[Jeroen]

My new watch has arrived!

There was this huge package in the mail. Timex puts some big boxed on their watches:



Obviously, this is a very different kind of watch from my Omega, Breitling, Oris, Meistersinger, Frederique Constant etc.



I bought it partly because I liked the look of it and partly for sentimental reasons. I remember this watch being introduced in the late 70’s. It has some cool features, such as the way the battery is fitted, with its own little compartment, so the case does not have to come off, to replace the battery.



I have worn it for a day and it is very comfortable on the wrist. It’s quite light, the steel bracelet is lovely and wears very comfortably.



This watch was reviewed by Hodinkee. One of my favourite watch websites/blogs. From their review

Timex is back with a modern re-edition of a watch that represented a major pivot for the American watchmaker. The Q Timex is an almost 1:1 reproduction of an original model, right down to the screw-in battery hatch. Remember those?

It was 1979, and the horological world was in the midst of a massive change. Quartz movements had rocked the industry, and the shift had created market circumstances where it made sense for American brands like Hamilton to sell their name and IP to foreign corporations. Timex and Bulova remained American in ‘79, but in order to stay afloat they had to create products that went with the current trends, and that meant producing quartz watches.

Enter the Q Timex. The first quartz watch from Timex was produced in 1972, and by the time this model was released in 1979 it was clear that quartz was here to stay. Not only did it follow the quartz trend, it adopted some major design elements that had come to define the ‘70s, too, with a woven stainless steel bracelet, squared-off and beveled case, and a GMT Master-inspired bezel (which on the Q rotates, non-ratcheting, in both directions). The Q watches proudly displayed “Q” branding at 12 o'clock to let everyone know that everyman Timex watches had officially moved into the quartz era.


Initial Thoughts
The watch is priced at an approachable $179, and I think that’s a price point that folks can appreciate more than the $495 for the American Documents series released recently. Timex has built a reputation on being the affordable American watch for everyone, and that’s where this modern Q shines. You get an iconic pepsi color scheme, which is pre-contextualized for first time watch buyers as being "cool" thanks to the Rolex GMT-Master, and on top of that, it’s an accurate re-edition of an important watch.

The first mainstream quartz watch from Timex is a big deal; it represents a massive shift in the horological Weltanschauung of late ‘70s. When quartz watches first came out, they were hugely expensive and an absolute marvel. That was in 1969 (the Seiko Astron, of course) and by the time Timex, known for affordable watches, came out with the Q, it was clear: Quartz watches were now accessible and they would become the standard going forward. If a company like Timex was doing it, it was here to stay.

The Q looks like a Rolex GMT-Master, and that’s not by accident. During the era the original Q was made, it was totally commonplace for brands at affordable price points to ape design cues from more prestigious brands at higher price points. Couldn’t afford a Rolex back in '79? That’s okay, Timex was your way in. The reasoning behind re-introducing this watch in 2019, according to the designer Giorgio Galli, is to introduce this current younger generation of watch buyers to what Timex used to be. In other words, it’s just as much to educate consumers about Timex’s past as it is to celebrate the brands heritage. And the purpose really hasn’t changed, it’s still to get folks into the world of watches by offering something that’s affordable and looks pretty darn good.

Engineering and machining technology have come such a long way since the late ‘70s that the new steel woven bracelet actually wears nicely, as opposed to the often flimsy feeling of the old ones. The battery hatch is a novel touch as well. Some of us may be able to recall taking a dime and unscrewing the battery lid, popping out the lithium battery and trying to decipher the model number only to find that the local drug store didn’t even carry it. (To make life easier, the type of battery you'll need is stamped on the battery hatch: a standard 377 button cell). Changing your own watch battery is a ceremony that most younger watch enthusiasts haven't had the opportunity to experience. Maybe now they'll have something to look forward to when the watch stops ticking.


The Basics
Brand: Timex
Model: Q Timex
Reference Number: TW2T80700

Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 11.5mm
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Dial Color: Navy Blue
Indexes: Printed
Lume: Index, HH / MH
Water Resistance: 50M
Strap/Bracelet: Stainless bracelet reverse engineered from the original design


The Movement
Caliber: PC33 (Seiko)
Functions: Time, Date, Day of week in English or Spanish
Diameter: Outside diameter 22.60mm x 22.00mm x 23.70mm
Thickness: 4.15 mm (including the battery)

When this re-edition hit the market it sold out almost immediately. I read the review and tried to order, but it was out of stock already. I left my email address with Timex to be notified when it was back in stock. Three times I received an email, every time I responded within an hour and every time the watch had already sold out. But finally last year I managed to get my order in.

It is a simple watch. I like the it, I like the day/date with a red Sunday indication. It all looks quite well made, But I will of course, not be hard wearing such as my other watches. Likely to scratch easy.

I have some 6-7 really nice watches. And a shoe box full of all sort of other watches I have accumulated over the years. Usually this sort of price range. the Euro 125-250 is the territory of the likes such as Skagen, Timex, Diesel and these days a vast range of all kinds of watches of all sorts of brands, that have popped up over the last year.

