# Armitron Automatic Skeleton



## gigfy

Hey Guys,

I just saw these Armitron Automatic Skeletons at Wal-mart. I always stop by the watch counter to see if they have any Timex automatics.

Here are the specs from the brochure.

40-hour power reserve
21 jewel automatic skeleton movement
water resistant to 165 feet
solid stainless steel
Exhibition back (shows decorated rotor & 'blued' screws)

It also hacks & hand winds. The back of the watch in the brochure reads, Water Resistant 165 feet All Stainless Steel 20/4405SV TY2807SV China Movement. The watch I looked at also had TY2807SV but I'm not sure if it had the 20/4405SV or not.

So what is it? Shanghai, Seagull? Something else?









http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6562454









http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6562455









http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6562456

Cheers,
gigfy


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## sphinx88

http://armitron.com/Contact.html

I searched google and the company has a contact above.


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## Chascomm

TY28xx is the Tsinyi export code for Sea-Gull ST16.

'Armitron' of all things! And even Bulova's 'Accutron' has become a brand for mechanical watches. Whatever next; DataTime hand-winders? CompuChron mechanical alarms?

(I know; showing my age)


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## Torrid

How do all these regular stores have autos? I swear everything in this area like that are just battery quartzes.


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## gigfy

Thanks for the info Chascomm. I didn't have any luck looking it up on cousins since they changed their website.

I looked all over their website Sphinx88 with no mention of the automatics. Go figure. I guess Wal-mart is going to be the test market and in Alabama of all places. :-s

Torrid, I go by the counters every time I'm in there. I always bug them about the Timex autos. I want to touch one before I buy it. And, I know that no one else around here will buy them so I'll just wait until they go on sale. I know, I'm cheap.:roll:

Cheers,
gigfy


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## sphinx88

gigfy said:


> Torrid, I go by the counters every time I'm in there. I always bug them about the Timex autos. I want to touch one before I buy it. And, I know that no one else around here will buy them so I'll just wait until they go on sale. I know, I'm cheap.:roll:
> 
> Cheers,
> gigfy


We have to be cheap, and always looking for better price with similar quality. Otherwise these Cable TV providers, internet service providers and phone service providers will rob us. By using cheaper products or services, we encourage the competance between the suppliers and eventually will benefit us all.

I am using internet of only $18 a month, but speed of 4Mbps. 
I am using a Voip internet phone, and it is only $4 per month, $0.01 per minute to call China.
I am using a satelite dish and canceled the expensive local cable TV package. :roll:


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## siyexcalibur

You are very fortunate. In Singapore:
My internet charges are much higer and the speed slower.
I dont call overseas much.
Satellite dish is illegal hence you have to patronise the expensive cable which is a monopoly.


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## zippofan

The department store chain Kohl's has the Armitron skeleton as well as the Timex automatic. After I saw them I did a web search and found a one sentence reference to the Armitron on a Swiss watch(!) business page. There is nothing at all on the Armitron site, just like there was nothing on the Timex auto on the Timex site when they first came out.

I got my Timex auto from JC Penney's last holiday season on sale for just under $100 with tax.  It isn't bad for what it is, though the bracelet was terrible. I replaced it with an Alpha bracelet.

Cheers,
Griff


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## Viper

I bought one those Armitron skeleton watches at Walmart this morning (the one with the rubber strap and the black bezel), and I thought I'd share my impressions of it.

(Sorry for the poor pics. I'll try and take some daylight photos of the watch in the morning and see if they come out better.)

As has already been stated, the watch is an interesting piece. It still follows Armitron's basic "sport watch" style, but it is atractive nonetheless.










The watch's packaging is, for a lack of a better term: pedestrian at best. Just a cheap white plastic box with the warranty and instruction info inside.










One of the things that surprised me is that Armitron chose to come clean and indicate the movement's country of origin on the case back. I've seen a bunch of auto watches with mystery movements, but there's no hiding where this one is from. Here's a pic of the case back showing the Chinese TY2807SV movement.









The rubber band is nothing to write home about. Comfortable, but if you have slim wrists you'll have cut it down to size. Not a hard thing to do, but best done by yourself at home and not by a Walmart employee!

A few important things to note: The screws at the lugs are purely cosmetic and serve no function at all. The band/bracelet is removed by accessing the springs at the small cutouts behind the band. Also, the black plating around the bezel is not evenly applied and you can see gaps in the finish around the bezel's corners. By the way, the bezel does not rotate.


















I wore the watch at work all day and it seems to be running a little fast, but tolerable (so far). I did notice, however, that the lume on the hands and markers are rather weak unless subjected to a strong source of light up close so in my opinion, it's not the ideal watch to wear in low-light conditions. I must admit though, skeleton watches are cool to look at and if you're the type that likes to see the insides of a mechanical watch, this one won't disappoint.

Now for my conclusion. As much as I like the look of the watch, I'm on the fence on this one. I like that you can hack the watch and wind it manually and while I find the overall fit and finish of the Armitron satisfactory, it's not as nice as the 1st gen Timex Automatic I used to own. Then again, it's a $70 watch. To be honest, Armitron was never a brand that appealed to me and this is the very first Armitron watch I've ever owned, but I'm still not sure if this one will be a keeper. I guess time will tell. ;-)


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## gigfy

Thanks for the review Viper. Top notch. I think I still want one though. I like to drool over the movements while I wear them. I want the same model you have so if you get tired of it....

Cool Avitar :-! The Moz never looked so manly! :-d

Cheers & War Eagle,
gigfy


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## nderwater

specifically regarding the movement and not the rest of the watch, would you consider buy another skeleton watch with those internals?


