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timex watches

broccolini
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Waggy Distinguished Member

Waggy

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Practising on a Timex for watchmaking is like practising on a motorcycle to fix cars. They are so far away from any regular Swiss style movements that most learnings and skills you acquire will not be transferrable... At least in my opinion. Also, Timex movements are generally hard to service as they are not made with servicing in mind, so not for a beginner!

There are lots of people who like Timex and I don't mean to knock them, just pointing out that there are better movements to learn on and then graduate to the Timex ones if that is what interests you once you are are familiar with more standard movements.

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rehajm Super WRT Addict

rehajm

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I’d say go for it. Yes, they won’t look like better quality movements but you can get accustomed to handling parts and the disassembly/assembly process..well, disassembly anyways…try to treat them like they’re relics…

These things are everywhere in batches and I don’t live near a flea market source so I understand why these are an option.

Edited by rehajm
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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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As long as the dial and bezel look ok, it's a keeper.

I've worked on a few Timexes and I can say that it's not for beginners. Putting back a Timex back together can be really challenging for a beginner. 

But in defense of Timex, they are real tough watches. I've never seen a Timex with a broken pivot or twisted hairspring. There are no jewels to crack or lose.

It will look terrible on a timegrapher but keep great time on your wrist.

Timex... you either love it or hate it. Right? @oldhippy? @JerseyMo?

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LittleWatchShop Distinguished Member

LittleWatchShop

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Great points by all.

Yes they are hard to assemble (as noted by Hector), but you will improve dexterity and handling small parts as rehagm said.  I fixed a couple recently with some satisfaction--I guess because it looks impossible to assemble and then it suddenly comes together--satisfying.

On the other hand, most Swiss watches follow a certain paradigm, so after you do a few and learn the architecture, you are more efficient working on other Swiss watches.  Other than working with small parts, the Timex knowledge is not fungible for broader watch servicing, IMHO.  They are cheap, so there is no downside to working on them.

 

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Neverenoughwatches Distinguished Member

Neverenoughwatches

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48 minutes ago, broccolini said:

Ok. Thanks.

I'll save these until I have more experience. I'm always a little concerned that I'll destroy something valuable. I assume Timex watches are cheap and not in demand, but sometimes even cheap things are collectible. 😛

Timex do have a fan base and some  can be quite valuable to certain collectors, divers for instance. Here is something you should find interesting especially the movement guides.

https://heritage1854.com/

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JerseyMo Distinguished Member

JerseyMo

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9 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

As long as the dial and bezel look ok, it's a keeper.

I've worked on a few Timexes and I can say that it's not for beginners. Putting back a Timex back together can be really challenging for a beginner. 

But in defense of Timex, they are real tough watches. I've never seen a Timex with a broken pivot or twisted hairspring. There are no jewels to crack or lose.

It will look terrible on a timegrapher but keep great time on your wrist.

Timex... you either love it or hate it. Right? @oldhippy? @JerseyMo?

I'll defer to oldhippy to comment on virtues of vintage Timex.  🙂 

The Ben Hogan is the one that would draw attention from collectors. But it looks like it is already in pieces.  Is the stem crown still there?

 

Have at it with the others.  Be warned that you will enter into the forbidden realm and may not come back!

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