Timex Weekender T2N649 Follow-Up Review: On Steel Bracelet

The combination you see above is the T2N649 Weekender - the only one with a gray dial - paired up with the steel bracelet from the white-dialed T2N656 Weekender "Central Park" variant.  Looking at the two watches, I had a hunch that the bracelet would suit the gray dial perfectly.  I think it's safe to say that things worked out nicely.

It's a shame that Timex doesn't sell the gray dialed Weekender paired up with the steel bracelet (or is it a clever ploy to get us to buy two Weekenders in order to assemble the perfect one?).

As I mentioned in my original Weekender review, it really is the perfect under-$40 watch.  This particular combination looks as comfortable under a suit cuff as it does paired with a t-shirt and jeans.  And despite what one Amazon.com reviewer claimed, the links are removable, though it does require quite a bit of force to get them to budge.  But given how short they are (see the picture above), and the fact that the clasp includes a two-step micro adjustment, it's easily the most customizable and well-fitting bracelet I've ever encountered, at any price point.  And since it has straight lug ends and a commonly found 20mm width, it'll work with a vast selection of watches well beyond the venerable Weekenders.

Well done, Timex.  Well done.

Timex Weekender T2N654 Follow-Up Review: Patent Leather Strap & RDH Deployant

Several months have gone by, and the Timex Weekender continues to be one of the greatest bang-for-buck values in my watch box.  The T2N654, with its preeminently legible off-white dial, looks great on virtually any NATO or ZULU nylon strap.  But it looks equally at home on a leather band, and paired with a polished stainless steel deployant clasp, makes for a fine dress watch.

The leather strap is Horween patent leather, in the style of Nomos Glashutte's strap offerings.  I picked it up in an extra-short length (a must for smaller wrists) from Uhrband24.com.

The deployant clasp is a double-fold model affectionately nicknamed "RDH" by WISes, after the initials of the watchmaker who sells them, Bob Davis, at MyWatchmaker.net.  The RDH deployant is the best I've come across, and Mr. Davis stands behind each one with a 2-year guarantee.  A year into using one I discovered that the fastener that secures the clasp to the strap's adjustment holes had become difficult to undo, so I sent Mr. Davis email asking for a replacement.  I received a phone call only hours later, asking to confirm my address and the specifications of the deployant, and three days later I received the brand-new deployant pictured above.  It's this level of customer service coupled with the impressive design of the RDH deployant that makes it a no-brainer for dressing up a watch on a leather strap.

In the end, either the strap or the deployant costs more than the Weekender itself.  But you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at it, making this $30 watch one of the best bargains out there.