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## studdmstr

I just picked up one of these watches last week after reading some of the comments from this thread. I purchased the all stainless with metal bracelet. This is the first automatic for me, even though I've been wanting an automatic for a long time and for $90 is seemed like a cheap introduction. So far I'm very happy with the fit and finish of the watch as well as the guys at work. I as well as them liked that the back was clear for our viewing pleasure. After about five days of wearing it, it seems like the time is slow by about 5 seconds, so a second every 24hrs isn't too bad. I give it a :-!


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## MichaelPedersen

I've been an Armitron fan for 20 plus years and I've been daydreaming about this since I saw it a couple weeks ago. I had to register so I could reply. I bought the all stainless yesterday. I think the quality seems very good for 100 bucks. The watch is much wider than my Citizen Eco Calibre. It is also hard to tell the time at a glance but I'm sure I'll get used to it but the second is still nearly invisible. I have about a 7.5 inch wrist and it fits almost perfect but I would like it a bit more looses but I think after a break-in it will fit nicely. The most unfortunate thing, though is that it seems to have gained 15 seconds so far. I set it again with my Casio GW1500 and will keep an eye on it, but since the Casio is Atomic maybe it could have changed? Hopefully..Overall I'm very happy. I've wanted an auto for a while now so I hope this one will keep me happy for the time being. Sorry I'm long winded.


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## MichaelPedersen

I've been keeping an eye on the accuracy all day and it doesn't seem to be gaining time now. Maybe I made an error when I originally set it? Don't know. Overall I think this watch rivals my original Seiko Kinetic in quality. The Seiko died after 5 years so if I get more than 2 I'll be happy. The interesting thing, though, is the Armitron carrys a lifetime warranty. My Seiko had a 5 year, and quit just after it expired. (Had to replace the movement at my own cost)


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## sphinx88

Watch accuracy changes as the postion of watch. During the night it normally runing faster.


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## MichaelPedersen

sphinx88 said:


> Watch accuracy changes as the postion of watch. During the night it normally runing faster.


I left it face down last night and it did gain 15 secods. Acceptable.


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## siyexcalibur

What about crown up or 9 o'clock down. 
Also if you wear it more, it is slower as the body temperature will heat up the watch.
Some forumers sleep with their watch when they test it for accuracy.


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## MichaelPedersen

I've been wearing it since yesterday morning, and I set it then. It only has gained about 7 seconds. I'm going to just let it run a while and see how it goes. I never take a watch off so I'm going to do the same with this one, so far still very happy with it.


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## Richard H.

I bought one at Wal Mart, I think it is a deal for $70.00. I am letting it run down and then I am going to wind it enough to get started and wear it to see how long it takes to fully wind. You can see the little spring in it and see when it is wound tight or not.


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## Guest

siyexcalibur said:


> What about crown up or 9 o'clock down.
> Also if you wear it more, it is slower as the body temperature will heat up the watch.
> Some forumers sleep with their watch when they test it for accuracy.


Very creative, I had no idea that positioning would affect it so much. I mean, logically speaking it makes perfect sense indeed, I just never thought of it. I'm glad I stopped to read this thread. So I'm guessing that "Chineese" watches are Japaneese movements? or are they Chineese? I guess I'm kind of a bandwagon snob when it comes to movements 'cause I wont settle for anything less than Swiss. Of course there you have it, who am I to determine that anything could be lesser... quite presumptuous indeed. Educate me please, because I truly hate the price of 'Swiss made', but have had a really bad experience with everything Japaneese made (when it comes to automatics that is).


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## Chascomm

Most Chinese mechanical watches have in-house movements. Spend some time looking over this forum and you'll see what we're talking about here.


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## MichaelPedersen

I was looking at some close up pictures of a Sea-Gull on the forum and this is the exact same movement. This is my first skeleton watch and I'm still fascinated watching it tick and just studying the whole movement, its great. I want some more mechanicals, just can't decide where to go next...


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## swissfan

I'm going to buy this watch today after work, I'm planning on getting the rubber strap. I like the look of the metal band but I have very hairy arms and it hurts:-( when it gets pulled so I tend to lean towards the rubber straps if available. I'm very excited about getting this watch it will be my first automatic.:-!


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## gigfy

Congratulations! Your first auto, cool! Post some pics when you can. I haven't gotten one yet but when I do, it will be the SS version with rubber strap. 

I've temporarily satiated the need for a cool watch with Seagull movement. I picked up a gently used Timex auto from one of the forum members a few weeks back. (which is the whole reason I discovered the Armitron skeleton in the first place!) I love it. Can't seem to find a good strap for it, though. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

Cheers,
gigfy


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## swissfan

gigfy said:


> Congratulations! Your first auto, cool! Post some pics when you can. I haven't gotten one yet but when I do, it will be the SS version with rubber strap.
> 
> I've temporarily satiated the need for a cool watch with Seagull movement. I picked up a gently used Timex auto from one of the forum members a few weeks back. (which is the whole reason I discovered the Armitron skeleton in the first place!) I love it. Can't seem to find a good strap for it, though. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
> 
> Cheers,
> gigfy


Hey thanx, I will post pics for sure:-!


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## swissfan

Well I just got home with my new Armitron Automatic:-! and I love this watch so far. It is extremly comfortable on my wrist I am liking the band alot. It just molds to my arm. This is a very good looking watch... I will post pics either tonight or in the morning. And keep you guys posted on how this watch does.


