Timex for J. Crew Andros Watch – $101.50 w/ WINTER ($175)

Oh how the mighty have fallen. In price.
It debuted half a year or so ago, and when it did, it racked up three and a half heads on the patent pending Muytjens-ometer. Somewhere between “pricey” and “ridiculous.” But the J. Crew Military Timex has done quite well for itself, and now with the extra 30% off sale items code WINTER, the Andros is now half a hundred less than the Military.
But it’s still over $100.
The bezel does function and you get a day and date window. Fits all them 18mm J. Crew watch straps.
Alternatives: Gruen’s GUAM1104 for $21(nonfunctioning bezel) or the Orient Mako for $107.50 w/DapperedJanuary.
Assume you’re in the market for something similar. Maybe you actually are, but even if you’re not, pretend that you are. Ask yourself: What would you be willing to pay? Cast your vote and add any reasoning in the comments. Top Pic via Mr. Porter. The Extra 30% off sale items code WINTER expires 1/13.
What Would You Pay? J. Crew Timex Andros
- $175. Already have it. I paid full retail. (0%, 2 Votes)
- $101. Seems fair. Looks great. (8%, 50 Votes)
- $50 - $100. Can't go higher for a Timex. (56%, 355 Votes)
- $0 - $50. C'mon. (38%, 239 Votes)
Total Voters: 635

I’ll be buying the Orient Mako in a few months instead of this one.
Bottom line… its a Timex.
The Orient Mako is a legend. You can’t be close in price to that with less quality and around the same look. The Timex weekenders are great at the $35 price range… At 3x that it’s just ridiculous.
Feelin’ the Gruen over the Timex, for much less money to boot.
By the way, does somebody knows what’s the best way to order an Orient watch from Canada ? They won’t ship outside USA, but a 50% is too good to pass.
Oh and is there any difference between the rubber Mako and the regular Mako outside of the strap ? If you’re going to change it for a Nato strap anyway, it could save you a few bucks.
$101 for a quartz timex? I don’t think so. Get the Mako and your choice of NATO strap. $10 more for an automatic. That is what I did, and it’s awesome. I’m wearing it now, in fact.
I think the weekenders are also better looking, anyways. They both have that cheap-ish band, but the weekenders are super easy to mix and match. This watch looks like changing out the band would cause issues.
So yeah, the weekenders are great. This watch isn’t 3x as great. Agree.
For $50 more you could just get this:
http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-Sports-SNZF17K1-Diver-Automatic/dp/B001IBF15Y
In related news, I recently bought a very lightly used L.L. Bean field watch off eBay for $35, added an olive green strap, and shabam, I’ve got a better watch than the J.Crew vintage field watch for well less than half the price. Unlike the J.Crew version, mine’s got 100m WR, screw-down crown, screw-down caseback, and is Swiss-made with a Swiss quartz movement.
Even at full price, the Bean watch is still only 2/3rds the cost of the J.Crew one.The moral of the story is – there are alternatives to these pricey “fashion” watches if you’re willing to look for them.
Try Long Island Watch. Their prices are a little higher than OrientWatchUSA, and their selection of Orients smaller, but their customer service is a hundred times better.
Ugh – well evidently that didn’t work. What I was trying to write was that you should try Long Island Watch. Their selection of Orients isn’t as good and their prices are a little higher, but their customer service is better from what I can tell.
Ahhhh! Why is Dappered eating all my links?!
Ok, anyway, here is the watch I got http://i.ebayimg.com/t/LL-Bean-Field-Watch-Running-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/$(KGrHqZHJCoE7zHHDZ-dBO9p9zsMl!~~60_12.JPG
and here is the J.Crew watch it looks like http://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/weartoworkshop/accessorieswork/PRDOVR~27460/99102030148/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~15~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~field%20watch/27460.jsp
Well at least the blue Mako is there. Let’s see…$133 for the watch plus $41.15 shipping. That’s a bit more expensive.
Yeah, it is. You might want to give eBay a try. The problem there is that you probably won’t get the protection of any warranty since most eBay sellers are not authorized dealers.
That was my original plan. They go for around $150 on eBay, shipping included, which is not a huge difference.
I will admit the Andros looks really sharp. I tried it on in the store though and it definitely feels like a piece of junk. Diver watches tend to have some heft to them and the first think I noticed is how light it is. The bezel isn’t ratcheted/unidrectional and doesn’t rotate smoothly. If you want the look for less there’s a Timex Dress Sport diver-style watch that reatils for $50. Otherwise, if you are willing to spend $100+ you will do much better with Orient or Seiko.
Ok, can’t find the steel version of the timex dress sport in the timex website anymore for some reason, but here’s a link to the gold-tone version on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Timex-Classic-Gold-Tone-Bracelet-T2M562/dp/B000T7OQR2/ref=sr_1_19?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1326301125&sr=1-19
Yeah yeah, the Mako is a legend, etc… but it’s also bigger in diameter. For those of us with skinny wrists, a 38 mm Andros is better than a 41mm Mako.
Also, I like having the strap compatibility. The Mako fits 22mm straps, while all the J. Crew watches (and really all the watches I have, since they have more or less the same case size) fit 18mm or 19mm straps.
So I bought the Andros.
what do you mean by choice of NATO strap? i’m thinking of getting one but I dont like the metal strap on it. Where do I find NATO straps that will fit it?