Jeroen

[dileepcm]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Just bought myself a Casio F-91W on a whim. A slice of childhood memories came free with it

I never imagined that there would be a watch thread in here!
I am not a watch enthusiast by any means and do not own any particularly expensive/interesting watches. I had a Casio F-91W when I was a school kid (gifted by my uncle), but I was not aware of the sort of cult following behind it back then. I got reminded of it recently and gifted myself new one. Its damn cheap (±EUR 16) and super light weight and super happy about it being back on my wrist. I have the habit of wearing a watch while being at home and now F-91W is the one that does the job. Being light weight makes it even better casual home use.



Apart from this new kid, I own below watches, Seiko is my daily. Interestingly, all of these were gifts (Casio from a relative, Aviator from Emirates miles, Seiko and Pulsar were gifts from my Employer)

[Sebring]

Ethos, at Orion Mall imports any Casio you desire straight from Japan. Had my eye on a piece for long and finally placed an order for the all steel GMW-B5000G-1. It's arrived Really excited about this one!

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Ethos, at Orion Mall imports any Casio you desire straight from Japan. Had my eye on a piece for long and finally placed an order for the all steel GMW-B5000G-1. It's arrived Really excited about this one!

Are there any advantages of ordering it through them (other than the obvious being able to try on the watch in person)? I have my eye on this model on Amazon for some time now but I guess taxes push the price really high.

[Sebring]

My friend got a fake Casio delivered by Clock.co.in and you just can't make out the difference, it's that good a copy. So why risk it? These are premium watches, play safe.

Originally Posted by JithinR

Are there any advantages of ordering it through them (other than the obvious being able to try on the watch in person)? I have my eye on this model on Amazon for some time now but I guess taxes push the price really high.

[Tjax]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

I don't know if this is relevant here, Samay Bharati watch fair is being held in B'lore. No sale, only exhibition.

If you visit, please share your experience with us.

I visited this exhibition on the evening of the last day. It was my first watch exhibition so I didn't know what to expect. I actually went with very low expectations but was pleasantly surprised.

There was no entry fee and there were quite a few stalls and quite a few brands. None of the popular Swiss brands / luxury brands were there. While brands like seiko were present, it was through one of their dealers. I don't think the parent company / the Indian subsidiary was directly present. Mostly it was quartz / fashion oriented brands

Surprisingly there were quite a few people. While there were some not so popular quartz brands which did seem to be having quite a few sales, there were also stalls by some brands like the Jaipur Watch Company (which I had heard of but hadn't seen their watches in person earlier). I was hoping to see the Bangalore Watch Company and try on their Mach 1 line but they were not present.

There were a few accessory stalls and stalls selling tools / spares. I picked up a loupe and some precision screw drivers from a stall by a person who had come from Mumbai and wanted to dispose of as many items as possible before he left.

One very interesting stall was by creative wood craft which had pretty neat watch boxes apparently made in Channapatna. They didn't have their pieces for sale and I've left my contact details with them. Hoping to get a call back so that I can pick up one of their watch boxes.

[RedStallion]

Hello Guys,

After a lot of research, I have acquired two timepieces from Casio in this month!!

First, I bought the Rangeman GW-9400 which is best looking digital watch in the market, IMO. The choice was not at all easy at that time. I had to let go Mudmaster and went with this beauty. The decision was purely based on heart as I was totally confused in the process. This is my first Casio and it has made me to buy more Casio products in the future. (Especially G-shock)



By the end of just two weeks, I bought Gravitymaster model GR-B100-1A3DR. This watch comes with Tough solar movement, Bluetooth, World Time, Lume hands and many more.



Thanks to fellow members for showing the path, to collect more of these beauties.

[Red Liner]

Wow rangeman looks sick and so is the gravity master. How much did these set you back by?

Still waiting on a good rangeman deal.

[RedStallion]

@Red Liner,

I purchased Rangeman for about 15k and Gravitymaster about 12k.

However, there is extra 10% deal ongoing at Casio stores till Sunday.

Please hurry and check it out!!
This is a really good deal.

Let me know if you need any further information.

Cheers!!

[shashant]

Guys any recommendation for a basic watch for Gym Purpose. It will only be used to track rest time between sets.

Do not want anything that requires recharging.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by shashant

Guys any recommendation for a basic watch for Gym Purpose. It will only be used to track rest time between sets.

Do not want anything that requires recharging.

Get any basic Casio digital timepiece. Serves your purpose and most have a power cell that last years.

[shashant]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Get any basic Casio digital timepiece. Serves your purpose and most have a power cell that last years.

Thanks for the suggestion. Have used G Shock in the past, but those buttons on the watch require a hard push to operate. Casio Youth 96H looks interesting, need to check that out.

Any suggestion from other brands?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by shashant

... Casio Youth 96H looks interesting, need to check that out...

If this is going to be a gym-dedicated watch, you'd probably want something as small as possible so it doesn't get in the way of your workout.

Look at the small F91W or one of its variants. Small form factor, weighs barely 20 grams.

Timex Ironman series has some basic digital watches too.

[trammway]

I was looking for a dress watch to wear with my work suites. Looking for economic options and ended up picking this Tissot T-Gold 1853 automatic 18k gold 40mm watch.

[Lij]

Picked up the green dial HMT Kohinoor last week. Was delivered with the seconds hand dropped off from the axis and lot of dust inside the case.

Called up HMT immediately and they told to send it back via speed post and will replace this one. But I saw that otherwise the watch was keeping good time and no perceptible gain/loss over 12 hours.

So today I took it to the local watch repairer - they fixed the seconds hand back to the axis and removed the dust, charged me 20 rupees.