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## swissfan

Just thought I would let you guys know how the watch is doing, Well so far it has kept perfect time and has been a pleasure to wear. I have had more compliments on this one watch alone than all my watches put together...lol....Everyone that has seen it has been like WOW!!!...Like I posted earlier the band is unreal when it comes to comfort. It melts like butter to your wrist:-! and is very easy to adjust to your wrist all you need is a pair of scissors and just cut off the amount of sections that is right for your wrist it took me about 3 min and was as easy as 123|>. I'm still trying to figure out how to post pics on here:-s. But my wife is going to take care of that when we get home today:-d...


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## swissfan

Well its been about 3 days now since I puchased the Armitron Automatic and I have been VERY satisfied with this watch:-!. It is still keeping perfect time and is still a pleasure to wear. I have wore it with a suit and with some athletic workout clothes to the gym and it looks great with both. I truly hope Armitron puts out some more Automatics of this quality specialy at this price, I will for sure buy more|>.


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## MichaelPedersen

I have been looking at the Stainless bracelet and I think it is solid. A nice touch on a $100 watch. The bracelet is much better than my Timex auto, which I scrapped and now its on a Chronissimo. A dramatic improvement, BTW.


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## Elsydeon

I've been eyeing these for a while everytime I stop by Walmart; to be honest, I really didn't like the styling, and I'm still not sure I do. Considering the skeleton style of automatics is usually reserved for dressier looking pieces on leather straps, I think it rather clashes and looks funny when you try and combine it with a diver styled case, like what Armitron did. I also thought the black rubber bracelet-looking strap looked rather out of place against the all silver case; it would've been better if Armitron had simply ion plated the entire watch, something they're capable of doing since they regularly sell ion plated watches. 

In any event, tonight I stopped by Walmart and I noticed that there were two new additions to the automatic lineup; one that has a more squarish case on a normal looking flat rubber strap, and one of the usual bracelet model, except that parts of the movement had been blued. I found myself rather liking the partially blued movement version, and the rest of the internals was silver, which I found better looking than the slightly golden hue the usual model's internals has. After hem hawing over it a bit, I decided what the heck; if it at least didn't feel cheap in the hand, I'd take it. Imagine my surprise once the watch was handed over to me; it is QUITE a hefty piece! The bracelet version of this Armitron easily weighs around what an Omega Seamaster weighs around. The bracelet uses completely solid links with friction pins holding the links together, and the case actually has multiple levels of brushed and polished finishing. The brushed finish is quite coarse, and the polished finishes aren't done to a deep mirror shine, but at this price point, it's to be expected. As mentioned earlier, the big screws on the lugs are just cosmetic; the end links are held to the case by the usual spring bars. Lug width is a massive 24mm wide. The clasp is a very nice double locking clasp, with 3 fine adjustment holes. The movement itself is very pleasant to look at and is well finished; the rotor has nice engravings as well as various plates and bridges; none of the parts are engraved from the front however. The bluing is obviously just paint at this price point, but is a nice difference. This watch easily passed the heft and build quality test, so I bought it. The price was $124 and some change for this blued variation, and it was the most expensive of the Armitron automatics in the case. 

So far within a few minutes after setting it, it seems like the watch is already picking up a few seconds, so I suspect it will be a fast runner. Manual winding is quite smooth by the way, much better than some more expensive Swiss watches with ETA movements that I've had. The movement can hack, but a annoyance is that it can take about a second or two to completely stop the seconds hand. Lume is pretty pitiful, almost non-existent unfortunately. I'll see how it performs over the next few days.


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## gigfy

Thanks for the review. Post some pics so we can see your new acquisition.

Sorry to hear about the accuracy. Time it over 24hrs and if it is unacceptable to you, just take it back & exchange it. Wal-mart is good for that sort of thing. ;-)

What movement does it have? Does it also use the TY-2807?

Cheers,
gigfy


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## Elsydeon

The movement on this one is the TY-2807. And overall it seems like the watch gains about 7-10 seconds a day, which I find very acceptable for a watch at this price range, so I think it's a keeper. This is considerably better than Seiko's 7S26/36 movements which on average tend to be 15-20+ seconds fast a day. Being it has no date complication, it's quite easy to reset its time too as needed. Is it just me or do I not see any regulators on the escapement?


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## stanley888

Bought one today with rubber band from Kohl.
Cost $66.49 + tax after 30% discount.
They cut some rubber to fit my small wrist. 
It's my first automatic watch.
I haven't test how accurate. I will be happy if fall under 10sec a day.









This watch almost look same the other automatic skeleton one sell form ebay Duboule, Jeanneret.


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## gigfy

Very Nice! And at a good price too :-!

You might want to try your wrist shots outside. My camera seems to take a better wrist shot with some sunlight. ;-)

Cheers,
gigfy


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## CuriousG

Congrats on your first automatic. Hope you're enjoying it.


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## sphinx88

when you take pictures, don't shake your hands...


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## SquishyPanda

Hmmm I've always wanted a skeleton automatic, but a lot of the ones I see look too old-fashioned for me. I'll swing by wal-mart this weekend to see if they have one. I like the black one w/ rubber strap. Does anyone know how big the case is?


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## Elsydeon

It's 44mm wide, with a height off the wrist of about 13mm. The bezel to dial ratio however makes this watch wear smaller than it is; it looks just fine on my 6" wrist.


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## SquishyPanda

Perfect, I like that 40-45mm range. More dial would be nice, but I'll have to see one in person to get a good feel for it.


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## electricgary

I just got mine a couple days ago after reading this forum. I have checked the time and it seems to run about 8 seconds fast per day. Not bad. This is my first automatic watch I have always liked them but never really wanted to spend so much on one. This one is great for the price. I got mine at Kohls and after discounts it cost $59 plus a few cents. Cheap enough. Thanks for all the info. This place is great.


