Timex

Timex Men's T5J261 Ironman Solar Power 50-Lap Resin Strap Watch

• Quartz movement
• Strong mineral crystal protects dial from scratches and scrapes
• Case diameter measures 44 mm

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Timex Men's Ironman Solar Power 50-Lap Watch #T5J261 is a must-have for serious athletes who appreciate style as much as they value high performance. The sturdy resin and woven canvas strap complements a silver-tone metal bezel. The light gray dial features bold, easy-to-read digital numbers, which show time, day, and calendar. The watch's most unique feature is its rechargeable energy source that uses natural and artificial light, so no batteries are required. Among the laundry list of Ironman-worthy functions are: 100-hour chronograph with lap or split option in large digits, 50-lap memory recall, power conservation feature with Sleep Mode, 99-lap counter and a 24-hour countdown timer. The watch, which features Indiglo night light, is water resistant to 330 feet.

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 Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 3.9 x 2 inches ; 10.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001AZM32W
• Item model number: T5J261
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,154 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLE, ELEGANT, RUGGED, EXCELLENT QUALITY WITH ONE FLAW!, August 29, 2008

By 

Louis T. Girdler "LTG" (Sierra Vista) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Timex Men's T5J261 Ironman Solar Power 50-Lap Resin Strap Watch (Watch)

I own 8 Citizen Eco-drives and they are great watches. I thought that Citizen (and Casio) had cornered the market on the solar technology -- until I received my Timex Ironman Solar T5J261. I did my homework, read the specs, user's manual, reviews, and looked at lots of images. Let me tell you why this not only a GOOD simple and basic digital watch, but a POTENTIALLY GREAT watch with one SERIOUS FLAW [SEE BELOW]:

1. It is skillfully constructed and thoughtfully designed; the fit and finish are excellent. There are no sharp corners, lugs, buttons or crowns to catch on clothes or whatever. It's sleek -- even aeordynamic.
2. It weighs a mere 1.6 ozs -- you don't know you have it on!
3. It is SOLAR, which means a photoelectric cell will keep the battery charged in the ambient room or daylight. You'll likely NEVER have to change the rechargeable battery. The graphic battery icon lets you know when you need to give it some light.
3. It came FULLY CHARGED. I touched one of the buttons and it sprang to life -- and the battery level indicator showed that it was fully charged.
4. It is EASY to set. I set all the modes in about 1 minute. The setting functions are similar to the earlier model Ironman series -- intuitive and direct.
5. The price is very reasonable -- about $50.
6. It is water resistant to 100 meters [assuming you don't use the buttons under water]. Although not a "professional diver" per se, you can shower, swim, and snorkel with it.
7. The flexible, synthetic strap is long enough for any wrist and could be worn over most coats or wetsuits. The buckle is a substantial, satin-finished alloy (probably aluminum) with a large tang. It should last many years. The strap loop on the band has a lug on the underside which engages with the slots in the strap to keep the loop in a fixed location -- which keeps the excess strap from flapping about [a really clever touch].
8. The bezel is stainless steel with a satin finish on the face surface and polished edges. There are 4 recessed screws that appear to hold the bezel to the watch body -- a nice "techie" touch. The ONLY negative aspect of the design is the highly-polished INNER edges of the bezel, which produces distracting glare. The inner bezel return should have a non-reflective, satin finish.
9. The DISPLAY is excellent. I own one other (3-yr old) Ironman with the "Flix" feature. This display is nearly as good as the Flix -- which doesn't come with solar technology and finished off its battery in about 3 years. I cannot tell if the mineral crystal lens has any anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.
10. The "Indiglo" feature is excellent and (with 1 push) provides several seconds of total illumination when you're in the dark. The contrast between the black digital display and the light dial face is good (but not exceptional) and permits the data to be read even in relatively poor lighting conditions.
11. The watch has a programmed PERPETUAL CALENDAR that displays the Day, Month and Date. The time (hrs-min-sec) is displayed in 12 or 24 hour military formats. You won't have to ever adjust for leap years or short months.
12. This model has the 50-lap feature, which I haven't experimented with and won't use.

