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This is a review of the Stranger than Fiction Watch, the Timex Ironman T56371. I’m posting this 15 years after the watch ceased production and I’ve only owned mine for less than 6 months… but I guess any review is better late than never!
Every watch I own is special. The ones gifted to me on milestone moments have the most treasured place in my heart. But there is one watch that I own, that has a character all of its own and that’s the Timex Ironman T56371 or as it’s known in some circles the “Stranger than Fiction” watch.
Will Ferrell wears a Timex Ironman watch in the movie Stranger Than Fiction (2007). I am assuming if you found this page you have seen the movie, but if not it’s surprisingly clever and sweet and Will Ferrell shows impressive acting range as a straight and serious character. It’s worth watching, and the cast is amazing Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Dustin Hoffman.
I don’t want to spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, but the opening line of the film sets the tone for the role of the watch in Stranger than Fiction.
“This is a story about a man named Harold Crick, and his wristwatch. Harold Crick was a man of infinite numbers, endless calculations and remarkably few words. And his wristwatch said even less.”
and (mild spoiler) the role of the watch is underscored by this great line:
“On Wednesday, Harold’s wristwatch changed everything.”
Much like Back to the Future makes you want a DeLorean, Stranger than Fiction made me want the watch from the movie, the Timex Ironman T56371. All of which led to my quest to secure this elusive but long since discontinued watch (and let’s face it, a watch is both cheaper and a better investment than a DeLorean… but you can still buy Marty’s watch from the Vader scene.
I never saw Stranger than Fiction when it was released. I caught the film on a streaming platform almost 20 year later. By this time, the Timex T56371 Ironman dual tech analog digital watch had been long discontinued by Timex. This means I had to scrounge eBay and the secondhand market to secure one – it took a few years and now I own 3 – in various conditions.
Timex Ironman Dress Watch
This watch is really Timex’s first (and maybe only) attempt at an Ironman dress-watch. This is also evidenced by Stranger than Fiction, given Harold Crick is an IRS auditor – this watch looks ‘right’ in an office work environment. The dual tech Analogue/Digital design adds to the dress watch aesthetic, and you can even turn off the screen to get the pure analog feel.
The watch is made of Stainless Steel and has some heft to it. My watches weigh an average of 150g (5.2oz). The watch has a 40mm case diameter, a 48 mm lug‑to‑lug length, and a 13.9 mm case thickness. The lug-to-lug length is what makes this Timex Ironman feel bigger.
As my collection is all used, I’m not sure if I have all of the original links, my Ironman’s have 14 and 15 links respectively, if you exclude the 2x proprietary Ironman “M” links.
I had to adjust the bracelet length, but this Ironman looks good even on my wrist, which was fairly easy and the clasp supports micro-adjustments.
It’s not really easy to find a replacement bracelet/band on the watch as it has the Timex Ironman “M” connector. If you used a standard aftermarket band, you would have a gap between the watch lugs. So, if you’re looking to buy one or get one, make sure you get one with a band/bracelet. The lug width is 17mm, which is unusual and Timex do not sell 17mm bracelets and a 17mm bracelet from Amazon will look odd given the unusual Ironman “M’ fitting.
Timex T56731 Manual and Features
The Timex Stranger than Fiction watch is surprisingly feature rich. I managed to find the original in-store display card (pictured right):
- Dual Tech Analog/Digital Display
- 24-hour Chrono (you can select 12/24-hour time)
- 2nd time zone
- Calendar with Day, Date, Year
- 42 lap memory
- 2 alarms
- 3 interval time
- Water Resistance 100M
- Timex Indiglo Backlight
Technically, the watch is triple time zone, not just dual time. The Analog and Digital faces can be set independently, but there is also a second digital face – and you can even set the date on it independently. I think Timex are only calling the T1/T2 digital time zones dual time.
It’s important to know that the digital and analog watch faces can go out of sync e.g. if you set the watch to 2pm, and the digital display to 2pm, there will be time drift. This may seem odd when both watches are quartz, but they are actually separate movements on separate batteries.
As new, this watched shipped in a plain cardboard box. Alas, I don’t have one in the original box as pictured. The manual was also simply a leaflet, and I managed to find the official Timex T56731 manual, here it is PDF form. I’ll write up the Timex T56731 instructions in a separate post.
