Skip to content
Dial&Lug
An inexpensive wristwatch resting on a concrete surface

Is the Weekender worth it?

Is the Timex Weekender worth it?

The Weekender is the cheap watch many people own first. It is a great strap-swapping toy and a poor watch to keep, and the reasons are all on Timex's own page.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

As a cheap watch to play with straps on, yes. As a watch to keep, no: a brass case rated 30m, a mineral crystal, a CR2016 battery, and a one-year warranty that excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery. The Citizen Chandler BM8180 is the same simplicity built to last, with light power, 100m and five years of cover.

The Weekender earns its reputation honestly: it is 38mm, it takes any 20mm strap, and it is cheap enough that changing its look every week is part of the fun. As an introduction to wearing a watch, it does the job.

The question here is different — whether it is worth buying as a watch to keep. On Timex's own specification it is not, and every watch below does what it cannot. The Weekender is the skip row on this page, as it is on several others on this site.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". Service prices quoted here are the manufacturers' own published figures.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01Case

    Brass and LLB, as Timex lists it — not steel.

  2. 02Water resistance

    30m: rain and hand-washing only.

  3. 03Crystal

    Mineral.

  4. 04Power

    A CR2016 battery.

  5. 05Warranty

    One year, excluding the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Seiko 5 Sports SRPG39

39.4mm field watch, 100m, 4R36, $176 overhaul.

The Weekender look, built to keep8.0/10
Check price
2

Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55

4R36, 100m, three years.

The mechanical upgrade8.0/10
Check price
3

Timex Expedition Field Post Solar 36mm TW2V00400

36mm, sapphire, 100m, solar.

The Timex to buy instead6.6/10
Check price
4

Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E

37mm, solar, 100m, five years.

The Weekender, done properly6.4/10
Check price
—

Timex Weekender 38mm T2N647

Brass, 30m, mineral glass, a battery and a warranty with exclusions.

Skip this one

Not as a watch to keep4.5/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Seiko 5 Sports SRPG39

Best for: The Weekender look, built to keep

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.3/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

A field-styled Seiko 5 on leather with 100m, three years of warranty and the published $176 overhaul — the Weekender's look on a watch that can be serviced for decades.

Hardlex, and a 48.1mm lug-to-lug.

The 39.4mm case reads small, but the 48.1mm lug-to-lug does not — this wears longer than its diameter suggests. Measure your wrist before you buy on the diameter alone.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko 5 Sports SRPG39
MovementSeiko 4R36, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels
Power reserve41 hours
Case39.4mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug48.1mm
Thickness13.2mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalhardlex
Water resistance100m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SRPG39.

02

Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55

Best for: The mechanical upgrade

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.3/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Seiko 5 Sports: a named 4R36, 100m and a three-year warranty, in our under-$300 tier.

42.5mm with a 46mm lug-to-lug, and Hardlex.

The 4R36 is the most commonly serviced mechanical caliber in the United States and Seiko publishes a flat $176 price to overhaul it. That single fact does more for a twenty-year horizon than any spec on the case.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55
MovementSeiko 4R36, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels
Power reserve41 hours
Case42.5mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46mm
Thickness13.4mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalhardlex
Water resistance100m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SRPD55.

03

Timex Expedition Field Post Solar 36mm TW2V00400

Best for: The Timex to buy instead

6.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

If you want to stay with Timex: sapphire, 100m and solar power at 36mm, in our under-$200 tier.

The same one-year warranty and exclusions as the Weekender.

The smallest genuinely good watch here. Sapphire, solar, 100m and 44.5mm across the lugs — if you have a small wrist and want to stop thinking about batteries, start here.

Manufacturer specifications for the Timex Expedition Field Post Solar 36mm TW2V00400
MovementSolar-charged quartz analog
Power reserveNot applicable
Case36mm stainless steel, ip black
Lug-to-lug44.5mm
Thickness12mm
Lug width18mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V00400.

04

Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E

Best for: The Weekender, done properly

6.4/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The direct answer: a 37mm field watch on nylon, but light-powered, in steel, rated 100m and covered for five years.

A mineral crystal, like the Weekender's.

37mm, 18mm lugs, 100m, no battery, five years of cover. There is very little here to go wrong and almost nothing that will date.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E
MovementCitizen E101 Eco-Drive, light-powered
Power reserveNot published
Case37mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width18mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance100m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, BM8180-03E.

Skip this one

Timex Weekender 38mm T2N647

Best for: Not as a watch to keep

4.5/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
1.6/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Weekender is a fine strap-swapping toy: 38mm, a standard 20mm lug width and a look that changes with every strap.

As a watch to keep, it fails on every line Timex publishes: a brass case, 30m, a mineral crystal, a CR2016 battery, and a one-year warranty that excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery — almost everything that fails.

A brass case at 30m, with a warranty that excludes the crystal, the strap, the case and the battery — which is to say almost everything that fails. Buy it as a strap-swapping toy, not as a watch to keep.

Manufacturer specifications for the Timex Weekender 38mm T2N647
MovementQuartz analog, CR2016 battery
Power reserveNot applicable
Case38mm brass and llb
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width20mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance30m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, T2N647.

What the Weekender is good for

  • Learning what you like. At 38mm on a 20mm strap, it is a cheap way to find out which strap styles you actually wear.
  • A watch you do not mind losing. Festivals and travel.
  • Not: swimming, a lifetime of wear, or a gift meant to last.

For the full argument about cheap watches, see are cheap watches worth it; for Timex against its closest rival, Timex vs Citizen.

Questions people actually ask

Is the Timex Weekender a good watch?

As a cheap, strap-swappable watch, yes. As a watch to keep, no: brass, 30m, mineral glass, a battery, and a one-year warranty that excludes the case.

Is the Timex Weekender waterproof?

No watch is waterproof, and the Weekender is rated 30m — rain and hand-washing, not swimming.

What should I buy instead of a Timex Weekender?

The Citizen Chandler BM8180 for the same simplicity with light power, 100m and five years of warranty, or the Seiko 5 SRPG39 for a mechanical field watch.

How long does a Timex Weekender last?

As long as its case and movement hold up. Timex's one-year warranty excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery, so most failures are yours to pay for.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Read next

An inexpensive wristwatch resting on a concrete surface

Are cheap watches worth it?

The cheap watches worth buying, and how to spot the disposable ones.

An inexpensive wristwatch resting on a concrete surface

Timex vs Citizen

Five years of cover against one, and the places Timex still wins.

A writing desk with notes and a pencil

Timex

Surprising specs, a one-year warranty with wide exclusions, and five watches ranked.