Timex 53501 Speed and Distance Ironman Triathlon Watch

by Timex

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• ASIN: B00006J6U1
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,036 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 16, 2006

Product Description

The Timex Story

The Timex Watch Company

Timex Group B.V. is one of the best-known American watch companies. Timex's U.S. headquarters are located in Middlebury Connecticut and it has substantial operations in China, the Philippines and India and full scale sales companies in Canada, the UK, France and Mexico.

The company began in 1854 as Waterbury Clock in Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley, known during the nineteenth century as the "Switzerland of America." Sister company Waterbury Watch manufactured the first inexpensive mechanical pocket watch in 1880. During World War I, Waterbury began making wristwatches, which had only just become popular, and in 1933 it made history by creating the first Mickey Mouse clock under license from Walt Disney, with Mickey's hands pointing the time.

During World War II, Waterbury renamed itself U.S. Time Company. In 1950 the company introduced a wristwatch called the Timex. Over the next three decades, Timex was sold through a series of advertisements which emphasized its durability by putting the watch through "torture tests," such as falling over the Grand Coulee Dam or being strapped to the propeller of an outboard motor, with the slogan "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking." With the help of former Olympic broadcaster, spokesman John Cameron Swayze, sales took off. The company later became Timex Corporation, then Timex Group and, to date, has sold over one billion watches.

The company has remained very competitive and the Timex brand continues its dominance through present day. Its primary market remains the United States and Canada, although the Timex brand is sold worldwide due to its ability to capitalize on its strong brand image and reputation for quality.

One of the most successful and important features available on many Timex watches is the Indiglo backlight system. Indiglo is a brand name of Indiglo Corporation, solely owned by Timex for licensing purposes. Timex electroluminescent lamps, branded Indiglo, were introduced in 1992 in the Ironman watch line. They were an immediate success. The Indiglo® lamp uniformly lights the surface of the Timex’s watch dials in a manner that makes the dial read very easily in many different light settings. In some newer watches the Indiglo backlight only lights up the numbers, rather than the entire LCD display, which is achieved by means of a specialized film that inverts the LCD transmissivity.

Today, Timex Group products are manufactured in the Far East and in Switzerland often based on technology that continues to be developed in the United States and in Germany. With a large and varied line of watches, Timex has the style for everyone. From the locker room to the board room, there is a great Timex style time-piece for you.

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Timex Warranty Information

The Basic Coverage:
This TIMEX Watch (but not any battery, crystal, band, or strap) is warranted to the owner for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of purchase against defects in manufacture by Timex Corporation - not by the dealer from whom the watch was purchased.

What Timex Will Do:
If this watch develops such a defect within the one year period, it will be repaired (i.e. a new or thoroughly reconditioned and inspected module will be installed or replaced and a watch of equal value and similar appearance will be supplied) at our option, provided it is returned with a $7.00 check or money order to cover costs of postage, handling, and service, and you provide proof of purchase and date of purchase.

This Limited Warranty Does Not Cover:

Timex will not repair defects relating to servicing not performed by Timex Corporation.

Timex will not provide any warranty service if your watch shows evidence that it has been tampered with, misused, abused, or altered; for example: moisture damage sufficient to affect the proper function of the watch; damage to the case; or visible cracking of the crystal.

Timex reserves the right to charge you for a replacement battery, if the battery in your watch is depleted. No additional charge will be made unless the one year warranty has expired or servicing is necessary for reasons beyond our control, in which case a moderate charge will be made.

TIMEX IS NOT LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, special, or consequential, damages, so the above exclusion or limitation may not apply to you.

Your Rights Under Implied Warranties and State Law:
THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESSED WARRANTIES, OBLIGATIONS OR LIABILITIES. TIMEX LIMITS THE DURATION OF ANY WARRANTY IMPLIED BY STATE LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TO ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF ORIGINAL PURCHASE. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

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Care of Your Watch:

Avoid exposing your watch to water, steam, or other forms of moisture, if it is non-water-resistant.

If the lens becomes damaged, have it replaced at once to avoid damage to the module.

When your battery is depleted, have it replaced promptly. The particular type of battery is indicated on your caseback.

Service of Your Watch:
If your TIMEX watch should ever need servicing, either send it to Timex addressed as follows:

HOTLINE WATCH SERVICE
P.O. Box 2740
Little Rock, AR 72203

Because of possible loss, we recommend insuring your watch, return receipt requested, when using the mails. If you do not obtain the proper receipt within a reasonable time, start a tracer through the originating post office.

NEVER INCLUDE A SPECIAL WATCHBAND OR ANY OTHER ARTICLE OF PERSONAL VALUE IN YOUR SHIPMENT. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE MAY SUBSTITUTE A WATCH OF EQUAL VALUE AND SIMILAR APPEARANCE FOR YOURS ON BOTH IN-WARRANTY AND OUT-OF-WARRANTY REPAIRS.