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Orient-Mens-Automatic-Watch-CEM65002D/dp/B000XE6VTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326305959&sr=8-1
it looks like it is trying very hard to be an omega seamaster. Dont like it
This is somewhat unrelated but I figured that you all are pretty knowledgeable about such things: does anyone know where I can find a brown leather watch band with blue stitching? For the life of me, I can’t find one anywhere on the internet. I can’t justify paying $100 to have one custom-made, since I’m just putting it on a cheap Chinese “homage.”
I love Timex watches, it was the first watch I ever had at the ripe old age of 5, HOWEVER while the J.Crew/Timex watches are very nice there are only slight differences in style from what Timex sells on it’s own web-site & the watches at timex.com are cheaper. Might I add Target has a version of the J.Crew/Timex field watch for $35.00 vs $150.00. If you are buying from J.Crew you are only doing so because it’s J.Crew or you like the specific detail of the J.Crew watch. Won’t/Can’t do J.Crew/Timex.
You can get the bracelet (man I dislike that word) taken off and with the spring bars left in, it’s just a matter of sliding the new strap on. Just have to make sure the width of the new band is the same width of the spring bars or a little smaller. Too small and it’ll slide around.
You can find watch bands through J. Crew and all over the net. Some brick and mortar stores carry watch bands as well. Might also be worth checking with a watch repair shop kiosk in your local mall.
Sorry to echo other commenters, but this warrants being repeated. The Orient Mako is a far better investment of $110 than this Timex. Orient makes their movements in-house, and the Mako functions as a true diver’s watch. It has heft, size (41mm), and an automatic movement…qualities which are found on the TAG Heuers, Rolexes, and Omegas.
Timex makes a great watch, don’t get me wrong. But, the Timex/J.Crew collaboration yields a price tag that isn’t quite worth it, even when it’s on sale like this.
You can find NATO straps for the Mako all over the web. Prices range from $15-25. Personally I prefer Zulu or mil-spec to NATO but that’s a matter of taste.
http://holbensfinewatchbands.com/ http://www.broadarrow.net/maratac.htm http://www.gnomonwatches.com/Product-view.asp?id=20 Keep in mind that the Timex Weekender straps are 20mm wide and the Timex ones just 18mm, so you won’t be able to use either of them with the Mako, which has 22mm wide lugs.
Thanks fellas. I think im going to get rubber band Mako which essentially is 35 dollars cheaper and the only difference I see is the band.
And if only because some people might like the way the Timex looks; it really is the only reason I believe that they would choose it over the Mako. Because obviously the Mako is superior to the Timex in every way.
Pulled the trigger on the Mako. I was supposed to wait a couple months, but I couldn’t resist anymore.
Vintage automatic (from eBay) + 5 dollar NATO strap (from eBay) = much cooler than you could ever get from a store you find in the mall, and about the same price if you count getting the watch serviced.
You can go the actual J Crew store and they will honor the online price of $145…plus you will get the 40% discount they have in-stores as opposed to the 30% online. You will be well under $100 then…I have had my eyes on this watch for a while and could not agree with the full price. But now the “Andros” blue bezel and dial look even way better at under $100…
Agreed. My yellow-faced (no pun intended) Mako gets a lot of compliments
I got it for this price. You can say all you want about alternatives, but nothing really comes close aesthetically. Yes, it’s a Timex, from a company that makes good watches for cheap, but the attention to detail is the extra price you pay. While the craftsmanship and features might not be the best value here, it’s the best looking diver watch that’s small. As much as I appreciate the Orient Mako or the Seiko Diver for their higher quality, sometimes I’m just going to buy things because I like the way it looks.
if you look at the orientwatchusa website, on the front page, there are a handful of reputable dealers listed on the right. i’ve bought from discountwatchstore before and the list price on the site is awfully close to the 50% off price.
also got a cheapo watch sizing tool as a gift from them.
just checked discountwatchstore. the black orient mako is only 99 bucks for the next 40 hours!!!
I bought the blue rubber (I’ll change it for a Nato anyway) Mako from discountwatchstore for a total of $115, shipping included. Not bad !
I prefer the seiko skx007. i picked one up for under $200 and its by far my most favorite watch i’ve ever owned.
http://www.worldofwatches.com/segf/SeikoSKX007K2.html
you can also put a nato band on it.
Finally received my Orient Mako and my nato strap. I think it look fine on my small wrist, but it is still huge next to my Seiko 5 or my Timex Easy Reader.
http://jdmd.me/BMO
http://jdmd.me/XU2
http://jdmd.me/jA9
I just pulled the trigger on it for $87. Couldn’t help myself.
I was into the Nato strap look when I first saw the original Timex that J. Crew had. I wasn’t so much into the Timex though, especially for the price. Not being cheap either as I have a real Tag Heuer, but I didn’t think it was worth the money. I eventually got a Victorinox Swiss Army Garrison watch for about $35 on ebay and then got a Nato strap for it. I got the J Crew strap first, but not only does J Crew have the wrong width for their strap online, but it also cost $8 to ship. Anyway, I have since picked up a pair of Victorinox Swiss Army Maverick chronographs on eBay for about $90 each. I then got a few more Nato straps from eBay and I have the look of this watch. Great thing about the Swiss Army Maverick Chronos is that they retailf or $475 or so, but the ones with the rubber straps can be pretty reasonable on eBay.
wish I can still use that 50% off code….want the Orient in blue so bad now.
AMEN TO THAT!!!!