Watch Bargains

J. Crew has been offering exclusive-to-them Timex watches for a while. There are now four styles, ranging in price from $150 to $195. I don't know if you've priced Timex watches lately, but that's a hefty premium over "ordinary" Timexes.

They're nice watches, especially the diver-style with the dark blue face and bezel, but frankly they just aren't worth the asking price. Also, the military-style watches are on the small side, and don't quite have the appropriate presence on a larger wrist.

There are other watches around that come close to the look of the military watch, like the one I picked up a few months ago. But even that one retails for $95, though I paid much less. But what if you just want a decent-looking facsimile of a military watch and don't want to spend more than $50?

Now there are options, direct from Timex. They launched this line of "Weekender" watches about a month ago, starting at $40. Some of them come on striped nylon straps, just like the ones J. Crew sells for $20. You don't get to choose which strap you get, but if you want to switch it up, you can find straps like this online for much less. (Some of the other styles have very cheesy, plasticky-looking straps, so you may need to plan on getting something different anyway.)

There's also a variation on the basic military style that comes with a slightly larger case that sports a tachymeter bezel (you can use it to measure the speed of things, if you're so inclined; if not, it just looks good on your wrist). I also like this variation (also available in a somewhat smaller ladies' style), which doesn't have the military look but does have a nice color-fade effect (called a degrade), particularly on this black-to-gray version.

These are good-looking watches, and if you happen to live near a Target, you may find them stocked in the watch department. I saw almost all of these at my local Target last week, and they look just as good in person. Even better, Target's prices are about $5 lower than the prices shown on the Timex site. Or you could use that code on the Timex site and get 20% off; order two (at these prices, you might as well) and you'll probably spend enough for free shipping. Any of these watches is going to be a solid, dependable, stylish choice at a great price.

UPDATE, 9/14: Overstock appears to have many of the Weekender styles available, priced between $27 and $36 (one metal bracelet style is $40). Well, what are you waiting for?