People have become totally desensitised to insanely high prices - eg £1k for an iPhone pro…£800 for an Apple Watch Ultra 2 - when borrowing is as easy as clicking a button. £5k for an IWC MkXX (don’t start me on the Ingenieur), the new TAG Heuer dato chrono is £6k, even a Speedy Pro is £6.5k now. Crazy.
Many people today have more money than they deserve. And despite that, they don't know what to do with it. That's why we have so many luxury products today, and everyone wants to join that market segment, including traditionally cheap brands (like Timex and Casio). Also, people today are even more into perceived luxury, which is a paradox, since it's the 21st century and humans should be much smarter, more modest and think in a more practical ways... Just one more indicator that humanity is actually getting dumber.
@@Unlucky1776 yes, this is my unpopular opinion. Movement is great, finishing is superb, but really boring printed dials with lifeless basic design. Not minimalist basic, but basic basic. (Not all of them of course there are some stunning iWC pieces ofc.)
When I look at my iphone for the time I get stressed out by a million messages and updates. When I look at my Q Timex reissue it makes me smile every time.
This is a brilliant think piece. I have an EasyReader and a beautiful Marlin Automatic 40mm in blue. Both are wonderful watches. Timex is in a renaissance now.
Timex does not release any financials as they are a privately held company. However it's estimated they sell 10 million units a year word wide. Mostly under $100 USD retail. That number likely has them among the words top seller with Seiko.
@@bikeman123 that only shows you how much $ they made. The number of units isn't disclosed neither is their, margin nothing just how much they earned and the tax they paid.
When I was a kid they had Timexes in a glass case at the grocery store and I just knew they were the best. I bought an indiglo the other day and I love it.
I’d’ve bought almost all of their reissues by now if they weren’t all 200$+ I just picked up a 34mm Marlin California dial reissue for 79$ brand new on eBay and that’s about as high as I was comfortable going
Grey market, while making savings, comes with a price, adding on not having brand's warranty, the watch can have QC issues, I bought a bulova lunar pilot, the glaring issue was the tachymeter being misaligned, then again I payed half the price. My point is how far are you willing to make a compromise on favor of savings.
I'd love more brand analysis videos like this- the research doesn't go unappreciated! These watches are frankly objectively a little overpriced for specs in my opinion, but Timex really has been killing the design game lately.
I live in New York City and recently at a Kid’s birthday party had a conversation with a parent who used to work for Timex. As a watch enthusiast, I was ecstatic and excited to chat watches. However, it was soon revealed that they had been recently laid off as Timex was undergoing a massive round of layoffs and basically, as a company, has been foundering lately. Seems the company is caught in a weird middle ground where watch enthusiasts seem to love their pieces generally, but the layman thinks them cheap. So rather than lean into the enthusiast niche, it seems Timex is instead cutting all costs and outsourcing their movements and labor, in effect reducing their bottom line and becoming less and less a quality watch and more and more an item that can increase margins by being cheap to make. It was not a fun conversation to have had, as a fan of Timex generally. I really hope that the company can turn it around and capitalize on the enthusiasts that dig them and find them generally unimpeachable and get back to being a great American watch company.
That is sad to hear. I think you're right that Timex should charge a bit more for better watches and go for the enthusiast market. Besides enthusiasts, who's buying wrist watches these days, anyway?
My Timex Marlin reissue has remained my absolute favourite of my collection since I got it in 2020 (there’s been many additions) Watches have had a similar trajectory to vinyl. The market has moved more towards the passionate niche than a necessity. By leaning on their heritage and appealing more to the enthusiasts than the fashion brand style they had in the 2010s, I feel like Timex has made a great comeback. Really hoping for some more vintage style reissues or reimaginings and a restock of their mk1 range. Timex are killing it in the 2020s
I fully agree. Beside the Timex Marlin I've got other high price luxury watches - the Marlin still remains one of my favorite watch: Keeps accurate time, solid quality and a vintage look (box glass, domed dial).
Timex has been killing it. I had a field titanium north and was super impressed. I ended up selling it because I didn’t wear it enough but it’s definitely worth the money compared to hamiltons that have a quarter of the water resistance and no screw down crown. Also, the James brand and huckberry limited edition are awesome!
