My Favorite Watch
I have a few watches – fancy (but not super fancy), kinda fancy, workout, GPS, and heart rate monitors. I’m not brand loyal and I’m not into jewelry watches. I have watches from Omega, Timex, Seiko, Polar, Under Armour and Garmin (not counting my promotional Laker watch!). I prefer the watches I can wear in multiple situations – kind of like an SUV of watches. The Omega Speedmaster and Timex Ironman are my two primary watches for that reason.
If I had to pick only one watch, it would be the Timex Ironman (Sorry, Omega). If you get the right model, you will get 2 time zones, day, date, chrono, timer, interval timer and 3 alarms. That pretty much covers everything – from using the timer to thwart meter maid tickets, to using it to time those brutal sprint intervals, to using it as an alarm clock in a pinch, the Ironman can do it all. I can wear the watch to the office (although it looks a bit funky in a full blown business suit), in the pool, or on the boat. It can go anywhere.
There’s one weakness to the Ironman. Ironically, it’s the watch’s durability. I average about 2 years per Ironman, over the years I have had close to 15 of them. That being said, don’t let the durability turn you off because there are a few ways to deal with it.
First, you can buy your watch from REI. Assuming you are an REI member, you can bring the watch back to REI when it breaks (usually the bands give out on me). REI’s return policy is great and they’ll take care of you. However, be prepared to pay full retail unless you are fortunate enough to pick one up during a sale.
A second option is to send your watch back to Timex for repair. If it is within a year of purchase, the warranty will likely cover your problem. If you are outside of the warranty, you can send the watch back to Timex with a $10 check and they will either repair your watch or replace it.
I sent in one of my Ironman watches back to Timex yesterday. The customer service person I emailed prior to mailing it in said that my watch would be replaced.
Not bad for 10 bucks!
ReadyandReach.com 
Wow, no kidding. That sounds like a pretty incredible watch. I haven’t worn a watch in years, but I know what it means to need an all-purpose utility.
A few years ago I had a watch that pooped out on me while under warranty. So I sent in the watch with a check for shipping. I got the watch back and later I got a rebate check for the same amount I paid them. Apparently they can’t ask for shipping charge for warranty services in California.
haha. it’s on woot today for $25
Thanks for the headsup, Jess. I just bought one. I’m going to be a disaster running down the street, Ironman controlling ipod watch, Polar HR monitor, Garmin GPS Unit, and Nike+. Maybe I’ll put on my fuel belt too.
I’ll probably just end up running naked…
Timex Iron Man Heart Rate Monitor
I picked up this watch so I could tell time on the jobsite without having to worry about damaging my phone. The watch has proven to be very tough and has taken a beating. The face is plastic and will scratch, but the high contrast makes it easy to read still. I’m not sure if the watch is waterproof or not but I do wear it in the shower and it has been submerged into water without any harm. It is a very light watch and is smaller than it appears online in the pictures. This is good for my job as it does not get in the way by adding bulk.
Like others have said the ticking is rather loud, louder than any other watch I’ve had. I got used to it after about a week and hardly notice it anymore. That is the only con that I have found with this watch.
At the end of the day it’s a cheap tough watch that you won’t get upset if lost or broken.
A digital watch ticks?