HERE IS THE FLAW: The specifications on AMAZON.COM for this watch indicate that it has a "mineral" crystal lens. IT DOES NOT! It is soft plastic and scratches EASILY!

It's a GREAT VALUE and I highly recommend this model -- if you will not be abusing this watch and subjecting it to activities that will scratch the lens.

Louis

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worked fine -- for about a month, July 22, 2009

By 

Sinna - See all my reviews

This review is from: Timex Men's T5J261 Ironman Solar Power 50-Lap Resin Strap Watch (Watch)

Bought this watch as replacement for a regular 30-lap Ironman that cost me next to nothing and lasted years, mostly attracted by the ecologically-correct solar battery. Watch froze suddenly one night about 1 month after I started using it when I pressed the Indiglo button, then went dead for about 18 hours before coming back to life. Indiglo light is gone, though. Battery must've been fully charged, as I'd spent the previous day at the beach under continuous sunlight. Timex promised to replace it, but as I browsed through their website I noticed several poor reviews for this model, mostly from people who'd experienced similar problems with freezing. This leads me to believe that there may be an issue with the battery. Overall an unreliable watch and my replacement will not be solar, unfortunately. And it's only going to be a Timex because their customer service was responsive. "Keeps on ticking"?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good watch for less than $30, except the Indiglo Night Light broke, January 25, 2010

By 

M. Kato "MK" (Aiea, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Timex Men's T5J261 Ironman Solar Power 50-Lap Resin Strap Watch (Watch)

When my Timex Ironman's battery needed replacement, a co-worker showed me his Casio solar G-Shock wristwatch that he had used for sports activities for about 5 years without any problem -- he bought it to avoid having to change batteries and recommended that I switch to a solar watch. However, the Casio G-Shock wristwatches were too big and bulky for me and the Casio solar models were priced more than I was willing to pay. This Timex Ironman solar model seemed to be sized and priced about what I wanted. However, the comments included several negative ones, so I added the watch to my cart but kept looking for other models. Then I noticed that the price had dropped BELOW $30 and I mentioned this to my wife, who said, "Try it -- it is cheap enough." So I ordered it. When the watch came in December 2009, my wife liked its looks and thought that it was "dressy looking" for a sports watch. Because one reviewer reported that his watch lasted only about a month, I have been regularly using the wristwatch for a month to see whether something stopped working. I have been using the chrono stopwatch, the alarms, and the Indiglo light. So far, everything is still working.

My watch loses a little over 3 seconds per week and is not as accurate as some of the regular battery watches I have. The alarm is not as loud as the alarm on my old Casio F-105 wristwatch (which gains 4 seconds per week and is the most inaccurate digital watch I own, but it was much cheaper and has lasted through several battery and watchband changes). The 3 alarms are useful, including the options to set the alarms for weekends, for weekdays, or for daily activations. The little protrusion at the end of the watchband that "anchors" the retaining loop to the end of the strap so far has been useful and not bothersome (I figured that I could cut it off if I got tired of it). There is a question about how to change the watchband if it breaks, since it does seem to require a band that is specifically designed for this watch, but I figured that I would cross that bridge when I came to it, if the watch lasts that long.

Anyway, so far, so good. I like the watch and its size and price. The crystal does not show any scratches, yet, and the shiny interior rim of the bezel has not been bothersome to me. And I am very pleased that my watch is still working.

UPDATE April 24, 2010: One reviewer complained that the watch lasted about four months before breaking down, so I was waiting for that amount of time to pass to see if the watch did give problems. After the first month of full-time, day-and-night use, I started using the watch in rotation with my other wristwatches. I used the solar-powered watch only on certain days when I went out and wore my old Casio F-105 around the house. The Timex solar-powered watch was left in a relatively dark area for two to three days at a time before being worn out in lighted areas. So far, everything still works!