But what i never get is if you think the watch is amazing, why did you not wear it enough? I see those comments al the time under watch video's. 'yeah i liked the watch so much, amazing' etc. But then they decided not to wear it.. and sell it. i dont get that?
@@navboi12 the 38mm doesn’t have a screw down crown. That’s one of the major things people bring up but either way it’s way more expensive and is still less water resistant. The titanium expedition has 200m.
@@userbrytje008 I think is amazing for the money but I have an overloaded collection and I’d pick my pelagos over the Timex when I wanted to wear a darker metal black dial watch.
Don’t understand why Timex supplied a pass through strap to block out the display case back BY DESIGN. Either ship it with a two piece strap or with a solid caseback.
02:50 Seiko is the wrong adres. Timex (and Seiko) copied this shape from the Rado Diastar from 1962 which was the first scratch resistant watch and had therefore an angular diamant shaped crystal. Rado brought a reissue with the Rado Diastar Original one year ago.
Timex has to be careful, pagani design, steel dive, addiesdive and even lowest tier watches like Sanda skmei benyar have shown what is truly possible on a budget.
I never got the whole, “why do you need a watch you have a phone in your pocket?” I spend enough time looking for my phone, glancing at my wrist still seems easier even in 2024.
The retro watch violates one huge pet peeve of mine. The second hand does not hit the markers. If you have a second hand, and second markers, it is not asking a lot for them to align.
You are guaranteed to have good alignment only in high end japanese watches, like Casio Oceanus or Grand Seiko. Also, quite often people get lucky with affordable Casio and Citizen pieces. But everything else is a complete lottery (including swiss), especially with those dirt cheap movements Timex uses. So maybe it's asking a lot after all.
It’s near impossible due to most quartz movements being plastic, including the wheels (gears). Which are not machined perfectly like in a more expensive watch. Looking at vintage Seiko quartz watches, that were still made of steel and brass, the movements are better, accurate and servicable.
Yeah there is not a chance in hell I will spend the amount timex charges for their quartz things when I can get very upmarket brands for the same amount from Japan
Great video content, these both watches are beautiful 38mm is perfect for my small wrist as well. I love how Timex is heading with all the reissues yet adding some newer fresh designs in their models. Its a little dear with the newer model but the trade off is your getting better movement, build quality. More choices is good for buyers like me / us.
I have a gold Orient TriStar with a green dial and a faceted crystal just like this one. Not sure the exact movement, probably an in-house Orient automatic caliber, but I literally paid $69 for it 10 years ago. It's definitely my favorite watch I own, and the one that receives the most compliments. Kinda hard to stomach the price on the Degrade when there's just so much competition in the sub $300 price point. It's also a Quartz....nothing against Quartz, I have several, but Timex is way overcharging.
Timex digitals are my favorite Command urban T300 Command boost shock Also love my Timex Temp Tide Compass If I were to get another one it would be that Enicar esque 40mm Marlin with the 12 3 6 9 sitting in the little rectangles; but I’ll pay $150, not $250.
Interesting timepieces. Never really considered Timex's recent resurgence and your views on what they are concentrating on; unique, interesting designs and not specs, makes a whole load of sense. As they are still relatively budget when you compare them with the other major players in the watch industry, they don't really need to worry about the homage brigade occupying the same price points and stealing any of their thunder.
Casio, Timex and Seiko are still the kings of budget watches but Timex opened that door. The iconic Marlin was made and marketed as a durable and practical EDW watch. It's due to Timex that watches were sold in grocery stores. The 1954 Marlin sold for 11.54 USD, about 134 USD today. Between dressy versions to ubiquitous Ironman Triathlon, they are killing it.
I think Timex has been successful because their designs since the 2017 Marlin have been excellent. They design better looking watches than most "luxury" brands.
Couple of interesting pieces there Ben - thanks for reviewing them. I absolutely refuse to buy any watch that has the vile Miyota 8xxxx series movement in it so it would be the quartz for me 👍
It all depends if you get a good Miyota? I have a hackable 8215 or 8315 in my Marlin and it is smooth sweeping with no stutter. Doesn’t gain or lose much at all. It makes that fidget spinner noise and rattle occasionally and I can feel it on my wrist but I love that element because it feels like clockwork and a living thing. Of course it depends on what kind of movement you like and what you want to live with. I’ve found the miyota v good so far. I hope to try an Orient in the future too for comparison.