For your convenience in obtaining factory service, participating Timex retailers will be pleased to provide you with a postage-paid, pre-addressed Watch Repair Mailer.

TIMEX is a trademark and a service mark of Timex Corporation. REG. U.S. PAT. & TM. OFF.

Product Description

Get the most out of your active lifestyle. Dual time zones Daily and weekend alarm INDIGLO night-light with NIGHT-MODE feature 50M Water-resistant Black resin case with a grey ring Black resin strap with a stainless steel buckle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed: speed data useless no position data, December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Timex 53501 Speed and Distance Ironman Triathlon Watch (Watch)

I'm disappointed.

Due to limits of gps accuracy
the short term speed data (at running speeds)
is so noisy it's useless.
My pace varied +/- 1 minute/mile
while running at a steady 7 min/mile pace.
The average speed is a bit more helpful
but sort of useless towards the end of a long run.

You'd think they'd have tested this out
and created a moving average to smooth out the data.

Also there's no option to display your position.
It is a GPS--seems an easy thing to add
and could be very helpful in a pinch!

The GPS receiver itself is a bit cumbersome:
uncomfortable bouncing with the belt strap
and picked up interference from my heart rate monitor.
Wearing the GPS receiver on the arm band
rather than the belt clip is a bit uncomfortable at first,
but you can get used to it, the bouncing is eliminated,
and there's no interference with the heart rate monitor.
I have the feeling that you may get some hand and wrist swelling from the arm strap for long runs (3-4 hours).

On the positive side,
the distance data is accurate
(over more than very short distances).

Compared to heart rate monitor, which can revolutionize your work out, I'd call this an over priced running gadget, rather than a serious work out tool.

I suggest waiting until the prices come down, the speed data is smoother, and GPS data is included.

-bill

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Runner's Gadget, February 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Timex 53501 Speed and Distance Ironman Triathlon Watch (Watch)

I've been a distance runner for 20 years and have always been fascinated with how far each run took me, how far for the year, how far for career, etc. Until now, I've had to estimate the distances for which I couldn't drive a car or ride a bike. With experience, one can do this pretty accurately by time if the same course is run several times. This new Timex product makes it easy to do every time.

I've never worn any sort of radio or tape player on my arm, but had no trouble at all with the GPS tranceiver. I was able to adjust the band so it was secure and after a half mile or so forgot about it. The watch is bulkier than a normal Timex Ironman; women with slender wrists may have trouble wearing it. Being larger, however, means a larger display (which is also very crisp) that is easy to read while running.

In addition to the normal Timex Ironman functions, this unit gives distance, an odometer, and all kinds of time/distance data such as average speed, max speed, current speed, etc. The speed information isn't very interesting to me. I have a hard time relating MPH to pace per mile. Also, I can calculate average speed on my own. But that ability to track distance...

I enjoy being able to head out on an unknown course (and frequently have to when on business travel) and know just how far I've gone when I return. This watch is especially useful this week when the Northern Virginia area is covered with two feet of snow and I'm forced to improvise with parking lots, cleared residential loops and other unfamiliar areas.

Will I wear this watch every day? No, only when running unfamiliar routes (I have a perfectly good Timex Ironman that I'll use). Will I miss it if I'm forced to alter a course for some reason? You bet! Would I wear it in a race? No, of course not. 1) Race courses are already measured; 2) I know what my mile splits should be; 3) It is kinda bulky--not something I'd combine with my racing flats.

Overall: awesome technology for running geeks! It won't help you run faster, but for those of us who must know "how far," it's liberating. I gave it a 4 versus 5 only because I haven't had it long enough to evaluate things like battery life (advertised 12 hours for transceiver, probably 3-5 years for watch).

If you're a serious runner who never wears a watch, don't get this. If you're a serious runner who always wears a watch, who's always trying to work out distances, this is the watch for you.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good Concept, Poor Product, February 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Timex 53501 Speed and Distance Ironman Triathlon Watch (Watch)

What a good concept, a GPS wrist watch. If it only worked.

First, if you live in a city with tall buildings (like New York City), good luck getting a constant signal. The GPS receiver only works with a very clear (not just clear) view of the sky. Also, hiking in the woods poses a problem for the unit which is much more tempermantal than conventional GPS systems and like buildings is effected by trees and mountains.

Despite Timex's claims that it can work under a light garment, I found that to really work, the GPS receiver must be totally exposed. The unit also had difficulty working in poor weather.

I also noticed a significant delay in registering changes in speed and, on several occasions, the unit would show that I was moving between 2 and 2.3 mph when I was totally still. It even showed movement when the GPS receiver was placed on the ground.

If you want to see how fast you are going or how far you went, use a conventional GPS which are more reliable and which unlike the GPS 100 can tell you where you are and where you have been.