiple motors means more opportunity for something to break. I agree that a Tissot, Swiss Army, Luminox, etc (or even a Seiko) would probably be a better value, if only they produced a product that had the cosmetic appeal of this watch.

I agree with the many people commenting on the fantastic aesthetics of this watch, but paying a half-a-grand for nice packaging with a built-in compass is a fool’s perception of value if the heart of the watch is not built to last. I think I will wait a little longer to see how this watch survives the test of time before spending my money.

Hey Dave & Jon. I bought my 730 one year ago (May 2007). It has run like a champ. No loose crown. No lost minutes. Tight bezel. I’m very tough on watches and this one has faired just the same. Despite that the crystal is pristine.

I love the way this watch looks too. I get so many comments on the watch that it’s almost silly. In fact, I get more comments about my great looking watch in a month then I got in 5 years on my $6000 Rolex Datejust!!!

I certainly understand your comments and concerns about quality. I researched Timex and this specific watch before purchasing and decide that it was worth the risk to try it out. In the end the only real way to know is if I’m still wearing the watch 9 years from now. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy wearing it each day. In fact, I like it so much I’m considering buying a 500!

One serious problem with this watch is the casing, which can become magnetized. This is a profound design flaw, as even a slight magnetic field from the casing renders the compass useless. I’ve repeatedly calibrated the compass to no effect. This was a problem right out of the box.