I found a chap on ebay who services timex watches, so i bought a lovely old watch and sent it off to him. My daily driver is an easy reader and I absolutely love it. This ridiculous pricing will end when people can't afford or refuse to pay for things. I'd like to see Rolex making some of their basic, functional watches again, say in the £2k range. I don't need 14 diamonds and half a bar of gold on my wrist. I want a well made, precision timepiece that I can rely on and be proud of
Enjoyed your view of the Timex lineup . I’ve been looking at them much differently lately , perhaps I will add one to my modest collection . Great work !
Cut crystals used to be a common sight in the 70s seiko and citizen catalogues. Ladies, low end, high end, quartz and automatic all often had a cut crystal variant. It’s really sic to see this come back.
Nah, you want to talk about a market very easily manipulated by the ultra wealthy… I’ll stick to cash and timex. You can have your market crashes and Rolex
I hate the thought of scratching one of these halfway through a wear and having to see that or take it off until I get home to buff it out… that said, these designs are beautiful IMO
Ben I'd love to see a video reviewing Swiss Military Hanowa. Some of them are expensive but many are more accessible and a good fit for your channel. I'm quite impressed with mine.
The truth is Ben, Timex's sub $50 dollar range is keeping the company afloat, just like Casio's digital pieces keeps it's coffers full. Like it or not a great deal of people just want a watch, not a statement. I for one wouldn't most Timex over 60-70 dollars but cherish their pieces under that price, a lot of higher end owners feel the same. I do wish they speced their higher end pieces better as they are made in the same country as the Ali's brands, but marketing and branding has an influence on the pricing.
I was skeptical about Timex for ages but a couple of years ago had to grab a Weekender Bold that reminded me of the Raketa Big Zero. It was probably my most-worn watch in 2023. If they ever make it in a steel case and/or with a better crystal, I'd snap it up immediately, but it's still a lot of fun for a cheap price.
I purchased the Marlin Jet, but was very disappointed. As you say, the strap is very poor quality and I found it irritated my wrist. Hard to find a good replacement at 19mm. I also found the crystal felt very cheap. I returned mine. The design is very nice though.
Why do you say mineral glass, were you paying attention? Neither of the two reviewed watches use mineral glass. They use acrylic. Acrylic can be polished to look like new, with Polywatch. Mineral glass, once scratched, will remain scratched forever.
If it says Seiko in there this bald guy would've trash that. "400 dollars for acrylic glass? What Seiko was thinking?" But it's a Timex so it's fine? 🤷♂️
Timex is good, but something about many models like clown 🤡 ish vibe... timex should've focus more on Mondaine like aspects... hence the name TIMEX... more... cold 🥶
I'm sick of microbrands gouging potential customers. One German microbrand had a watch for pre-sale. After it was featured in a YT paid-review, the price went up 200 Euros - in a month or two. Put me right off.
People mistakenly think the more you pay for a watch the more it's worth. Timex has joined the club. Timex has always been known as cheap and reliable. Now they are overpriced and not so reliable. $300.00 for the Timex Jet with a cheap movement and a crappy strap?. LMFAO! There's a sucker born every minute. Tick Tick Tick.
I love Timex watches. I love their new retro or reissue line. My biggest gripe is and has been for the longest time is their water resistance is little to be desired. I honestly don’t understand why they haven’t gotten their water resistance rating higher. To be honest I have bought other watches that were in the same price category over Timex over their water resistance not being great. If they can put at least 100m of water on a majority of their watches. I would buy more Timex watches.
nice to see a new video ben! im thinking of getting a quartz, something i can use in times when my Gruen from 1917 might be less than ideal lol. thanks to your channel i have found so many great options! but i think i might snag what my grandpa wore, a Casio F91w?), sorry cant remember the name. but its the square, silver, Casio that been around for a hundred years, and he wore his with a steel bracelet. I love my Gruen but when i go to a rave or something id much rather wear a watch that can stand up to rigours of life so probably wont need replacing or fixing.