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## exterra

I just got my first armiton skeleton Automatic today. Im glad I read alot of this thread. I never knew they run fast or slower. Anyhow during shipping my instructions got lost. The casing opening and I guess during customs clearance they forgot or they fell out in transit. I tried searching the net but no luck, as well as for the armitron website. Can someone send me the instructions they got in the box by email. A scan would be appreciated. exterra1 @ yahoo . com or even post a pic of them on the board. Thanks


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## jimmeezcuz

Does anybody know where I can get a metal bracelet (Made for this watch) for this automatic ? I want to replace my rubber one.

Thanx


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## jimmeezcuz

Anybody know where to get the metal bracelt for this watch ?


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## gigfy

Try emailing / calling Armitron. I think that would be your best option. Cheers, gigfy


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## jimmeezcuz

Yeah, thats what I thought.......................Cheers


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## ModularSpeed

What an awesome watch....and an awesome site guys! I have been researching watches for the last few days and decided I would try this watch out....WOW. I have had the watch for a full day, and I must say it is just great. It is VERY comfortable, looks very sharp....and IMO so far is WELL worth the $80 I paid for it.

this is the cheapest wathc I have ever owned...and i will more then likely pick it over all my others if I continue to be this impressed. Thanks for the site, the good info....if it was not for this site and it popping up everytime I researched a watch then I would have wasted $500+.

Pics.


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## ModularSpeed

Still rocking the watch just about everyday.

LOVE this watch. I also went and snagged another Armi,Auto, Skeleton.

What a great watch....and it is SO heavy!!! It is great..these lenses are pretty tough also! Picked it up for $116.


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## gigfy

Congratulations. :-!:-!:-!

Wear them well. |> |> |>



Cheers,
gigfy


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## douro20

I've seen these watches, and I would say that the movement bears some similarity to early Seiko automatics using the gearless variant of the Magic Lever autowinding system. And as for most Seiko automatics, they can't be hand-wound, and they are non-hacking. For a Chinese skeleton it is quite well done; most of the ones I've seen in the past suffered problems related to assembly and would fall apart from the slightest shock. In some variants, there is something I have never seen on a watch before; anodized plates!


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## fly2crawl

First of all I would like to say this site is awesome. I'm finding out more about watches then I thought I could in such a short time. I purchased the Armitron with the blue toned metal but haven't seen anyone post the pics on here so I took one of mine and here it is just in case someone hasn't seen what it looks like.


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## gigfy

Congrats! and Welcome.


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## TNT13

I'm sorry to dig up an old thread, but does anyone's bezel rotate? The reason I ask is because of this picture.









Thanks!


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## Richard H.

The Bezel does not rotate on mine or any I have seen.


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## TNT13

Richard H. said:


> The Bezel does not rotate on mine or any I have seen.


Yeah, mine doesn't rotate either. I've been trying with WD-40, but no luck. There seems to be a seam and I'm tempted to try and pry it off. I'll probably just destroy it though.

In the picture above, it's clearly rotated. The 30 is right above the 60 on the inner ring.


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## dkfuel

I saw this watch in Target last week and was quite shocked to see an Automatic Armitron watch! I ended up buying it (the rubber strap one) and am very impressed with it.

It was quite nice to buy an automatic and not pay through the teeth for it.

I would have preferred a leather band (rubber makes my wrist sweat), but I suppose I could change it out if I really wanted to.

I'm also glad I bought it because I found this forum as a result! This seems to be the only place on the net that people are talking about this watch.

Oh, and I definitely don't think the bezel rotates. That photo must be some kind of error. 
I wouldn't try any more WD-40 on it, taro1313 -- that sounds like a recipe for disaster.

At any rate, nice comments on the watch here. It's nice to know that others have found it as well (although I am definitely late to the party!).


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## TNT13

Better late than never! Welcome to the forums! (Although I'm new here myself). I'm loving my stay here so far.

Yeah, I've been thinking about replacing the strap on this for a while, but the rubber is actually quite comfortable. I called Armitron about a replacement bracelet and they wanted almost as much as I paid for the watch! If anyone comes up with a nice bracelet for this at a reasonable price, I'm all ears!


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## Aaron Weikart

I bought this watch awhile back (The one with the black rubber band) and the band would pop off every so often, so I sent it back. This is also the reason I eventually joined Watchuseek forums. I was pretty mad, because I loved the watch but couldn't wear it. I couldn't have been the only one with that problem, right?


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## Jonnie

I bought one of these (with the rubber strap) just because I liked the style, and had the money. Since it was my first mechanical watch, I had no idea what to expect. The darn thing was always stopping, especially at night when I took it off, but I wound it, and it ran ok. But then it started to more and more. Then I noticed that when it stopped, the second hand was ALWAYS between the 9 and 11. That was my clue that something was not right. I was able to exchange it for another of the same model, no probs since. I really like the style of this thing, and so do my friends.


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## TxKarateDude

Jonnie said:


> I bought one of these (with the rubber strap) just because I liked the style, and had the money. Since it was my first mechanical watch, I had no idea what to expect. The darn thing was always stopping, especially at night when I took it off, but I wound it, and it ran ok. But then it started to more and more. Then I noticed that when it stopped, the second hand was ALWAYS between the 9 and 11. That was my clue that something was not right. I was able to exchange it for another of the same model, no probs since. I really like the style of this thing, and so do my friends.


