PhotographyTimex Datalink USB
This is a resource page with information and links concerning the Timex Ironman Data Link USB wrist watch. This watch is nothing short of a wrist PDA, while still being a functional and inobtrusive wrist watch. No, it doesn't run Palm OS or Windows Mobile. Not even close, but it does run custom applications called "wristapps". Some come with the watch, factory installed, Timex has a few that you can download, and there are other places you can obtain applications. Timex even supplies a developer kit, with which you can write your own wristapps if you're tech savvy enough. It runs up to 2 years on a single $1 battery, and keeps addresses, phone numbers, passwords, workout schedules, e-mail, appointments, events, weather forecasts, stock information, notes, tidal info, etc. etc. In fact, anything that fits the display. The better part of the very contrasty screen consists of a 42 x 11 dot matrix making for a total of 3 lines of 8 characters of text or the bottom 2/3rds displaying graphics or large digits. The watch is synchronized with the PC though a USB cable, which takes less than a minute. For this to work, it has 32 kB of internal memory. This doesn't seem like a lot, with todays gigabyte sized flash drives and all, but for storing wristapps and text data only, it's actually quite a lot.
The watch comes in two case styles: dress and sports. Each have different strap and color options. The sports style models come with a resin, velcro or metal link strap, while the dress style models come with a black leather strap or stainless steel expansion band. All datalink watches have a metal front trim, but plastic cases and plastic watch crystals, unfortunately. I've read many complaints about this from people who love this watch as much as I do. To make matters worse, the 53722 and 5C291 models have rather weak straps as well. I have owned a 53722 since 2004 but the resin strap broke after about a year and a half. I managed to repair it with super glue, but it kept breaking, at different places every time. I haven't been able to obtain a new strap, as it is a specially made one. After I got tired of the super glue, I just got the 5B111 model, which has the most amount of metal of all five styles, and supports normal replacement straps, should it ever break. Still, the watch crystal is made of plastic, and it has had scratches on it almost from day one, despite my every effort to prevent just that. Then again, I wear the watch during work, so I should probably just blame myself. In the end I spent 2 hours cutting a polyurethane screen protector to exactly fit in the bezel and it's been scratch free ever since.
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53722 - Sports style, silver case with silver trim ring and black resin strap. This was my first Datalink. |
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53964 - Sports style, black case with silver trim ring and black velcro strap |
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5C291 - Sports style, silver case with black trim ring and silver/black metal/resin strap |
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5B112 - Dress style, black case with stainless steel trim and black leather strap |
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5B111 - The most luxurious of the Datalink models, black case with stainless steel trim and stainless steel expansion bracelet. This is my second Datalink. |
Links
- Timex Datalink USB homepage
- Timex Datalink USB software page
- Timex Datalink developer resources (archived)
- Wikipedia page for all Datalink models
- Yahoo! user group. Sign up and gain access to a few hands full of apps, including games
- Yahoo! developer group
- Datalink Wristapps - author of the excellent My Watch application, which lets you customize watch faces. Other apps as well, and some invaluable development tools
- Ray Allen's website
- John Toebes' resource website
- Pollen Software's free Simple Soundset software lets you customize alarm and event sounds etc.
- Glenn Moller did an in-depth writeup about his 5C291 with lots of pictures.
- wxDatalinkUSB, a Datalink host application for Linux systems
Fonts
These are some numeric fonts for My Watch that I designed. You can download them, and install them using the My Watch applet. In the end, I settled on the "Neutral" one, as you might have guessed already from the topmost photo. Too bad you can only pick one font at a time.
Neutral
Elegant
Overweight
Cut Up
Fat 10px
Retrofuture
Fats And Small
Robots
Sticks
Fuzzcraft.com comment system 1.1
2013-04-19 Michael Rossi
I was wandering how much your Timex Datalink USB the one that can
store temperatures occasion, telephone numbers etc....
2013-11-08 Anonymous
I'm the owner of a 5C291 (sport style) and is still the best watch I have ever had. I wonder why the rest of the watches haven't got similar functions (Casio is still selling the old Databanks from the 90's).
The cons of this model: A little bulky, sport design (I didn't like the dress case...) and fragile straps. With a new metallic, and thinner, case this model would be a sales success...!!!
I dream on a new Timex USB, slimmer and with more style, maybe with some sensors like a compass.
2013-11-08 Anonymous
Timex should have continued this line of watches instead of take the leap to the PDA watch. That model with Palm OS was a wonder but not a watch, even it wasn't a PDA either. It's similar to the new Samsung and Peeble watches that are not really watches.
To me a watch must have long battery life (at least one or two years) and small size. I don't want to watch movies... and I don't care if is touch screen.
I want to look at the time, use the chrono when I run, use the timmer in the kitchen, store my contacts for safety when traveling... all things Datalink USB does so perfectly.
2014-11-23 Judge Rein
Do you have any Datalink 5B111 for sale?
Thank you.
JudgeRein@uscourt.com
2015-06-30 John G.
Thanks for having this website. I had joined the Yahoo group some year's ago, but never got anywhere with it.
5B111 stainless is the watch I got in 2005 with the stainless twistoflex band. If anyone knows where to get another stainless flex band please let me know.
I used to use the datalink function a lot more. Even loaded a game on it. I have a 1/2 as dumb phone, so I don't need as much of the PDA functions anymore. But the alarms, interval timers, countdown timers and a few contacts I still depend on. Greatest watch I ever owned.
I hope one of the smart watches will someday be as good as the 5B111. As I don't have a smart phone, it's going to have to be independent.
I have the software from Timex, and used to use a lot of the PDA functions. Mostly I just use a few functions now. My plastic crystal is in pretty good shape, but I'll bookmark this site for your fix to this problem.
I still love the watch, but the band links keep breaking. I bought another watch band just to be able to pull the connecting "U" pins or links that always break, in order to replace them.
You have to bend the sides out to get the old "U" pin out. But then there's the other broken piece still inside the band. I made a long thin blade that would slide in and push it out the other side. That side also has to be bent open. It's hard to make it look good when bending it back together, but patience is key. But after 5 years of doing this, as I couldn't buy a replacement band anymore, I switched to another flexible band, which I had to modify. I bought 2 as they weren't long enough. Then it broke a few days ago. Well I had enough of the flex bands!
10 years ago I found someone's cheaper Timex Ironman watch with a black strap band. The watch still worked, but the strap keeper loop had broken, and may have been why they lost it. Well I kept it for all these years. So I was able to modify this plastic strap to my watch, and fixed the strap keeper with shrink tubing. Royal pain in the A**! I must have worked on it for 6 hours to make all the modifications. but it looks good.
I have large wrists, which is probably why the bands break. I'm on the last hole on this other strap, and no length to punch another hole. So I'll be ordering a longer leather band and that should take care the problem.
All the Best,
John G.
2015-11-09 K W
Anybody has any Datalink USB watch for sale? Please contact me.
kywang5@yahoo.com.
53722, 53964, 5C291, 5B112, or 5B111.
Thank you.
2015-11-09 K W
Anybody has any Datalink USB watch for sale? Please contact me.
kywang5@yahoo.com.
53722, 53964, 5C291, 5B112, or 5B111.
Thank you.
2017-11-07 Mike C on Sand Mtn
I have the T5C291 (Timex Ironman) and same as everyone else, strap kept breaking, so I really fixed it. How to do it. Take the old band off. Get yourself a nice metal band that fits between the pins. Now here's the important part. Where the center plastic section comes down for the old band, just file it off leaving enough space between the pins to put your new band. Done, simple. Mine has been good for over 10 years. You want pictures I'll post them on my website. Happy Timin'
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