Ah Timex.. I purchased a Command Encounter in black/white because I couldn't read my G-Shock 2100 navy/cream. It's a shameless 'homage', and I have yet to see a kind word spoken about it (evidently the tan one is hideous IRL) but I have zero regrets. I think Timex have a 'real' designer on board at present who is not afraid to take chances and stick it to other brands. I like both models you reviewed here.
I have a marlin from a couple years back, and I have the pepsi Q. I'm not going to buy either one of these that you've shown us today. They're design rehashes with cheap movements that just aren't all that special or even just really good. Sure, slap some design cues from awhile back on them and sell at a premium. It works once, maybe twice. We all know that timex can make dials and cases for cheeeeep. It's like they're selling VW Beetles with go-kart engines in the back. It's charming, but lacks all substance. Do something classically styled with an Ameriquartz, ETA (quartz or mechanical!) Ronda or STP or a even a Chinese made version of the old unitas manual movements and I'll be interested.
19 and 21 mm bands are reasonably common nowadays; barton makes tons of options. That marlin looks amazing, but the case finishing and over all quality seems incredibly dubious for a 300$ watch. Theres so many good ideas going on there. A black quartz one with a hydro mod would be insane lol
The Giorgio Galli S2 would still be the cheapest watch I would own but 995 for a timex! It’s so pretty though like a fancy movado. I rather buy a Hamilton murph. I won’t hesitate spending more but that under 1000 mark is weird for me to commit to.
I don't mind it; I'd trust a Timex over a fashion watch any day of the week. New watches are not my thing, especially vintage-inspired ones. Don't get me wrong; I know why people don't go real vintage. Unless you can perform repairs and servicing yourself, it can get very expensive very quickly, even if the initial purchase price is low. Interesting video I enjoyed a look at these new Timex watches. I'm behind the curve on what's happening at the newer end of the market.
I like the Jet, but I had a watch with a similar crown. It was borderline useless. The crown caught some cloth from a jacket or a shirt and was pulled out too often. Stylish, but stupid. (Unless it is a screwdown version).
i would be cautious with Timex more expensive offerings, I broke a marlin automatic, a marlin manual and and their 38mm filed mechanical, in one year. put me completely off the brand. great watches terrible reliability.
I suspect "the notify me" button on website not to be a waiting list on restock but a group buy list. I suspect brands are waiting to have a certain amount of people clicking it before to actually manufacture it and then sell it. Let's for exemple say 40% of people clicking are not buying it afterwards for any reason when 140 person clicked it they are more or less sure to sell hundred untits. So apply the formula on the company scale and voilà
watch tells time... its a good watch.. most of the watches over 500 are ugly af imo. a clean simple blank watch is all that looks good imo. Ill save buying a 50-150 watch that works just as well as a 10k watch like... ohhh nooo i have to twist the dial once a week poor me
Problem with buying a luxury watch is the same with getting a tattoo! You’ll change as a person and will want something else further down the line and the depreciation of most luxury watches will sting you! Except Rolex which your at very high risk of violent robbery wearing and is also highly successfully cloned in any case with total watch experts needing an eye piece to find the replica from the real if at all.
Timex does nothing today. They use Chinese or Japanese movements. There is no reason the Marlin should be over $100. I really wish Timex would get their prices in line and Use Waterbury as their higher end watches then do more in house.
Design > Specs. At the end of the day, they do exactly the same thing. Showing the time. Wrist watches are obsolete technolgy. They are in the jewelry category for me so they are meant to be fun!
Timex is a cheap watch manufacturer that’s what they specialize in and they have been doing it very well for years now but to try passing them off as a luxury watch is like dressing up a pig it still going to be a pig.
I've been eyeing this since release, and for 3 months have never seen this in stock. Looking at how much attention this piece has gotten, I don't get why they don't produce more of it.
People have become totally desensitised to insanely high prices - eg £1k for an iPhone pro…£800 for an Apple Watch Ultra 2 - when borrowing is as easy as clicking a button. £5k for an IWC MkXX (don’t start me on the Ingenieur), the new TAG Heuer dato chrono is £6k, even a Speedy Pro is £6.5k now. Crazy.
