Timex Weekender Chronograph
I enjoy reviewing low-cost watches just as much as significant-cost watches. The Timex Weekender Chronograph is an example of a watch that is affordable for most people, given a certain expectation of how long they will wear it until moving onto something else. Like any watch purchase, information needs to be available so you know what you are getting, how long it might last, and how to operate it.
I picked this watch up in a “deal” on Amazon for about $40. The Weekender typically costs between $55-$60 at places like Amazon, JCPenny, and Kohl’s. This is the first, and currently only, Timex in my collection.
The details:
- Watch: Timex Weekender Chronograph (TWC063500)
- Diameter: 40mm
- Height: 11.25mm
- Weight: ~65g
- Movement: Timex Philippines
- Battery: CR2016
- Battery Life: ~3 years
- Jewels: Unknown
- Lume: Indiglo backlight
- Accuracy: Unknown
- Crystal: Mineral
- Case: Coated Brass, Stainless steel back
- Water Resistance: 30m/100ft (don’t get it very wet!)
- Strap: Leather NATO, light brown, 20mm
- Retail Cost: Timex ($88), Other (~$55, but look for a deal around $40)
My intention with this review is to get information out there, but also as a kickoff to an experiment as to how this wears over time. Such is the case with many of my watches that I intend to circle back to and provide updates and pictures in the future.
The review video: [https://youtu.be/dk1hXbi0v7U]
The review:
The packaging is what you would expect, a simple box with the watch on a plastic stand.
Note that the date wheel on mine is black, not white. I am glad it is black.
So why did I buy this watch? Well, I wanted to give a Timex a try (perhaps nostalgia), it was a reasonable deal on Amazon, and I actually like the design. I like the cream dial against the black case. The hands are not the best quality, but they get the job done. I am a sucker for a small seconds complication and I like the simplicity and font choices on the dial.
I like the rounded pushers, they work just fine. Top pusher is start/stop. Bottom pusher is reset. As for the crown, in 1st position you push in to activate the Indiglo light. In 2nd position the minute hand stays in place while the hour hand quickly moves forward and backward for “quick setting” the date. On most watches with a date complication the 2nd position just quick sets the date wheel, so the operation of this date complication is a little strange. The crown can be quite stiff when pulling it out into 3rd position, which is for time setting. So you may find yourself giving a little extra oomph to get to 3rd position.
very helpful review as I was wondering how to reset and what the top left dial was for. I got the blue face with the chromed case. the first thing I did was throw out the synthetic leather band and get a blue nato ballistic nylon strap and absolutely love this inexpensive watch with of course the issue with the long second hand not being a sweeping second hand but just for the stop watch function which I didn’t read anywhere prior to buying. who would even think to look for that. thank you for clearing up the instructions
Great! Glad you found it helpful, and yeah it’s one of the reasons I decided to put the setting instructions in…it doesn’t get shown anywhere else!
Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what the diameter of the dial itself is? I’m planning on buying one to use the case for a vintage franken-chronograph project I’m working on.
Hello. I wish I could help but I am unsure of the actual dial size. I would take it apart and see, but I gave this away some time back in a giveaway.
Bought the watch 4 days ago. Was wondering can a shop change out the Crystal to a sapphire crystal? What would that cost round about figurings ?
I would say it depends on the shop. A legit watchmaker would be able to swap out the crystal. As for cost, that will also depend, but it’s not that much $$
I have a Fairfield Chronograph which has the same arrangement of hands ,etc. What is the fourth short stubby hand for? The one that is not the hour or the minute or the long thin hand the chronograph uses. It shows in your pictures at the six oclock position.
The subdial and small hand toward 6 is the small seconds complication (for the main timekeeping), but perhaps you are talking about the counterbalance on the chronograph seconds hand that is pointing toward 6 when not running?
I have a weekender whos chronograph still functions, but it doesn’t keep time with the hour and minute hand anymore. Any ideas what might cause that?
When it comes to any weird issues with a quartz chrono, first thing I’d try is replacing the battery…
Thanks so much for this article. I received this watch as a gift and could not figure out how to set the time. I could only get the stem out to position B which would only allow me to move the hour hand but not the minute hand. I tried several times to get the stem out one more click but I was afraid that I would break it. I was about to return it on Amazon as defective when I came across this on a Google search. When I read the part about the stem requiring an extra bit of effort to get to the C position it was an Aha moment. So armed with that knowledge I returned to the task and was able to finally get the stem out to where I could set everything as needed. Stiff is a bit of an understatement!
Glad you found the article and that it was helpful!
Hi,
Great review and article, beautiful pictures!
Any chance you would know where to find this watch nowadays?
Kind regards
Amazon or ebay, if you are looking for a specific model. Can sometimes be difficult to track down a past color.