No 38 – Timex

I picked up this mechanical Timex of unknown model at a flea market in April 2010 for 10USD. Why? Well it was cheap, it seemed to function quite well and wasn’t totally uncool. Old crap like this is something I usually don’t deal with. Some love to browse through second hand stores or flea markets for vintage watches but not me. Vintage watches are cool but I prefer newly produced. I’m totally fine with heritage watches with fake patina that have the features of old classics but with new fresh movements inside. Take the Longines Legend Diver or the new Omega SM 300 as an example. That’s more my cup of tea. I don’t like old watches because of their unreliable accuracy and doubtful water resistance. A service of an old movement is also associated with high costs. Not good for us flipper’s. That’s why we should stay away from vintage watches unless their service history can be ensured with some authentic documentation. Otherwise we would be ruined in no time. I hate to sell watches that I can’t say work well for sure. That’s why it is extremely important to point out any uncertainties you can’t vouch for when putting out watches for sale. Otherwise it will come back and bite you in the ass sooner or later. I would of course make an exception regarding a service if I happened to find an old rare classic watch for a bargain. This Timex though didn’t fall under that category so I sold it for the same price I paid just to get rid of it. It wore quite well on an 18mm nato-strap and measured approx. 35mm but it was nothing for me to keep.

#38 - An old mechanical Timex.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 17 & 59 - Timex military by J-Crew

I like the clothes from J-Crew. They are of good quality, elegant and without any company logotypes. As I am very simple I prefer one type of jeans, one type of shirts and one type of knitted sweaters. They can all be off different colors as long as they are from the same type and size. I know, it sounds boring but that’s how I like it. Anyhow, on to the watch story!

As my wife accompanied her father on a business trip to San Francisco in November 2009 she made time for a quick stop at J-Crew for me. Apart from some new shirts I had asked her to pick up their new military inspired quartz watch from Timex. The watch measured about 35mm and felt only slight smaller than a Rolex Datejust. It was delivered on an 18mm nato-strap which also contributed to the overall small impression. It looked good though and wore well with shirts. It blended in but still had a unique look. It only cost about $100 and to me it was worth every penny. But I hardly ever used it. I kept it in the drawer for quite some time before I decided to sell it.


#17 – My first Timex from J-Crew. Bought in San Francisco.

The second one I bought myself in Ft. Lauderdale in November 2010. I was doing some shopping at J-Crew and at the register they had the watches in a display. “You know what, please give me one of those too” I said and pointed at the same Timex my wife had bought for me a year earlier. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it. I just figured it was better to have one than not to have one. I’m not sure how long I kept it but I can remember I wore it on New Year’s Eve going into 2011 but unfortunately it is not visible on any of the pictures.



#59 – The second one. Bought in Ft. Lauderdale.

Watches manufactured from clothing lines is nothing I usually deal with. They have a tendency to look like cheap copies with just the company logo printed on the dial. What J-Crew has done is to use already existing watch brands and have them to design and sell their own brands in the J-Crew stores instead of having J-Crew printed on the dial. Feels much more genuine. Spending money on a labeled designers watch from let's say Michael Kors is really to throw your cash away. They are usually quite expensive in relation to what you get in return. There are of course exceptions like Chanel and Hermes whos quality is much higher but still you end up paying a lot for just the design.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.