Timex 38 mm Q Timex Reissue Stainless Steel Case Blue Dial Stainless Steel Bracelet

Product Information

Where does this new model fit into the collection — do you imagine customers owning both the Marmont and something in steel, more for everyday wear?

There are now myriad iterations of the bi-color bezel Q. But are there many more available distinct quartz models within the archives to reimagine within this heritage collection? What’s the future of the Q line? Recognisable for its dual-coloured bezel, the Rolex Pepsi tends to hog this particular spotlight. “I bought my very first Timex in 2019 as I was looking for an affordable alternative for Rolex GMT II Pepsi,” shares watch expert of Chronondo, Danar Widanarto. “At that time, my daily companion was Tudor's GMT Pepsi and I thought the Timex Q Reissue Pepsi would be the perfect matching piece for double wristing. I was amazed by the features of this timepiece: rotating bezel, vintage lume, symmetry of day & date display, the harmony between the strap and the case.” Selling out in mere minutes, clearly there was thirst for the Diet Pepsi too. The dial is simple and effective, with a dull blue base finish that matches the “ Pepsi” bezel perfectly. Overall, I like the dial design and I think the finishing is great too. The colors are great, and this dial is the reason why this watch is so much fun to wear.

Many watch companies focus their heritage releases on mechanical products. Can you explain the original inspiration to look specifically into Timex’s quartz archives? You then have polished stainless steel hour and minute hands that are surprisingly well finished, and contain a good amount of lume application. The longevity of the movement is inherent in its accessible design. You can expect this movement and watch to last a long time. Strap

I measured the case to be 38mm in diameter, 44.25mm from lug-to-lug and 11.75mm tall. The 11.75mm includes the pretty tall boxed plexiglass, and the little bump of the battery compartment. So the actual perceived height is much shorter, and closer to 9mm. With the quartz crisis well underway in the late 1970s, many watch brands were threatened by this new technology and felt it would affect the sales of mechanical watches. Timex was different. They knew quartz had numerous benefits over traditional mechanical movements and they wanted to help it go mainstream. Although not their first quartz watch, the Q Timex was one of their most popular models because of its pleasing design and “Pepsi” rotating bezel. Originally released in 1979, Timex wanted everyone to know this was a quartz watch by branding it “Q” and proudly printing “QUARTZ” in bold font on the dial. They were not ashamed or embarrassed about this new technology, a stance that has made them a highly successful watch brand today. Covering the dial is a domed acrylic crystal that just exudes the perfect vintage feeling. Sure, you’re more likely to get scratches, but there is just something about the distortion on the dial when looking at it from a different angle.

At the start, we chose styles for Q reissues that we thought would resonate most with watch collectors and Timex enthusiasts, so we were not surprised at how excited they were about the first Q Timex 1979 Reissue. We also choose reissue styles where the design aesthetic and functionality have a story to be told. We lean into classic ‘70s design elements such as the band style, unique colorways on the watch face and the recent gold and rose gold colors we launched. As you know, the Q story is one of our favorites and we are glad to see it resonate so well with fans, too. So much so, in fact, that Timex continued to riff on the design and release numerous Qs throughout 2020: the original in myriad bezel and dial colors; the 1978-inspired Falcon Eye; and an outlier, the automatic M79, which retained the Q's looks but added a mechanical movement. People were hooked, it would seem, and Timex was happy to oblige its fan base. With all this going for it, it’s just a “no-brainer buy” — when considering the quartz movement and acrylic crystal, the price is just too good to pass up. You then have large printed indices that are entirely covered with a faux patina lume material. I’m usually not a fan, but I think it works here and the faux vintage color isn’t obnoxiously yellow or orange. If you don’t follow watch news, you’ll have missed the 411 that every man and his dog, probably named Patek or Gerald, has been talking about. The jocular return of France’s horological joker, Romantic André. Renowned for spicing up a watch dial with a graphic witticism or two, this week, he took on Timex with two models, one an automatic M79 model, and the other a quartz.