Yea for real. Exactly why I'd rather save money instead of debt lol. And living in a poorer country helps with that too I guess
Many people today have more money than they deserve. And despite that, they don't know what to do with it. That's why we have so many luxury products today, and everyone wants to join that market segment, including traditionally cheap brands (like Timex and Casio).
Also, people today are even more into perceived luxury, which is a paradox, since it's the 21st century and humans should be much smarter, more modest and think in a more practical ways... Just one more indicator that humanity is actually getting dumber.
Not to mention that the IWC watches look like a dollar store watch.
@@matyasd007 everyone has an opinion. I'll respect yours
@@Unlucky1776 yes, this is my unpopular opinion. Movement is great, finishing is superb, but really boring printed dials with lifeless basic design. Not minimalist basic, but basic basic. (Not all of them of course there are some stunning iWC pieces ofc.)
When I look at my iphone for the time I get stressed out by a million messages and updates. When I look at my Q Timex reissue it makes me smile every time.
Couldn't say it better
I position my pelvis over the chamber pot and I emit a skeletal fart. It smells old, of bone and fiery jack x
The fuck? Hahaha @@dorothythelabskeleton80
Just use a focus mode and save $200 😂
This is a brilliant think piece.
I have an EasyReader and a beautiful Marlin Automatic 40mm in blue. Both are wonderful watches. Timex is in a renaissance now.
Marlin could wake u up at night tho lol
@@onraj9mml like the sound... It's therapeutic for me.
@@onraj9mmthe Marlin Miyota movement is very quiet so no it won’t wake me. The EasyReader? Sock draw or insanity with its loud tick.
Timex does not release any financials as they are a privately held company. However it's estimated they sell 10 million units a year word wide. Mostly under $100 USD retail. That number likely has them among the words top seller with Seiko.
They do tax returns so their financial are publicly available.
@@bikeman123 that only shows you how much $ they made. The number of units isn't disclosed neither is their, margin nothing just how much they earned and the tax they paid.
When I was a kid they had Timexes in a glass case at the grocery store and I just knew they were the best. I bought an indiglo the other day and I love it.
I’d’ve bought almost all of their reissues by now if they weren’t all 200$+
I just picked up a 34mm Marlin California dial reissue for 79$ brand new on eBay and that’s about as high as I was comfortable going
Grey market, while making savings, comes with a price, adding on not having brand's warranty, the watch can have QC issues, I bought a bulova lunar pilot, the glaring issue was the tachymeter being misaligned, then again I payed half the price. My point is how far are you willing to make a compromise on favor of savings.
I'd love more brand analysis videos like this- the research doesn't go unappreciated! These watches are frankly objectively a little overpriced for specs in my opinion, but Timex really has been killing the design game lately.
I live in New York City and recently at a Kid’s birthday party had a conversation with a parent who used to work for Timex. As a watch enthusiast, I was ecstatic and excited to chat watches.
However, it was soon revealed that they had been recently laid off as Timex was undergoing a massive round of layoffs and basically, as a company, has been foundering lately. Seems the company is caught in a weird middle ground where watch enthusiasts seem to love their pieces generally, but the layman thinks them cheap. So rather than lean into the enthusiast niche, it seems Timex is instead cutting all costs and outsourcing their movements and labor, in effect reducing their bottom line and becoming less and less a quality watch and more and more an item that can increase margins by being cheap to make. It was not a fun conversation to have had, as a fan of Timex generally.
I really hope that the company can turn it around and capitalize on the enthusiasts that dig them and find them generally unimpeachable and get back to being a great American watch company.
That’s really sad to hear
That is sad to hear. I think you're right that Timex should charge a bit more for better watches and go for the enthusiast market. Besides enthusiasts, who's buying wrist watches these days, anyway?
You can see them copying the chinese watches.🙃
Thank goodness for high value Spagetti scameti bringing real value to our lives. I love mine. 😊
My Timex Marlin reissue has remained my absolute favourite of my collection since I got it in 2020 (there’s been many additions)
Watches have had a similar trajectory to vinyl. The market has moved more towards the passionate niche than a necessity.
