★★★★★ 1
Good interface but unwearable watch band
Color: Black
This review will be divided into 3 sections: looks, usability, and comfort.
LOOKS
I guess there's not much to say as style is very individual. I think this watch looks good for what you pay for it.
USABILITY
What I liked about this watch is that I could use it right out of the box. I have had basic Timex digital watches before (never this exact interface), and I was able to quickly figure it out. A quick glance at the manual to make sure I wasn't unaware of any features and I had 100% grasp of all the watch's features. The Timex interface puts many others to shame with its user-friendliness. On this model Timex has added a 'guide' on the display that tells you which button will do what-- increase number, decrease number, etc. This is cool. If you're even remotely handy with interfaces, once you learn this one, you'll know it backwards and forwards, and even if you forget, there's the in-display guide.
The functions are standard for a Timex digital-- time and date, stopwatch with lap timing, countdown timer, and alarm. There is a 2nd time zone but no dedicated mode for it. You access it by holding the 'start' button when in the time mode. I like this feature as I occasionally need to know when to call people in 1 particular time zone. But, for example, if you are often switching back and forth between 2 time zones, you will have to reset the time to have the watch display the correct time at all times. And if you need more than 2 time zones, sorry, out of luck. Stopwatch (chrono) is good. Don't use the lap counter much but it seems to work well. Some have complained that the 'start' and 'stop' should be on the same button. Overall, it is a very uncluttered and usable interface.
At first I thought it was very inaccurate at timekeeping, but it must have gotten accidentally reset because over the few months since I set it, it's only a couple seconds off from time.gov. very good timekeeping.
It seems very water resistant. I have taken it swimming, surfing, and it held up fine. I haven't thoroughly tested its shock resistance but it has done some hiking and climbing where it got banged around a bit and it still works.
COMFORT
Unfortunately what the watch has in user interface usability, it totally lacks in comfort. The strap is a huge disaster. It is very rigid and uncomfortable. The 'waffling' or indented designs near the bezel on each side of the strap create areas where the strap digs into the wrist. with any prolonged wearing, it gets worse and worse until your wrist is begging you to take it off.
The strap is just absolutely godawful. I have read reviews where G Shock owners said it was very good, well though out and comfortable. If that is the case, I shudder to imagine what a G Shock is like on the wrist. If constant pinching around sensitive areas on the side of the wrist seems like it would be the kind of thing to bother you, avoid this watch. I tried swapping it for another Timex band, which amazingly enough was uncomfortable it a DIFFERENT area! It seems Timex doesn't put much thought into their bands-- no part of the band should dig into the wrist. That's just obvious.
CONCLUSION
I really want to like this watch, I do. It's good-looking. It's very usable in terms of features. But the strap is terrible, so much so that the watch is unwearable. Unfortunately it took me about a week to figure this out, during which time the watch got sufficient wear so that it is no longer new, returnable condition. I am keeping it, using it as a 'beater' watch in the gym (I put my watch on the ground in the gym). If you purchase it I recommend you wear it for a good few hours while not doing anything that will scratch it, so that you can return it if need be.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2014
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