I Am A Timex Fan…
relatively inexpensive, waterproof and usually goes for years before battery change.
The timex on actually just died after about 1.5 years. But, I not sure if it’s the battery because the buttons are kinda sticking. I have to admit to not being careful about rinsing out after being in the salt.
sing
Timex too…
– Last Updated: Dec-18-05 7:46 PM EST –
I get them as presents from my kids. Current one is an expedition model, good to 50M, clock face not digital. I picture time in my mind graphically with a clock face. Numbers screw me up.
It has some features that I don't bother with. I like that it keeps time. Do like the Indiglo feature. I never take it off. Wake up in the middle of the night, press a button and I know how much longer I can sleep. For work, I switch off to other watches.
Andy
Greyhawk, can I have it then ? : 0
Always wanted that watch.
I like to see how much patina I can get
on my 45.00 ‘dive’ watches + its a wonder how the adjustment knob wears flat over time … that is metal isn’t it ?
Find a good jewler ( not @ BB store) to change the battery and say no to the “Reseal and test” up charge … then they will do it right because they do not want to see you back for them to work on your battery-is-1/4-the-value-of-the-watch… watch. Leaks and gets ruined???.. fate decided for you to get the new one you were wanting but could not bring yourself to buy because you are becoming attached to your old one …
Its cold over here now too …
Seiko Auto Divers watch
I bought it in Naples Italy in 1978 for $90. I have broken the mainspring twice since then The glow in the dark points on the face have faded long ago. It rarely leaves my wrist. Tons of diving,hot showers,bruising impacts,bone chilling cooler-dunks and more than a few cycles through the washing machine and dryer.She keeps on ticking. Last time I busted the spring it cost $75 for a repair including all gaskets. It is not as accurate as a quartz watch but never needs a batt.
I lust for a 50th anniversery Submariner but will have to wait till I kill this one. Something tells me I have a long wait ahead. The nicest feature is the offset post that wont dig into the wrist. I removed the original band and have used “The Band” to ensure that if a pin fails the watch will not fall off your wrist.
Geoff
Timex Expedition -again.
I had a Swiss Army brand watch
that seemed to be bombproof. Unfortunatly the leather strap (wal mart) wasn’t. It’s at the bottom of Lake of the Ozarks. I have no doubt it is still ticking away.I have also had good luck with a Sieko and numerous Timex watches. I’ve never had one leak or break. I always lose them first. BTW, you need a new jeweler!
Rolex Submariner
Polar
As far as watches go
Polar seems okay for the money. F11 about $149.00
This morning my screen froze, customer service helped me reset it.
Timex Helix - didn’t last a year.
Timex Reef Gear was good - lasted four years and then I bought another one and it last four years, however I don’t think they make them now.
Can’t justify the expense of a Sunco
Replacement of batteries just never seems to work, the watch will work but the waterproofing is just plain gone once they put a new battery in.
carefree and easy
I have had no trouble with my casio or my Seiko. I am not a super adventurer like many of you, but i wear the Seiko everyday to work and I bump it against alot of things and there isn’t a scratch. The $20 Casio…looks like a $20 Casio, but it lasts and I beat it up. So I have both ends $20 and $200, I love them both for different reasons…okay I really perfer to look at the gold hands instead of the indiglo.
Liveoutside
Timex here
I had 1 that was 15 yrs old. All the screws but 1 were missing from the face. I could actually pull up the face and see the innards. I decided I would drown this 1 , then get another. I swam, camped , paddled and abused the heck out of it. Even dove 12 ft. deep in a pool. It’s still working.
I have…
a 12 year old Pulsar, 3 battery changes, good to 100Meters, but the most I’ve had it is about 15feet without a problem
Replacing the battery was imposible
I have both, the $20 digal timex 100m watch, and the $100 100m casio dive watch. The timex was dived to 100 feet plus, 4 to 5 times, no problem. It lasted a long time, but it didn’t have the indiglo light up feature. Probably lasted several years. Meanwhile my $100 analog casio battery died less than a year. So it never made it past 50 feet.
Now the wife’s $15 timex’s battery died after about a year, but it had the indiglo light. So I replaced the battery, the battery type was listed on the back plate. BUT, I couldn’t get the watch back together worth beans. To get at the battery, you had to tear out the whole guts of the thing, not just pop off the cover. I mean everything, the display, the plastic frame, the metal retaining clip and the circuit card. So it took several trys, just to get 3 out of 4 buttons working again. Of course the wife was less than pleased. Of course I was frustrated. Then it got water inside when she went swimming. No surprise as the o-ring is very thin, and there was no way to get it set down right. So she got a new watch $15 watch. A lot less hassle than trying to replace the battery in the center of the watch.
Now we just get new watches when the current one dies.
I suppose I will have the batery replaced in my dive watch prior to my next big dive trip. But as someone above noted, it runs 40-50 bucks to do so, as it requires a special tool to open the back. I like the idea of having a manufacture’s authorized shop do it though.
Hope this helps.
Don
I use a Nike Triax 65
and as an added bonus, it comes with a heart rate monitor.
Consider it done…
…and then you can leave it to your grandkids…
That’s why I consider watches disposable
On land, maybe not so. But if used in water, I don’t even want to mess with opening it up. Besides, the faces get scratched up or something else happens. Such as I lose the watch.
My first watch, received as a young teen, I overwound.
Next watch, I got a pricey self-winding Seiko. Not as accurate as the digitals we have now, and I returned from a bicycle time trial one night to find that it had gone HAYWIRE! The hands were circling round really, really fast. It was kind of funny, but unfortunately the repair cost as much as the watch had…and then the same thing happened not long afterward. I ditched it, bought an early Casio digital, and have stayed away from anything but inexpensive watches since then.
Besides, I like to have at least one spare watch. It’s not a big deal to buy a second Timex.
Rip Curl ATS Tidemaster
Since I spend most of my time paddling in saltwater, I really like this beautiful, very accurate tide watch. It’s rated waterproof down to 200 meters, and in the four plus years I’ve had it, I’ve never been disappointed.
I prefer the analogue type, but Rip Curl also makes digital tide watches. No heart rate monitor, but I’m more interested in the tide height, moon phase, and spring/neap dials, and also in the very accurate time keeping (five jewel Swiss movement).
The battery lasts four years (as advertised), and when it needs a new battery, I just take it back to the local surf shop where I got it, and they send it back to Rip Curl for the new battery and re-calibration of the tide functions if necessary. It’s a great paddling watch! 
Melissa
Another inexpensive brand, Casio.
Bought a cheapie water resistant Casio, used it for fihing (wade fishing, mostly), for six or seven years, band broke, put it in a drawer, looked at it five years later and it was still ticking, keeping time. Alas, the battery finally wore out.
Casio!!!
I had my last one for almost 6 years, 1 battery and 3 band changes. On the last band change the plastic one of the pins went into was so warn that eventually it popped out and I lost the watch. Made the mistake of buying a timex. The battery went after less than a year. Had it replaced at a ‘jewler’ who wouldn’t guarantee the seal. It died the first time I went swimming. Just replaced it with a Casio Sea-Pathfinder. Depth quage, altimeter and temperature for $99 at overstock.