I did notice one light scratch on the crystal (but my older watches clearly look pretty used in comparison to this one, so it still looks pretty good). In addition, I did notice that, when setting the seconds, the minute shown does not advance to the next minute when the seconds are between 30 to 60 seconds and the seconds are reset to zero -- the minutes on my older Casios and older Timex Atlantis 100 do advance to the next minute. Consequently, with this Timex, after setting the seconds, the minutes have to be adjusted (I reset my wristwatches weekly to the Universal Coordinated Time shortwave broadcast -- if you reset the watch less frequently, then the additional adjustment step for the minutes would be less of a nuisance). Furthermore, if the time settings in the other time zones are to be kept current, the minutes have to be adjusted in the other two time zone settings (T2 and T3) -- the minutes are not automatically conformed. Of course, if you do not use the other time zones regularly, you do not have to keep the minutes current until you do travel, but for a watch that is listed at about $80 at some websites (but not, of course, Amazon.com), I would think that the time-setting process would be better. Other than that adjustment irritant, I still like the wristwatch.

UPDATE June 25, 2010: During the early morning hours of June 21, 2010, I pushed the Indiglo Night-Light button and the light did NOT go on. The watch's instructions say that, if the battery is low, the beeps and the night-light are disabled. I left the watch on a window sill on that day to give it enough light to remove any doubt that the battery was charged. The rest of the watch continues to work, including the alarms. When I press the night-light button for four seconds, the watch beeps and the "NIGHT-MODE" moon icon appears, so the night-light button does not appear to be disconnected. The "NIGHT-MODE" feature is supposed to allow the Indiglo Night-Light to be turned on when any of the other buttons are pushed, not only the night-light button. It is convenient to have the night-light turn on at night when you push other buttons to change modes or set alarms, without having to keep pushing the night-light only button every time. However, the convenience of having an Indiglo Night-Light with a "NIGHT-MODE" option on a solar watch that does not have to have a battery changed periodically is diminished significantly when the night-light does NOT turn on at all after less than six months of use. Since everything other than the night-light is still working at this time, I am now waiting to see what else, if anything, fails before the one-year warranty period expires.

Regarding the battery, the Amazon product description said, "The watch's most unique feature is its rechargeable energy source that uses natural and artificial light, so no batteries are required." However, the watch's printed instructions say, "Timex strongly recommends that a retailer or jeweler replace battery" and the back of the watch has a notation, "ML2016 BATTERY."

UPDATE Nov. 2, 2010: The Indiglo Night Light did NOT work after June 21, 2010. Although I waited to see if anything else stopped working, nothing else did -- everything else worked. Now I had a decision to make -- the one-year warranty period was going to expire in December, so should I return the watch for warranty repair for only the Indiglo Night Light? Other reviewers had reported that the entire watch ceased to function, so I was fortunate because everything on my watch except the Indiglo Night Light still worked. Furthermore, if I returned the watch and got another one back, the replacement watch may be worse -- one reviewer reported that the replacement watch only lasted one month. On the other hand, a watch's night light does use up battery power, so the use of the Indiglo Night Light was one of the main considerations when I decided to try a solar-powered watch and the loss of the night light was a significant inconvenience. For my Inova X1 flashlight, I had to return the flashlight twice under the limited lifetime warranty before getting one that is still working and that is a later, brighter model, so I figured that I had to try getting warranty service at least once for my Timex solar-powered watch before giving up and switching to a Casio.

Having to pay $8 for warranty "shipping and handling" is irritating, and adding the cost of mailing the watch back with insurance was even more irritating, so when I read on the Timex warranty return site that there may be a postage-prepaid mailer available, I sent an e-mail message to Timex asking for a mailer to be sent to my home address. I received a reply saying that a mailer was sent and I did receive the mailer. I wrapped the watch in bubble wrap and enclosed it with an explanation of the problem, a copy of the Amazon.com invoice of the purchase, and an $8 check, and dropped the mailer in a mailbox on Oct. 1, 2010 -- the mailer does NOT provide for insurance coverage, but I did not want to pay to send the watch back (the watch cost me $28 in Dec. 2009, and the price went even lower after I bought it). The Timex warranty website says that warranty returns take 2 to 4 weeks. I am still waiting for my watch.

UPDATE Nov. 13, 2010: As a follow-up to my Nov. 4 update, when I reported on the receipt back of my watch (it bore a sticker saying, "CANNOT BE REPAIRED") and the receipt of a T5J721 with it (WHICH UPDATE HAS NOT BEEN POSTED), the watches finally recharged after a couple of days and are now working OK, except for the T5J621's Indiglo Night Light.