Keeping Time with J.Crew's Classic Timex Watch {DIY style}

Me loveth this watch! I have been wearing it non-stop since I got it over the Holidays. Slowly, I am starting to collect the watch straps (up to six besides the black strap that it comes with). ;)

This blog has discussed J.Crew's Timex Military Watch (Item 10884; $150.00) a number of times (refer here, here, & here, as a few examples). There was even a post about a J.Crew Timex comparable watch (refer to the "Keeping Time with J.Crew's Classic Timex Watch {double take}" post.

A big "thanks!" to A who shared her do-it-yourself (DIY) tutorial on creating her own Timex for J.Crew-comparable-watch. The following is her how-to guide:

I was slow to warm up to the Timex Military Watch ($150, 10884), but I loved how Summerilla and DaniBP styled it so I added it to my (already quite long) J.Crew wishlist. I couldn’t justify spending that much on a new watch when I had just received a fairly nice watch from my husband as a birthday gift, so I did some sleuthing to figure out if I could get a cheaper substitute.

I ended up finding the Timex Men’s Metal Field Watch (#T40091) selling for $34.48 on Amazon.com and ordered it to see how close of a match it was. When I received it, I was thrilled to see it was almost an identical match! Of course it came with an absolutely hideous watch band and I wanted to take advantage of J.Crew’s cute interchangeable bands.

I considered taking it to a jeweler to remove the band, but since I knew I was never going to use the existing band, I decided to carefully cut the band off myself with kitchen shears. After removing the band, I put the watch face onto one of the J.Crew watch bands and voila—a Timex Military Watch for less than a third of the J. Crew price!

I’m including a picture of my watch and the version sold on by J.Crew. One difference I’ve noted is the word “Expedition” below “Timex” on my version, and there are a few other small differences, but the measurements and specs are identical, so it’s easy to use the interchangeable bands.

Also, note that Amazon also sells a version of the same watch with a green face, so make sure you don’t order that one if you want the dark gray face (although some people might like the green, it looks like it could be cute!) Anyways, hope this info helps other people who might be interested in duplicating my little experiment!

I have to say that the watches look amazingly similar. What is even better about A's version, besides the price tag, is the calendar date function on the face of the watch. Fantastic!!!

What are your thoughts on the Timex for J.Crew & comparable watches? Do you like the style? Do you own J.Crew's Timex or a similar version? If so, please share! :)

Keeping Time with J.Crew's Classic Timex Watch {double take}

This blog has discussed J.Crew's Timex Military Watch (Item 10884; $150.00) a number of times (refer here, here, & here, as a few examples).

If you flip through J.Crew's catalog, you will have noticed that this watch is *the* accessory to have. In part, thanks to the delicious shades that the Watch Strap (Item 19474; $20.00) comes in, like Neon Rose and Birch.

My initial thought when the watch first came out is that I like it *and* that it is very {very} pricey for a Timex. However, over time I fell in love with it. I tried to find a cheaper alternative online, as well as with visits to Wal-Mart and Target, but found nothing close.

Between the fantastic styling from J.Crew's holiday catalogs & Summerilla's "Sum Sunshine" blog (refer here, here , & here, as some examples), I caved in. I ended up not only getting the watch at J.Crew, but some of the watch straps (in gorgeous Authentic Red & stunning Bronzed Biege).

Sorry for the rambling on. Now here comes the point of this post... A big "thanks!" to Danielle who found a J.Crew-Timex comparable watch for a fraction of the price, from a post over at Trip's "A Trip Down South" blog (click here).

The watch on the left is J.Crew's version. The watch on the right is the Squad Leader Watch (Item #16163; $31.99) from U.S. Calvalry. From the images, the watches are remarkably similar. Even better? Danielle shares that the bands for both watches measure 18mm", so one could use J.Crew's watch straps {in super pretty shades} for the Squad Leader Watch.

What are your thoughts on the Timex & Squad Leader watches? Do you like the style? Do you own either one? If so, please share! :)