Jonnie, you have opened a can o worms, my friend. Before you know it you'll want another automatic that's a bit more costly, and it just escalates from there, or should I say it's all downhill from there? It can get addicting. 
I saw one of those at Wal-***t and had to do a double take! It looked nice for the price, but I don't know much about the brand or chinese movement. I have wanted a skeleton automatic for a while now and this may be a good starter. 
I have to agree with dkfuel about this place, it's a great place to learn about watches, and the members are always willing to help, and friendly.


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## hangdogdaddy

Inside sources have it that I'm getting one of the Armitron Automatics. I can't wait. When I do, I'll try to upload some pics and try to give a humble review. Yippi!!!


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## Torrid

I finally saw one of these in person yesterday at Target. They had four of them in the case and while I didn't take the time to handle one while there, they look much nicer than the price suggests.


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## SquishyPanda

hangdogdaddy said:


> Inside sources have it that I'm getting one of the Armitron Automatics. I can't wait. When I do, I'll try to upload some pics and try to give a humble review. Yippi!!!


That's an awesome gift  I'm sure you'll love it.


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## JDiPierro

I got one of these for Christmas, I'd been drooling over it in the store one time and I finally got it 

This is my first automatic watch, I haven't had a chance to wear it yet (I'm actually having it resized right now, waiting an hour to go back to the jeweler. I have the one with the rubber band so I'd just like to warn people that in order to resize it they have to cut it, that means no going back! A bit scary since this is my first time and it's such an amazing timepiece!


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## dualtime

You'll enjoy it and find yourself staring at the movement often. Buy the way it's easy to size yourself. Cut one section at a time, put the spring bars back on and try it on. Keep going from side to side to make it even. It take a little time, but all you need is an exacto knife and some patience.


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## Archon5

I bought one from WalMart yesterday night -- with a steel band, and a black-and-silver face.

I like it. The band is comfortable, the watch is big and heavy, and the internal gears are shiny and mesmerizing. If you take the watch off, you can look at the gears through the back -- its clear.

The glow-in-the-dark paint is weak, but this isn't a major issue with me, since I always carry my cellphone.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it hasn't gained or lost any minutes since yesterday night (unlike the other watch I bought from WalMart  .

-edit- 

The watch has lost about 2 seconds in 4 hours (with me wearing it in cold weather). Is this bad?


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## brownsr

If it maintains that level of accuracy you will be right in the ballpark for this SeaGull movement. I have had 3 of these (it's a long story not related to problems) and they ran in the neighborhood of #1 gained 4 seconds/day, #2 gained 20 seconds/day and #3 gains 18-24 seconds/day.

All three would run for at least 30+ hours on a full winding.

I have been very impressed with the fit and finish of the watches. The Stainless Steel has been well polished with no poorly finished edges or pitting. The mineral crystals are well fitted to the cases.

The first unit I had came with the standard rubber band - too short for my pudgy wrist but nonetheless felt good when I could get it fastened on cold mornings.

The one I have now has the stainless band which surprisingly on this inexpensive a watch is made of solid links. This in combination with the heavy case is what gives the all stainless model its significant heft.

Since the Stainless band was also too small I got a chance to test Armitron's customer service. The sales person at Kohl's told me that I could order extra links directly from them (Armitron) at no cost. This proved to be true. They will send you up to three additional links at no cost and very quickly to boot. (got them in 3 days) The expansion links are attached with screw pins and are very easy to install.

All-in-all, a heckofa value for the $90 I paid for it on sale! :-!


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## gigfy

Glad to hear you guys are happy with the Armitron. brownsr, you may want to let the guys know about the free links on this post.

https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=227580&highlight=extra+links

Cheers,
gigfy


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## neutronflux

I had the blue toned movement on a bracelet. I returned it as it was gaining 80 Seconds a DAY! It was NOT magnetised and it has not experienced a shock. I desk dive all day. Got my money back and Threw another bill at an ebay auction for a Traser 25 jewel automatic classic. Very nice bought in 07 worn 5 times lnib. I'm only getting a ball from here. but back on topic.. I actually want to go buy another one. I miss it.. It was a very nice watch. Perhaps I just had one that wasn't regulated right. I kept it for 20 days which is way way way past the time needed for break in (a few hours, I promise)


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## corsec67

Torrid said:


> I finally saw one of these in person yesterday at Target. They had four of them in the case and while I didn't take the time to handle one while there, they look much nicer than the price suggests.


Yeah, this Armitron is just amazing looking. I love how they were able to clear the area above the pallets, and have that towards the face above the balance wheel. That is my favorite part of this watch/movement.




And the back, I love how they cut the middle out of the rotor:


The good news is that to buy a better looking skeleton would be so much more expensive than this that I hopefully will be satisfied for a while. The illumination on the hands is so bad I think it was put on as a joke, but that really doesn't bother me. The seconds hand gear train has a fairly large amount of slack, though.

(All images link to bigger versions. I have a Macro lens and am not afraid to use it)


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## MikeyT

I first heard of these watches yesterday. I'm amazed that there is not one (at least that I can find) on ebay.


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## MikeyT

Well, I bought one of these (rubber strap, black bezel) tonight at Wally World. I love it. It's a good-sized watch with a substantial feel to it, and I'm mesmerized by the exposed movement. Unfortunately, it's going back. My soon to be 65 year-old eyes struggle to read it. In exactly the right position, I can read it, but why should I have to peer at it? Bummer. :-( :-(


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## mis204

I just bought this watch as my first automatic, and I absolutely love the skeleton... does anyone know for sure if this watch charges with motion in both directions, or just clockwise/counter-clockwise?


