Timex T56371 — Stranger Than Fiction Watch
June 17th, 2007 by Chronic Consumer
I am not much of a jewelry person at all, but I love watches and am working on building up a decent collection. While I have a few high-quality watches like Cartier and Gucci, I also like to buy cheaper pieces from time to time, for those casual days when I don’t want to risk ruining my nice nice watches. Recently, I purchased the Timex T56371 Ironman watch just because it was featured in the Will Ferrell movie Stranger Than Fiction. I liked how it looked in the film and since it was so cheap (less than $60), I decided to go ahead and buy it.
Yes, the Timex T56371 is a men’s watch and I am a woman. At first, I had thoughts about giving it to my husband as a gift, but he’s not a wristwatch person and usually doesn’t wear one. I offered it to him, but, as expected, he told me to go ahead and keep it for myself. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a woman wearing a man’s watch, so I don’t have a problem with that.
Anyway, after a couple weeks of use, here’s are my impressions of the Stranger Than Fiction watch.
Pros:
- Digital plus analog time settings
- Looks great
- I love the Indiglo backlight
- Several different modes, including Time, Alarm, Chrono, and Timer
- Can save two different time zones
Cons:
- The watch is very heavy. Even with many of the links removed to accommodate my small wrist, the Timex T56371 weighs in at a hefty 132 grams.
- I don’t like the clasp. I have pinched myself on it several times already and now have to be very careful when I’m putting the watch on so as not to do it again.
- Setting the alarms can be a bit confusing. I wish there was an “Off” setting for the alarms so I could know for sure if they’re set or not. Plus, with two alarms, it’s even more confusing. I’ve already unknowingly set Alarm 2 for a weird time like 1am or something and have been awakened mistakenly like that.
- The digital and analog clocks apparently work on different timing mechanisms, so they don’t show the exact same time. They’re always a half-second or a second off, which is very noticeable and distracting.
On the whole, I think the Stranger Than Fiction watch was a solid buy. It’s not a great watch or anything like that, but it’s noticeable and some people have actually recognized it as the watch from the movie, making it a nice conversation piece. Plus, as I said before, it was only $60, which isn’t a big deal at all. I’m glad I bought it as a backup, occasional watch, but I can’t imagine using it every single day.
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 17th, 2007 at 2:35 am and is filed under Bought it. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Thanks for the review! Now that you’ve had the watch a while, have your thoughts changed (for better or worse)? I assume the initial battery is still working. Are there two batteries for each component (analog and digital)? Can you tell there is a digital watch when it is turned off or does it look like it is just an normal analog watch? All of the pictures I have seen just show it with the digital clock on.
February 7th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Hi JT
I’ve had the watch for roughly three years now. and am quite happy with
The are two batteries for each component. This can be irritating as they don’t run out at the same time. In my case I had to replace one, only to replace the other four months later.
When the digital watch face is turned off, you can’t really see it has a digital function. Though you can deduce it is digital, as the watch face is greyish and not as white as most pictures online depict it.
The watch itself is pretty heavy, but you get used to it pretty quickly.
The digital display has two timezones, so if you frequently cross timezones it can be handy.
There is an alarm indicator on screen, but it doesn’t indicate if both alarms are on or just one (the second alarm is tied to the second timezone entered in the watch).
March 29th, 2009 at 3:00 am
hey
i don’t know if i should get one. i saw it on stranger than fiction but its not exactly the same. are the cons so bad that i shouldn’t get it or are they not bad that i should get it?
June 24th, 2009 at 4:34 am
Do you think if you get around to it you could take a quick photo of the watch with the digital function off?
I’ve scoured the internet and all i can find is this: http://watchestate.blogspot.com/2007/03/stranger-than-fiction-timex.html Is this an accurate photograph?
Thanks in advance!
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 am
I don’t think the watch can turn the digital function off. That might have been a special effect for the movie. I tried pushing all the buttons, but to no avail….
July 30th, 2009 at 4:24 am
Oh really! -Well, thanks a million for trying!
August 29th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
I’ve had three of these watches.
First off, you can turn the digital display off. Just hold the start/stop button in for a few seconds. This watch keeps two digital times. I use them whenever I cross times zones, as I do this often for work, for weeks at a time. There are also two alarms. Each one is settable to time zone one or time zone two. There is a little T1 or T2 in the main display to tell you which time zone you are looking at. You can switch between which time zone is your default by holding down lap/reset. The Indiglo light is a bit short, for only 2 seconds or so, and the alarm is not loud, and only sounds every other second for 20 seconds. There is no 5 min snooze backup on this either. The watch is very heavy, and sits up high. This is probably due to the watch having two batteries inside. One powers the digital and the other powers the analong. As I said in the beginning, this is my third watch. My first, I eventually broke the analog adjustment knob off somehow. My second, the analog hands stopped moving, and it wasn’t the battery that was a problem. Eventually I broke the band, and you really can’t find a replacement for this band that will fit. My third now, the analog hands have stopped moving on this one too, and I may replace it soon. However overall this watch is well worth the money I paid. I scour the local walmarts for it, and have found all three for around $35 a piece. I think they finally got wise and upped the price to around $60, but amazon.com is still selling it for around $42. Overall, if you’re as rough on watches as I am, it will probably only last two to three years, but for the cost, can’t beat the features.
August 30th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Hi Alan, thanks for sharing your experiences with this watch! And that’s a great tip about how to turn the digital display off. I tried it and it worked like a charm!
I can’t believe you’ve gone through three of these already… wow!
September 6th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I bought the watch because of the movie too. I have grown to LOVE this watch after figuring out that I can create half hour chime by setting the count-down timer accordingly. The alarm is close to useless so I only use it as a backup. I am pretty rough on it – running, swimming, work. My analog just stopped after 1.5 years of everyday use – hopefully it will only be the battery. If not I will get another one.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:25 am
I have had this watch for two years now and have really enjoyed it. I have a few nicer watches but I prefer this one due to it’s features. I too experienced the analog stop moving. It turns out that this watch has two batteries, one for the analog, and another for the digital. The downer for me is that I recently broke the band and I’m having trouble finding a replacement. I’ve seen a couple of websites in the UK that offer replacements but nothing in the USA.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:34 am
I emailed Timex, and this was their reply about getting a replacement band.
“Thank you for your inquiry. You can call us at 1-800-448-4639 to order a replacement band for your watch. The cost will be $8.00-$12.00, plus any applicable tax. Please have your watch with you when you call.”
February 4th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I ordered the replacement band today and it was $12 total. Shipping and taxes were included!!!
February 5th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Russ, thanks for the update! It’s great to have this phone number so others can get a replacement band if necessary.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:19 am
I Would like to buy this whatch Timex T56371, I live in spain. How can do this.
I have not a credit card.
Can I do a money transfer by “WESTERN UNION”???
PLEASE, I LOVE THIS TIMEX
October 12th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
hello, i want to ask how to activating “hour” in watch display?
thanks a lot
January 25th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
As a user for this watch, I have to say it is worth the money it is spent. As of 2012, I am 17 years old, and my watch is 7. That’s right, I have been wearing this watch for 7 years, and I am very rough with it, especially running. This is my very first watch, and hopefully my very last. This is like my little fortune!