By leaning on their heritage and appealing more to the enthusiasts than the fashion brand style they had in the 2010s, I feel like Timex has made a great comeback.
Really hoping for some more vintage style reissues or reimaginings and a restock of their mk1 range.
Timex are killing it in the 2020s
I fully agree. Beside the Timex Marlin I've got other high price luxury watches - the Marlin still remains one of my favorite watch: Keeps accurate time, solid quality and a vintage look (box glass, domed dial).
I like that Marlin Jet a lot, but I wish the 24 hr subregister was a small seconds.
Timex has been killing it. I had a field titanium north and was super impressed. I ended up selling it because I didn’t wear it enough but it’s definitely worth the money compared to hamiltons that have a quarter of the water resistance and no screw down crown. Also, the James brand and huckberry limited edition are awesome!
Correction, the 38mm Hamilton H70455133 has screw down caseback/crown and claimed 100m WR.
But what i never get is if you think the watch is amazing, why did you not wear it enough? I see those comments al the time under watch video's. 'yeah i liked the watch so much, amazing' etc. But then they decided not to wear it.. and sell it. i dont get that?
@@navboi12 the 38mm doesn’t have a screw down crown. That’s one of the major things people bring up but either way it’s way more expensive and is still less water resistant. The titanium expedition has 200m.
@@userbrytje008 I think is amazing for the money but I have an overloaded collection and I’d pick my pelagos over the Timex when I wanted to wear a darker metal black dial watch.
Don’t understand why Timex supplied a pass through strap to block out the display case back BY DESIGN. Either ship it with a two piece strap or with a solid caseback.
02:50 Seiko is the wrong adres. Timex (and Seiko) copied this shape from the Rado Diastar from 1962 which was the first scratch resistant watch and had therefore an angular diamant shaped crystal.
Rado brought a reissue with the Rado Diastar Original one year ago.
Timex has to be careful, pagani design, steel dive, addiesdive and even lowest tier watches like Sanda skmei benyar have shown what is truly possible on a budget.
I like the review, those watches look kind of nice, but are greatly overpriced
I never got the whole, “why do you need a watch you have a phone in your pocket?” I spend enough time looking for my phone, glancing at my wrist still seems easier even in 2024.
The retro watch violates one huge pet peeve of mine. The second hand does not hit the markers. If you have a second hand, and second markers, it is not asking a lot for them to align.
You are guaranteed to have good alignment only in high end japanese watches, like Casio Oceanus or Grand Seiko. Also, quite often people get lucky with affordable Casio and Citizen pieces.
But everything else is a complete lottery (including swiss), especially with those dirt cheap movements Timex uses. So maybe it's asking a lot after all.
Yes it is hard to align, and a lot to ask at this price. Some movements do better than others (Citizen for example) but they're still not guaranteed.
It’s near impossible due to most quartz movements being plastic, including the wheels (gears). Which are not machined perfectly like in a more expensive watch. Looking at vintage Seiko quartz watches, that were still made of steel and brass, the movements are better, accurate and servicable.
Yeah there is not a chance in hell I will spend the amount timex charges for their quartz things when I can get very upmarket brands for the same amount from Japan
I think some of the Chinese makers like Pagani Design will challenge them too
there is one watch thats not welkom in my house and thats bah timex!! you are a wanna bee....
So glad they are still in the game and offer nice looking alternatives.
200$+ for acrylic and a cheap quartz movement just isn't gonna cut it in 2024
And the second hand perfectly straddling the midpoint between the marks lol. Fail !! The Marlin Jet does look cool though.
I would happily spend 70 bucks on an automatic aliexpress watch than to buy timex, they're going insane with their prices.
Great video content, these both watches are beautiful 38mm is perfect for my small wrist as well. I love how Timex is heading with all the reissues yet adding some newer fresh designs in their models. Its a little dear with the newer model but the trade off is your getting better movement, build quality. More choices is good for buyers like me / us.
That's probably the ugliest dial and colour combo I've ever seen on a watch.
I have a gold Orient TriStar with a green dial and a faceted crystal just like this one. Not sure the exact movement, probably an in-house Orient automatic caliber, but I literally paid $69 for it 10 years ago. It's definitely my favorite watch I own, and the one that receives the most compliments. Kinda hard to stomach the price on the Degrade when there's just so much competition in the sub $300 price point.