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## gigfy

mis204 said:


> I just bought this watch as my first automatic, and I absolutely love the skeleton... does anyone know for sure if this watch charges with motion in both directions, or just clockwise/counter-clockwise?


This watch has a Sea-Gull ST16 which winds in both directions.

Cheers,
gigfy


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## SquishyPanda

I thought it was an ST17? I tried to replace another miyota clone with it and it didn't fit (too big)

regardless, yeah it winds both ways :-!


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## mis204

gigfy said:


> This watch has a Sea-Gull ST16 which winds in both directions.
> 
> Cheers,
> gigfy


Thanks a lot! this watch was great for the price, and got it really quick from walmart.com!


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## resin

I'm stoked to have discovered this forum. I've always had pretty cheap watches and this one was no exception, cost me $32 from ebay. I paid $40 initially, but complained about a tiny scratch and a little metal speck stuck to one of the luminous dots, and got an $8 refund. Hah. Anyway, I really like this watch and I took a bunch of pictures of it. Check 'em out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/b-rphotos/sets/72157622678815160/detail/


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## gigfy

Welcome to the forum! And very nice pictures. I liked this one of the display back.










Cheers,
gigfy


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## helius

resin said:


> I'm stoked to have discovered this forum. I've always had pretty cheap watches and this one was no exception, cost me $32 from ebay. I paid $40 initially, but complained about a tiny scratch and a little metal speck stuck to one of the luminous dots, and got an $8 refund. Hah. Anyway, I really like this watch and I took a bunch of pictures of it. Check 'em out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/b-rphotos/sets/72157622678815160/detail/


I think I've seen those for ~$100 at Walmart, which seemed way too much given all the Parnis/Alpha/Tao/etc that's available for less. But it's a great find at $40! :-!


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## James Haury

I just bought the stainless steel model with a black rubber strap where can i get a 2 pc 24 mm heavy nylon strap preferably in brown?Hey thanks i fopund what I wanted on countycomm.com


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## iamamedicalstudent

fly2crawl said:


> First of all I would like to say this site is awesome. I'm finding out more about watches then I thought I could in such a short time. I purchased the Armitron with the blue toned metal but haven't seen anyone post the pics on here so I took one of mine and here it is just in case someone hasn't seen what it looks like.


This pic pushed me over the edge. Should arrive on saturday. And yes, i registered just to post this post.


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## warlock110

kohl is carrying the same watch for 66 + 15% off... so that should make it around 60 ish after tax... not bad IMO, you get it right there and then (VS going online and wait). and @ 60 that's a decent price. i just don't like the rubber band.


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## gigfy

iamamedicalstudent said:


> This pic pushed me over the edge. Should arrive on saturday. And yes, i registered just to post this post.


Welcome! Let us know how you like it.

Cheers,
gigfy


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## markmdz

well, so here I am bringing a thread back from the dead...

My wife was so kind to let my 6 year old daughter convince her that this was the watch for me for Father's Day just a few days back. ...and oh man do I owe that little girl a huge hug.

I just sized down this watch (black band) by cutting a few of the pieces off the ends of each side and it now fits pretty well. I'm pretty unimpressed with the fact that once the band is cut, there's no going back. 

Everyone who has the black rubber band should be aware however, that there is not just a spring pin at the end of each band side. There's a tiny steel barrel sleeving the inside of the hole. Be sure to push that barrel out and sleeve the final hole you're going to use on the band ends. I'm putting money on the fact that's why some owners have had issues with the band popping off.

So at any rate, although the rubber band and it's sizing gets a C or C- from me, the actual watch and clasp get an A+ considering its price point. Everyone at work is sporting Rolex's of varying vintages, and my favorite damn watch (the Omega SeaMaster Auto) and with this sub-$100 wonder, I have no watch envy at all.

This is my first auto, and my first skeleton and I'm very happy with it. I'm going to call Armitron tomorrow about getting the stainless band for it too, but again, bang for the buck is second to none on this one. Finally I can give my Eliro a break from its everyday wearing, although I still have yet to find another watch to compare in comfort to that Eliro.

...and yes, I too registered just to post about this awesome buy of a watch.


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## gigfy

markmdz said:


> well, so here I am bringing a thread back from the dead...
> 
> My wife was so kind to let my 6 year old daughter convince her that this was the watch for me for Father's Day just a few days back. ...and oh man am do I owe that little girl a huge hug.
> 
> I just sized down this watch (black band) by cutting a few of the pieces off the ends of each side and it now fits pretty well. I'm pretty unimpressed with the fact that once the band is cut, there's no going back.
> 
> Everyone who has the black rubber band should be aware however, that there is not just a spring pin at the end of each band side. There's a tiny steel barrel sleeving the inside of the hole. Be sure to push that barrel out and sleeve the final hole you're going to use on the band ends. I'm putting money on the fact that's why some owners have had issues with the band popping off.
> 
> So at any rate, although the rubber band and it's sizing gets a C or C- from me, the actual watch and clasp get an A+ considering its price point. Everyone at work is sporting Rolex's of varying vintages, and my favorite damn watch (the Omega SeaMaster Auto) and with this sub-$100 wonder, I have no watch envy at all.
> 
> This is my first auto, and my first skeleton and I'm very happy with it. I'm going to call Armitron tomorrow about getting the stainless band for it too, but again, bang for the buck is second to none on this one. Finally I can give my Eliro a break from its everyday wearing, although I still have yet to find another watch to compare in comfort to that Eliro.
> 
> ...and yes, I too registered just to post about this awesome buy of a watch.


Congrats! Sounds like you found yourself a winner and had a great Father's Day. :-!

