Timex Reissue Collection
For quite some time now, Timex has established and retained its reputation of making aesthetic, reliable and affordable mechanical watches. Timex first ventured into the quartz market in 1972 when quartz was still a new idea and gained a significant market share with its Q line. The Q line featured a wide variety of exciting styles, movements and quartz branding on its dials courtesy of a hard to miss “Q” logo.
Given Timex’s deep archives, it comes as no surprise that they have been drawing inspiration from their past designs to match the trends in the watch industry today. Their neo-vintage reissue collection is a testament to this, with watches such as the Q Timex Reissue, the Falcon Eye and the M79.
While the reissue collection is a recreation of some successful historical models with many of the features that made the originals outstanding, Timex is still popular for creating quartz watches today. Therefore, the reissue collection is not necessarily a significant shift meant to bring back the original models; instead, it is Timex’s way of bringing back its 70s - early 80s inspired styling, all thanks to the vintage mania wave.
Furthermore, we could argue that the fit and finish of these reissue watches is a tad above classic Timex.
Q Timex Reissue
The Q Reissue was a massive success upon its launch last year, and we can easily see why. Its distinctive bracelet, stunning retro design and favorable pricing made it a quartz watch only a few enthusiasts could resist. The brand has recently added The Q Timex Color Series that features three color variants to spice up the already alluring package.
New Colorways
Besides the four colorways in the first Q Timex reissue, there are now three additional colorways that include:
- White dial with a red and blue bezel (Pepsi bezel)
- Black dial with a black and green bezel
- Blue dial with a blue and orange bezel
The bezel’s colors are quite vibrant across all the watch variants, with a high-quality finish to match. Nevertheless, perhaps what makes everything even more impressive is the $179 price tag.
Appealing Design
The original Q Timex was released in 1979, and the reissue does an excellent job of resembling the original with its recognizable bracelet and reminiscent design. With a 38mm width and 11.5mm thickness, its lug-to-lug size is a comfortable 45mm. These measurements are partly attributable to the beveled lugs that conform to the “woven” bracelet design.
On the other hand, the bezel is an impressive bi-directional friction lock that does not click. Frankly, it is challenging for most brands with fairly limited resources to offer a high-quality bracelet and bezel combination at this price point. However, this watch gives you a bit of everything from an accessible price to appealing design and a bezel with just enough resistance when turned.
A Touch from the Past
Thick and antique-esque, the domed acrylic crystal is very reminiscent of the 70s original and has the same vintage charm. Legibility is not an issue as all the watches have nicely sized luminous hands and easy-to-read dial colors. The day/date window is at 3 o’clock, the second hand is red, and the hour indices are lumed.
Durable Build Quality
The Q Timex is water-resistant up to 50M, meaning that it can get wet. However, prolonged water exposure, e.g., when swimming, is perhaps not a good idea. Turning the steel case, e.g., using a coin, reveals the easy-to-access battery hatch that allows for easy battery changes. Lastly, inside the watch is the reliable Seiko PC33 movement.
Despite the Q Timex’s impressive features, something you may find slightly inconvenient is the lack of a quickset mechanism for adjusting the day. However, this inconvenience is somewhat negligible if you do not mind making full rotations when changing the day.
M79 Automatic
Timex M79 Automatic_30 sec_1080x1080 from Timex on Vimeo.
The M79 Automatic is a follow-up on the massively successful Q Timex watches. The M stands for mechanical while 79 is a reference to the original Q’s release year. The M79 integrates the case of the original watch, the dial of the Q Timex and a mechanical movement for an overall intriguing mechanical watch design.
Although not the cheapest in the mechanical watch category, this watch promises huge value for money considering its $279 price tag. The M79 Automatic perfectly suits today’s watch collector culture with its assortment of features, including:
- Vintage dive-style design
- Rolex inspired looks
- Mechanical movement
- Steel case with embedded lugs
Case Design
Unlike the Q Timex’s 38mm-wide case, the M79 goes a notch higher to a broader 40mm steel case. Nonetheless, the case design is stellar and proportional to the equally thick movement. While Timex made it clear that the M79 Automatic’s design is original and modern, the acrylic crystal over its dial creates a more vintage aesthetic.
The 50M water resistance provided by the case should be more than enough to handle everyday wear and durability. After all, no one will confuse the M79 Automatic for a top-of-the-line diver’s watch.
Dial Design
The M79 Automatic’s dial design is stunning with well-used textures and colors. The Timex “T” engraved in the hour hand is a subtle reminder of the distinctiveness of Rolex hands. As if that was not impressive enough, the calendar windows use a pair of black discs instead of the harshly contrasting white discs typical at the sub $300 price point.
While many watches struggle to blend three or more colors on the dial, the M79 Automatic’s four-color design is aesthetic without compromising its sporty appeal.
Automatic Movement
The Timex M79 uses a Japanese Miyota automatic movement. This self-winding movement harnesses energy from your wrist’s natural motion and functions at 3Hz with roughly 40 hours’ worth of power reserve. The visibility of this unregulated, undecorated movement through the case back is also a pleasant addition considering the sub $300 price point.
Q Timex Falcon Eye
When Timex released two watches in its reissue collection, i.e., the Q Timex Reissue and The Q Timex Reissue Falcon Eye, the former quickly sold out partly due to its resemblance to popular Rolex watches. While the two watches are different timepieces altogether, many people seem to overlook the close relation these watches share.
For starters, the Falcon Eye sports a more or less similar vintage design for a modest $179 price tag like its predecessor, the Q Timex Reissue. However, the Falcon Eye is a two-tone watch, uses a shiny blue dial and leans more towards a dressed-up style than a diver style. Timex outdid themselves creating this modern watch without ruining its old-school appeal, as is the case with some “vintage reissue” watches today.
Case Design
The Falcon Eye comes with a 38mm-wide stainless steel case that is not too big going by modern standards. This size qualifies it as a mid-sized watch, although some people might argue that it is small. Due to its wider lug structure, the watch wears slightly broader than its actual 38mm-width.
Topping the Falcon Eye’s 12mm-thick case is a vintage-style domed acrylic crystal, with some gold-toned metal on both the case and the dial for a beautiful visual effect.
Dial Design
While the Falcon Eye’s case is stunning, the dial is hands down the show-stealer. Timex did not innovate this dial style and instead drew inspiration from some 70s and Rolex watches, e.g., the cutting and application of the hour markers. Nevertheless, the Falcon Eye’s dial is legible and decorative despite its various colors, textures and polishes.
The face of the watch appears neat thanks to its wavy Geneva-style stripes that contrast with the white colors and the applied hour markers. The dial is easy-to-read and full of contemporary colors that command attention.
Bracelet Style
The 1970s bracelet style of the Falcon Eye uses two thin, tapering steel segments that join with a clasp. This bracelet style looks nice on the wrist and has gained significant mainstream appeal in recent times. It is worth mentioning that the bracelet is somewhat limited in size for small wrists.
Sizing the watch involves manually opening up the latch embedded on the clasp mechanism, then sliding it to the desired size. The clasp naturally stops at the bracelet’s widest point as it narrows towards the lugs. Although the proportions are visually accurate, people with smaller wrists may find this bracelet not fitting snugly enough.
Conclusion
Timepiece collectors interested in fairly priced, neat-looking, modern yet retro-styled watches have exciting options to choose from in the Timex Reissue collection. Although the first reissue quickly sold out, consequently creating a second-hand market, the current supply is relatively stable. You can get your own Timex Reissue here on WatchGauge.