Timex claim 100M water resistance on this model. I’m not 100% sure of that today – the manual warns about pressing buttons when under water (fair) but given the age, I wouldn’t risk immersing the watch in water and it’s definitely not a dive watch. I replaced and greased the gasket but have not pressure tested the watch and it’s honestly a collectible at this stage.
As for the Indiglo, which is a Timex trademark, it lights up the digital display and is subtle behind the analog hand. It doesn’t have the bright Indiglo lume of my modern Timex Snoopy watch, but it’s up to the task. And with new batteries, holds its own considering the watch is now 15+ years old.
Stranger than Fiction Watch: The Digital Screen
Brace yourself first for disappointment, the Stranger than Fiction Ironman screen is not like what you see in the movie. the watch display in the movie is a post-production Special FX (SFX) edit. Yes, the magic of Hollywood (btw, while we’re at it, a DeLorean will not travel through time). The digital display screen on the Timex is for time, date, and lap/interval measurement only.
That said, the watch face has a very good digital display it just doesn’t glow the bright blue and show “@” characters and all of the other associated alerts you see in the movie (Image Copyright Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures). The Indiglo is also definitely not as bright as the movie.
Occasionally though, the movie does show the Timex Ironman unaltered – so the Stranger than Fiction Timex is not all Hollywood magic.
If I had to guess why they producers picked the Timex, I think it looks kind of like a smart watch which is impressive given it predates the Apple Watch by 6 years.
My Timex Ironman T56371 collection
Yes, I own 3 – but there’s a reason…
- Model 1: (P0) Manufactured October 2006
- Model 2: (P6) Manufactured June 2006
- Model 3: (RR) Manufactured November 2007
I know the manufacturing dates, thanks to a stamp on the back of the case back. If you need to decode your Timex watch year of manufacture, see this handy table in this blog post covering Timex date stamps from 1985 – 2021.
Model 1: T56371, P0 (October 2006 version)
The first model was in “not great shape”. The crown was badly damaged as was the case back. Like it had been dragged along a road – maybe the original owner was a serious about the ironman name and it was worn in a triathlon? Now I hope they are Ok. That said, fortunately the crystal was clean. I had searched for 2 years to find an affordable T56371, so grabbed it anyway because it was sold as ‘working’. By ‘working’ it had batteries, yes batteries plural, but they were on their last legs. More on the T56371 batteries later. After installing fresh batteries, it worked perfectly, but the screen was not super clear or bright. It has a ‘fog’ for some reason, it’s not in the crystal and it’s not moisture and I even replaced the gasket. It holds time reliably.
Model 2: T56371, P6 (June 2006 version)
This one was more of a gamble. It was sold “as is” for parts or repair. It was much cheaper than my first Timex T56371 but the case was in very good condition and just needed some clean with rodico and toothpicks (this is what I use to clean old watches, costs about USD$10) non-abrasive and safe to use. Cleaning the T56371 is a must, as the design has more than enough crevices to catch dirt and tarnish, including the outer markers and some screws on the outer bezel, which I am not sure if they’re an industrial design choice or functional. The screen on my Model 2 is bright and clean. On fresh batteries the LED screen really popped and the Indiglo worked very well. The Model 2 is the watch that I adjust the links on and has moved into my watch to wear rotation.
Model 3: T56371, RR (November 2007 version)
This Ironman Ana Digital T56371 was an impulse buy. I didn’t really need a 3rd Stranger than Fiction watch, but I was victim of timing and auction excitement. It became available the same day as I bought Model 2 and wasn’t sure if it Model 2 would work as it wasn’t shipped and it was a “for parts or repair” sale – so I justified Model 3 as a ‘backup’ or ‘parts’ spare. The Model 3 was sold “as is” but I figured that collectively I would have enough parts between three watches to restore one watch to its glory. This watch arrived looking great and the case was very clean, it’s honestly the nicest case of them all, but unfortunately there was a scratch on the crystal. Disappointed sigh. I’m still weighing up if I pay to get the crystal repaired, replaced, spend a few hours trying to polish it out with Polywatch, or reconstruct a new T67381 using parts from Model 1 and Model 3.