It's also a Quartz....nothing against Quartz, I have several, but Timex is way overcharging.
Timex digitals are my favorite
Command urban
T300
Command boost shock
Also love my Timex Temp Tide Compass
If I were to get another one it would be that Enicar esque 40mm Marlin with the 12 3 6 9 sitting in the little rectangles; but I’ll pay $150, not $250.
The Marlin lines is getting more interesting to date, a very nice review!
$700 smart watch 🤮
$10000 automatic watch that can barely keep time in comparison 🤑
What have we gotten ourselves into
Interesting timepieces. Never really considered Timex's recent resurgence and your views on what they are concentrating on; unique, interesting designs and not specs, makes a whole load of sense. As they are still relatively budget when you compare them with the other major players in the watch industry, they don't really need to worry about the homage brigade occupying the same price points and stealing any of their thunder.
I simply love the new Timex collections! Life is about having fun! My Timex watches are getting way more compliments than my hi end stuff.
Casio, Timex and Seiko are still the kings of budget watches but Timex opened that door. The iconic Marlin was made and marketed as a durable and practical EDW watch. It's due to Timex that watches were sold in grocery stores. The 1954 Marlin sold for 11.54 USD, about 134 USD today. Between dressy versions to ubiquitous Ironman Triathlon, they are killing it.
Timex understood the assignment.
Simple is nice. And I actually like the ticking sound.
Love my Timex collection! In my opinion the GOAT of Horology
I think Timex has been successful because their designs since the 2017 Marlin have been excellent. They design better looking watches than most "luxury" brands.
Couple of interesting pieces there Ben - thanks for reviewing them. I absolutely refuse to buy any watch that has the vile Miyota 8xxxx series movement in it so it would be the quartz for me 👍
It all depends if you get a good Miyota? I have a hackable 8215 or 8315 in my Marlin and it is smooth sweeping with no stutter. Doesn’t gain or lose much at all. It makes that fidget spinner noise and rattle occasionally and I can feel it on my wrist but I love that element because it feels like clockwork and a living thing.
Of course it depends on what kind of movement you like and what you want to live with. I’ve found the miyota v good so far. I hope to try an Orient in the future too for comparison.
It's about time somebody exposed Timex for their rip off retro watches !!
They aren't better than Casio, just 4 x the damn price !!! SMH 🙄
Who are they ripping off, themselves? The Degrade is a RE-ISSUE....
I found a chap on ebay who services timex watches, so i bought a lovely old watch and sent it off to him. My daily driver is an easy reader and I absolutely love it. This ridiculous pricing will end when people can't afford or refuse to pay for things. I'd like to see Rolex making some of their basic, functional watches again, say in the £2k range. I don't need 14 diamonds and half a bar of gold on my wrist. I want a well made, precision timepiece that I can rely on and be proud of
Enjoyed your view of the Timex lineup . I’ve been looking at them much differently lately , perhaps I will add one to my modest collection . Great work !
We're can i get one of these beautiful watches ????
Cut crystals used to be a common sight in the 70s seiko and citizen catalogues. Ladies, low end, high end, quartz and automatic all often had a cut crystal variant. It’s really sic to see this come back.
Hey! watch it their buddy. Keep the Invicta name out yo mouth. (A-la Will Smith style).Lol.
todays money is garbage, trash, worthless people pay so much money for so bad products. we need to move to BTC
Nah, you want to talk about a market very easily manipulated by the ultra wealthy… I’ll stick to cash and timex. You can have your market crashes and Rolex
I hate the thought of scratching one of these halfway through a wear and having to see that or take it off until I get home to buff it out… that said, these designs are beautiful IMO
Similar to Seiko, they didn’t up the quality they just upped the price. I’m not too bothered about either of the brands these days
Yeah, no. I am not buying it. Timex is alright, but these watches don't represent value, and they have got to do that to appeal.
Ben I'd love to see a video reviewing Swiss Military Hanowa. Some of them are expensive but many are more accessible and a good fit for your channel. I'm quite impressed with mine.
Can you review the timex q chronograph panda?
