Page under construction, visit back for more info later.
This is about the mechanical vintage mechanical Timex Camper Watch. It is a watchthat has TIMEX on the dial and WATER RESISTANT and the WAVE symbol on the dial (later years model will lose WATER RESISTANT.) These have plastic/resin cases, and solid/fixed lugs. Here is a picture of one, for reference.
(Note that this is NOT about the currently available quartz watch, but about the vintage hand-wound mechanical models only.)
These are NOT rare watches, and you should not overpay. This model was made from 1983-1995, and MANY copies were made. If you see one for sale, and seems to be a lot to pay, based on your own impressions, wait and another one will come around that is more reasonable. They are NOT RARE!
I have bought a number of these in good condition, working fine, at prices I deemed to be very reasonable.
What is "too much" and a "good price" will depend on condition, how well it works, and other factors, and ultimately it's a decision that each buyer makes in their own. Please don't contact me to ask me if a watch is a "good deal" or "overpriced" as I can't make that assessment for anyone, it should be based on your own impressions. If it seems like a lot to you, you can wait, look around, etc
Often this watch is called RARE or VERY RARE, or VIETNAM ERA, or MILITARY ARMY Timex, etc. This watch is not at all rare, made for more than a decade. Many were made, and many show up no ebay, all.the.time.
It's an off-the-shelf Timex that sold retail just like any other watch. It's not a special watch that was issued to the military. Some seller may say that their uncle was in the Army or whatever and that he wore this watch, as it to say "it's a military watch." Or commonly, "I don't know exactly, but this was from the estate of a retired 5-star general, so I'm sure it's a military watch." The uncle may have indeed worn the watch, purchased like any watch. In the same away an undercover police officer who's wearing Levi's jeans, that doesn't make the jeans "police issue" pants just because it was worn by an police officer. Not everything a military person uses was "issued" or "official" in any way, and if a seller is saying this is a military watch in the idea of thinking that it somehow should be more expensive, then that's a non-connection.
Also, it's NOT at all a Vietnam-era watch. It's from 1983, onward. The last US troops left Vietnam in September of 1975, and effectively the "Vietnam era" as generally accepted ended before even this. The Timex Camper ran for many years, 1983 to about 1995, well outside the Vietnam era. So don't think that because a seller says "Vietnam Timex" or something similar that this is a 1960s watch. It is not. It is at the earliest 1983, and chances are later than that.
