In Review: The Timex Waterbury Chronograph

Timex Waterbury Chrono: Ion-Plated & Brown – $100 | Black on Black – $96

If you’re attracted to chronos, and especially like em’ sporty, slightly larger, but still can be dressed up a bit with a blazer and jeans, then you’ll be hard pressed to find something as good as these for the price.

Exhibit A, if you don’t mind:

 Price from left to right: $96, $1,000-ish, $100.

Right. They pretty much nail that particular look.

The Waterbury collection as a whole (they’ve got more than just chronos) does a real nice job of balancing retro and current-styling elements. It’s probably the best looking Timex collection since they released their basic slip-thru weekenders, and one of the better looking, accessibly priced collections the entire watch market has released  in a while.

At 42mm in diameter with 22mm lugs, these are one of the larger Timex models currently available. But 42mm, even though it wears a little larger, isn’t enormous. It’s the kind of size that looks at home on an average to larger sized wrist while worn with a t-shirt and jeans. Doesn’t look dainty, doesn’t look like a dinner plate.

Yellow/Green hands & indices, but they aren’t luminescent. Does have Indiglo.

The quality of construction feels above average, and in line with other Timex watches in their $75 – $135 price range. Noticeably more sturdy than their cheapest ($20 – $40) models, with a good weight to them. They’re still quartz of course, so they won’t feel as substantial as a mechanical watch, but they’re not bantam weights either.

Cases are stainless steel with a 50m water resistance rating. Crystals are mineral and have a very short dome to them. That short dome makes them look quite a bit better than the flat, lifeless glass some cheap watches are stuck with. Crowns feel good, but the pushers are a little mushy. Not a big deal though at this price. Indiglo is activated by pushing in the main crown.

 Orange tipped hands. Busy-as-heck dial. More sporty than suit-worthy. Still slick.

The leather bands on each of these is surprisingly nice. Soft and pliable right out of the box. Even the aged/oiled option on the black ion case looks great in person, and not artificial or over-distressed.

They might have been better off omitting one of the marketing lines at 6 o’clock (the “INDIGLO ORIGINAL” could have been left off), but if you’re attracted to this type of watch, you probably don’t mind busy dials. Operating this particular quartz movement isn’t totally intuitive, but it’s easy to pick up with a quick glance at the (gasp!) instruction manual.

They’re a win. A big win. And if you don’t like the busy dial look of a sporty chrono, there are other Waterbury Models, such as the very cleaned up slip-thru suede/nubuck strap option pining for your dollars. Be patient and wait for em’ to end up on Amazon (or other discount sites) and they should cost you a few less dollars than through Timex direct.