Timex T56371 Battery, actually Batteries
The T56371 uses 2, yes 2 batteries (CR2016 and a CR364), 1 powers the analog watch and 1 other powers the digital quartz mechanism. This is one of the reasons you get time drift between the digital and analog watch faces. You should always replace both batteries at once, mostly because the CR364 is hidden underneath the CR2016.
To change the batteries, you will need to remove the bracelet/strap, this is the only way to easily access the friction fit case back lip. You will need a case back tool to pry it open.
I’m not sure which battery powers which, I’m guessing the 2016 is for the digital display, but that’s a guess.
- CR2016: This is the first battery you will see when the case back is removed.
- CR364: This battery is hidden under the CR2016 and is secured by a screw.
Sealing the watch requires a case back press to properly lock and secure it shut. Another reason why you need to remove the bracelet during a battery change.
The user guide recommends having a professional change your batteries. I did get my first Ironman battery changed professionally, as the case was badly damaged and I didn’t want to damage it further. I’ve had no issues changing batteries in my other Ironman’s – but I change batteries on watches regularly.
As for battery life, it’s too early to tell as I’m only a year into a fresh battery. Get good quality batteries if you do it yourself.
Wrongly Classified Stranger than Fiction Watches (T56372 and T56381 )
There are regular eBay listings for watches marked as “Stranger than Fiction” but which are variants of the Timex T56371. The most common is a model with an inverse digital display and yellow hands, but still the stainless-steel outer ring. It has also had a rubber strap vs a metal bracelet. I believe this model is either the T56372 or T56381 – but it’s not the Stranger than Fiction watch. There are also some solar models as well that follow the same design aesthetic with similar yellow, but sometimes orange accents. Outside of the T56372/T56381, the other models tend to be resin and not stainless steel – so lack the “Stranger than Fiction” watch vibe. That said, it seems like in the 1990s was a peak time for Timex Ironman’s with dual tech designs.
Modern Alternatives to the Stranger than Fiction Watch, Timex T56371
As I said before, Timex discontinued the Stranger than Fiction T56371 in 2011, but there are dual tech quarts analog digital watches you can still buy today. Timex have a modern line called Timex Adrenaline, but it’s a non-dress watch. I got one, just out of interest. The modern Timex Adrenaline has similar features, albeit on a much larger face (46mm case diameter, a 51mm lug‑to‑lug length, and a 14.8 mm case thickness). It’s only available in matte black and comes with a rubber strap that is 22m (black and red straps if purchased new, I got mine used so I don’t have the red strap). I am thinking of trying to get a matte metallic band as it uses standard pins and not the Ironman “M” strap, I will update this post on my thoughts on whether a metallic band makes this a dress watch.
Friends in China alerted me to a local brand “Sinobi” which is a division of YongHong Watch Group out of China. They make a dual tech watch that follows the same analog digital design aesthetic and has a Indiglo-like light. Unfortunately, it’s let down by a giant lug width at 26mm (47mm case diameter, a 52mm lug‑to‑lug length, and a 14.5 mm case thickness) and very thin and light analog markers. If the lug width was narrower, it would have been an OK option. Honestly, I got the Sinobi just to see but would recommend the current Timex Adrenaline as it’s a nicer looking watch even if it’s not from the movie.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve watched Stranger than Fiction and ever wondered about the watch worn by Harold Crick aka Will Ferrell, it really is worth trying to hunt one down even if they are increasingly hard to find. I’m glad I own mine; it’s a nice dress watch and a fantastic conversation piece when people ask, “what’s that watch you’re wearing?”
If you can’t find one, the Sinobi is a reasonable cheap homage; but the modern-day Timex Adrenalines is your best bet even if it lacks that ‘dress watch’ vibe. I did email the CEO of Timex (true) to encourage them to re-release the Timex T56731 (never heard back) but haven’t given up hope that someday Timex will. And if you happen to find a T56731 in a drawer and don’t want it, I’d gladly take it off your hands and give it some love.
PS. You can find all my watch-related blog posts here. If you want a list of useful websites for owners of traditional mechanical watch owners, this blog post is useful.
Any and all advice, guides, and reviews are unbiased and based on my personal experience. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions, which helps support my website. This does not have an impact on posts or my opinion of any reviewed products. If you find this post helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!