TX Watches

TX Watches – 730 Series Leather $370.01 | 700 Series Stainless $280.38

They’re new, they’re on the upper end of the middle class affordable price range, and they are stunning.  But there’s also more to the story.

TX watches are produced by… Timex.  Yes, that Timex.  The same brand that appears in every single Target and Walmart you’ve ever walked into.  A bit of digging around on their press site reveals that they’re part of the Timex Group.  And if you jump over to timexgroup.com you can see a long list of brands.  Not only do they produce Timex and TX, they also produce Guess watches, Nautica, and timepieces for Versace.  That’s a hell of a range.

First, the look.  I’ll try to avoid hyperbole here, but… most are nothing short of a perfect blend between sport and refinement.  (Translation:  They look really, really good.)  Especially the 730 Series with the leather strap..  The face and dial on that particular watch have a perfect checker board pattern that’s almost something close to Burberry.  Drool worthy.  Their ad campaign is quite slick and screams of James Bond:

Now on to the guts.  The official word from TX is that these watches were designed in Italy and engineered in Germany.  Where they were actually manufactured… who knows.    It’s disappointing that the reviews are nothing short of mixed, with a large portion of Amazon purchasers giving the brand three stars.  Most of the complaints are about the watch bands, and still many of those reviewers can’t help but comment about how incredibly attractive the pieces are.

So the aesthetics are good.  Got it.  But can that really carry the brand through its initial bumps?  Would you lay down an extra $100 for a watch that is at the top of the style pile, but also carries some potential baggage?  Or would you stick with a tried and trusted brand like Citizen or Bulova, that might not look quite as good?

All interesting questions, and certainly a credit to the TX design team for making a lot of us ask.

Take a look at some of the TX Watches below and then if you would answer this:  Are they worth the extra cost?