Welcome to the forum.

cheers,
gigfy


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## rich5665

The Armitron Automatics have been on sale at Wal-mart here in Jersey, some as low as $35.00 the highest I've seen has been $55.00. I usually associate Armitron with quartz watches so was a little surprised when I first saw the autos


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## Stone Hill

Congrats..... there just is something about a mechanical watch that is so nice. 
Even though we has seen some photos, we need to see photos of yours. :-!


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## Chascomm

rich5665 said:


> The Armitron Automatics have been on sale at Wal-mart here in Jersey, some as low as $35.00 the highest I've seen has been $55.00. I usually associate Armitron with quartz watches so was a little surprised when I first saw the autos


 I think any brand ending in '-tron' looks funny on a mechanical watch. Armitron was one of the ealry quartz digital brands and they were clearly playing up the futuristic, cutting-edge aspect of their electronic product. Later, after quartz became the default choice of the masses, they were just another fashion brand.

To see them branching into mechanicals is actually very encouraging for those of us who prefer mechs as it demonstrates their huge resurgence in popularity even in the lowest price ranges.


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## Pawl_Buster

Chascomm said:


> I think any brand ending in '-tron' looks funny on a mechanical watch...


Are you calling my Artrons funny looking? :-d


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## Chascomm

Alpha-Getty said:


> Are you calling my Artrons funny looking?


You must admit it's a funny name. Arrrr-tron; the watch for pirates.


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## gigfy

Chascomm said:


> You must admit it's a funny name. Arrrr-tron; the watch for pirates.


the watch for *robot* pirates! :-d (the word tron always reminds me of the robotron game)


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## Pawl_Buster

gigfy said:


> the watch for *robot* pirates! :-d (the word tron always reminds me of the robotron game)


Arrrghhh!
You mates be pullin me solar powered titanium leg :-d

Let me see if I be gettin this right...Armitron belongs to the 6 million dollar man?


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## dualtime

rich5665 said:


> The Armitron Automatics have been on sale at Wal-mart here in Jersey, some as low as $35.00 the highest I've seen has been $55.00. I usually associate Armitron with quartz watches so was a little surprised when I first saw the autos


 The $35 and $55 skeletons at the Wal-Marts here in N.H. aren't Armitrons, they are a generic Wal-Mart skeletons that have a solid caseback. The cheapest I've seen an Armitron here is $79.


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## sean373

I really like mine. I always find myself staring at the movement when i wear it.


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## TitanCi

^decent looking watch. A family friend came over last night wearing one. I was impressed that it was Armitron!


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## Pawl_Buster

TitanCi said:


> ^decent looking watch. A family friend came over last night wearing one. I was impressed that it was Armitron!


I seem to have your watch...









:-d


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## TitanCi

^That's my first prototype! b-):-d


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## abinok

got a question...

does armitron sell bands seperately?

I really like the face on this watch...
Amazon.com: Mens Armitron Leather Automatic Watch 20-4486BKSVBK: Watches

but like the band on this one...
Amazon.com: Mens Armitron Steel Automatic Tachymeter Watch 20-4481TISV: Watches
would I be better off just getting the metal band somewhere else?


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## mlc269

Ok, So I see I'm about 3 years late with this comment- but I didn't see anyone comment about the Women's version of this watch. I was Christmas shopping on amazon a few weeks ago and I stumbled across this watch (for myself) and fell in love. It was one of the featured sales that day, and was $29.99 with free shipping- women's SS band, black-rimmed face with Swarosky crystals around the bevel , so I bought it on a whim. I really didn't know anything about mechanical watches other than my Grandfather used to show me his all the time and tell me about how it works. I was incredibly impressed when I got it- It is so heavy! I think I have turned in to a watch nerd since I got it. I am an engineer, so naturally I like to see how things work (albeit a chemical engineer...). 

Anyway I found this forum because I have been resetting the watch daily- it's been getting about a minute or more fast. I wear it all the time, should it be gaining this much time? Should I dare send it back and get a replacement? I love love love it and don't want to part. 

PS I have small women's wrists and was very pleased that I could take links out myself with just an eyeglass repair kit screwdriver


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## gigfy

mlc269 said:


> Ok, So I see I'm about 3 years late with this comment- but I didn't see anyone comment about the Women's version of this watch. I was Christmas shopping on amazon a few weeks ago and I stumbled across this watch (for myself) and fell in love. It was one of the featured sales that day, and was $29.99 with free shipping- women's SS band, black-rimmed face with Swarosky crystals around the bevel , so I bought it on a whim. I really didn't know anything about mechanical watches other than my Grandfather used to show me his all the time and tell me about how it works. I was incredibly impressed when I got it- It is so heavy! I think I have turned in to a watch nerd since I got it. I am an engineer, so naturally I like to see how things work (albeit a chemical engineer...).
> 
> Anyway I found this forum because I have been resetting the watch daily- it's been getting about a minute or more fast. I wear it all the time, should it be gaining this much time? Should I dare send it back and get a replacement? I love love love it and don't want to part.
> 
> PS I have small women's wrists and was very pleased that I could take links out myself with just an eyeglass repair kit screwdriver


A minute a day may be around the upper limits of the 'out the door' accuracy. But I would imagine it can be regulated down to something more reasonable (+/- 30 seconds or better). Maybe you have a local watchmaker that can adjust it for you? They shouldn't charge very much. Although it might be as much as you paid for the watch. ;-)

You could always open up the back and nudge the regulator with your screwdriver. 
Budget Watch Collecting/Regulating - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

I also got into mechanical watches for the same reason as you. :-!

cheers,
gigfy


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## Stone Hill

I looked for some of these today. But did not find them


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## Beau8

The first one and the third one aren't bad looking~Cheers!


