a question for all from a fan of timex

your project interests me, greg. not having had a formal training i've developed my own methods, so a professionl's approach would obviously be good to see. the question concerns the quality of timex components. i read an advertisement for a high end watch that described the owner's role as keeping it for the next generations. so i asked the question on the forum as to how long a watch could last, both high and low end. got a lot of good input, but in the end i think the real question i have pertains to the quality of the design, materials and fabrication. though timex was inexpensive and probably not meant to be much more than replaceable instead of repairable, most of the timex mechanisms i have started right up with a little lube on the teeth of the escape wheel. i do that as a first test if everything else looks ok. of course running it like that for any length of time is not recommended, but they seem to be tougher than many of the other designs i've come across. less breakage on axes for example. and the ones serviced seem to be off and running like new. so how would you fellow forum members think timex mechanicals fit into the spectrum of quality based on design, fabrication and materials? (i've come across lots worse, too.) thanks, tim