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## MikeyT

Stone Hill said:


> I looked for some of these today. But did not find them


Amazon still carries them, for reasonable prices.


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## Weasty

Hello I had no idea these watches even existed till yesterday. I love watches and have been collecting for a while I usually like digital watches casio atomic tough solar and Kenneth Cole touch screen for a few examples. Anyways I was walking by the jewelry case at walmart out of boredom and I saw them they didn't have very many but they caught my interest. I had no idea what automatic watches were so I came home and did a ton of research I knew about manual watches but not the automatic ones. Needless to say I went back to walmart today and bought one. Mine is a mens black face one but it has swarsky crystals around the face which is really nice gives it a Girly touch. I'm a girl and usually buy mens watches because I'm german and have large bones therefore large wrists. I'm very excited about this watch and have always wanted a manual watch the automatic part makes it even better. It seems pretty accurate so far. I haven't found the particular style I got anywhere online though even though the case is different then the above does it have the same innards? Mine is black face crystals all around and metal band and Is a mens. Also how many jewels are in the movement? Just curious. So wish me luck on my first automatic. And yes i made this account to post this and my autocorrect messed up my user name was supposed to be weasty how do I fix that.


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## gigfy

Yeasty said:


> Hello I had no idea these watches even existed till yesterday. I love watches and have been collecting for a while I usually like digital watches casio atomic tough solar and Kenneth Cole touch screen for a few examples. Anyways I was walking by the jewelry case at walmart out of boredom and I saw them they didn't have very many but they caught my interest. I had no idea what automatic watches were so I came home and did a ton of research I knew about manual watches but not the automatic ones. Needless to say I went back to walmart today and bought one. Mine is a mens black face one but it has swarsky crystals around the face which is really nice gives it a Girly touch. I'm a girl and usually buy mens watches because I'm german and have large bones therefore large wrists. I'm very excited about this watch and have always wanted a manual watch the automatic part makes it even better. It seems pretty accurate so far. I haven't found the particular style I got anywhere online though even though the case is different then the above does it have the same innards? Mine is black face crystals all around and metal band and Is a mens. Also how many jewels are in the movement? Just curious. So wish me luck on my first automatic. And yes i made this account to post this and my autocorrect messed up my user name was supposed to be weasty how do I fix that.


Hello weasty and welcome to the forum. Congrats on the new watch and new hobby. 

I will alert the person that can fix your username.

Cheers,
gigfy


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## Pawl_Buster

Hey Weasty,
Welcome to the forum :-!

About a year ago, I too discovered some automatic watches at Walmart. These things had already been marked down to $14 and I wangled a pair at $12.50 each.
If you are lucky and in the right store at the right time, you can make out like a bandit at the watch counter :-d

These are the ones I picked up...

































Unfortunately, there were 4 or 5 other models that I didn't grab quick enough :-(

I check each time I visit WalMart but haven't seen the Armitron like yours :-s


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## Weasty

Those look nice and well you can't argue with that price. I did pay $100.00 for the one I got but it was on clearance from $150.00 so saved a bit. Here is a picture of it the weird thing is when I enter the model number of this one online all I get are chinese pages I can't find it anywhere. It has the clear back and is keeping time great and has a nice quality feel to it.


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## lateasusual

Weasty said:


> Those look nice and well you can't argue with that price. I did pay $100.00 for the one I got but it was on clearance from $150.00 so saved a bit. Here is a picture of it the weird thing is when I enter the model number of this one online all I get are chinese pages I can't find it anywhere. It has the clear back and is keeping time great and has a nice quality feel to it.
> 
> View attachment 373716


Blue face version listed on Amazon priced at $79.95. Some other crystal variations listed there. Search Armitron skeleton.

Amazon.com: Mens Armitron Steel Automatic Crystal Watch 20-4518BLSV: Watches


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## Weasty

Thank you for the link. I did see that one on amazon but nowhere in the description or anywhere searching on google does it tell me how many jewels are in the movement. It's just something I'm curious about.


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## Pawl_Buster

Weasty said:


> Thank you for the link. I did see that one on amazon but nowhere in the description or anywhere searching on google does it tell me how many jewels are in the movement. It's just something I'm curious about.


With the ST16 movement, you can find anywhere from 20 to 23 jewels.


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## monkey1911

Bumping the dead thread again lol!

Anyways, I found out about these watches today when I was browsing wally world and this thread came up in my Google search. So I bit the bullet and let it follow me home.
Model: 20/4768ti
Finish: Ion
Material: S/Steel
The bezzle does rotate on this model, and so far I'm very happy with my purchase. Well worth the $125. The hands are completely devoid of lume, infact only the dot on the bezzle in the 60 postion has any lume.
The heft is quite nice, infact it may even be heavier then my old Citizen EcoDrive. I will try to get some better pics during the daylight and I will also try to remember to update this thread with accuracy and the pics lol!
Armitron Men's Black IP-Plated Automatic Watch, Stainless Steel Case Watch, Armitron Automatic Watch, Water Resistant Watch

This model doesn't show on Armitron's website currently, so I'm unsure about it's current production status. Too bad, since the black Ion finish looks really sharp.

Here's a few crappy/flashy pics I just snapped a few minutes ago.


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## ViperGuy

Thought Id bump this thread for Armitrons. lol Mine is for sale if anyone wants a sweet looking Armitron.


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## propnut48

I've had a 20/4404svsv for about 4 months and it works good except it's hard to see the hands as the mechanism is so busy that the hands get lost I the intricacy of the mechanism.


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