It's amazing
The truth is Ben, Timex's sub $50 dollar range is keeping the company afloat, just like Casio's digital pieces keeps it's coffers full. Like it or not a great deal of people just want a watch, not a statement. I for one wouldn't most Timex over 60-70 dollars but cherish their pieces under that price, a lot of higher end owners feel the same. I do wish they speced their higher end pieces better as they are made in the same country as the Ali's brands, but marketing and branding has an influence on the pricing.
I was skeptical about Timex for ages but a couple of years ago had to grab a Weekender Bold that reminded me of the Raketa Big Zero. It was probably my most-worn watch in 2023. If they ever make it in a steel case and/or with a better crystal, I'd snap it up immediately, but it's still a lot of fun for a cheap price.
That domed design isn't anything new.....
The one coming to my mind is from a microbrand...LORIER..Neptune...
That Marlin is nice. Great video.
Great video Ben 👍🏽👍🏽 My very first watch was a Timex 😁
I have no watch,but I enjoy watching your content,hope I will get one , one day
I purchased the Marlin Jet, but was very disappointed. As you say, the strap is very poor quality and I found it irritated my wrist. Hard to find a good replacement at 19mm. I also found the crystal felt very cheap. I returned mine. The design is very nice though.
I'm in love with Timex Waterbury. It cost RM 520.00 in my country.
Timex looks good but with a cheap quartz movement and cheap mineral glass and awful bands they’re still a cheaper watch brand not worth my money
Why do you say mineral glass, were you paying attention? Neither of the two reviewed watches use mineral glass. They use acrylic. Acrylic can be polished to look like new, with Polywatch. Mineral glass, once scratched, will remain scratched forever.
@@brettwilm1 it’s still extremely cheap compared to sapphire crystal ✌️
If it says Seiko in there this bald guy would've trash that. "400 dollars for acrylic glass? What Seiko was thinking?" But it's a Timex so it's fine? 🤷♂️
Timex is good, but something about many models like clown 🤡 ish vibe... timex should've focus more on Mondaine like aspects... hence the name TIMEX... more... cold 🥶
I'm sick of microbrands gouging potential customers.
One German microbrand had a watch for pre-sale. After it was featured in a YT paid-review, the price went up 200 Euros - in a month or two.
Put me right off.
People mistakenly think the more you pay for a watch the more it's worth. Timex has joined the club. Timex has always been known as cheap and reliable. Now they are overpriced and not so reliable. $300.00 for the Timex Jet with a cheap movement and a crappy strap?. LMFAO! There's a sucker born every minute. Tick Tick Tick.
I love Timex watches. I love their new retro or reissue line. My biggest gripe is and has been for the longest time is their water resistance is little to be desired. I honestly don’t understand why they haven’t gotten their water resistance rating higher. To be honest I have bought other watches that were in the same price category over Timex over their water resistance not being great. If they can put at least 100m of water on a majority of their watches. I would buy more Timex watches.
nice to see a new video ben! im thinking of getting a quartz, something i can use in times when my Gruen from 1917 might be less than ideal lol. thanks to your channel i have found so many great options! but i think i might snag what my grandpa wore, a Casio F91w?), sorry cant remember the name. but its the square, silver, Casio that been around for a hundred years, and he wore his with a steel bracelet. I love my Gruen but when i go to a rave or something id much rather wear a watch that can stand up to rigours of life so probably wont need replacing or fixing.
Ah Timex.. I purchased a Command Encounter in black/white because I couldn't read my G-Shock 2100 navy/cream. It's a shameless 'homage', and I have yet to see a kind word spoken about it (evidently the tan one is hideous IRL) but I have zero regrets. I think Timex have a 'real' designer on board at present who is not afraid to take chances and stick it to other brands. I like both models you reviewed here.
I have a marlin from a couple years back, and I have the pepsi Q. I'm not going to buy either one of these that you've shown us today. They're design rehashes with cheap movements that just aren't all that special or even just really good. Sure, slap some design cues from awhile back on them and sell at a premium. It works once, maybe twice. We all know that timex can make dials and cases for cheeeeep. It's like they're selling VW Beetles with go-kart engines in the back. It's charming, but lacks all substance. Do something classically styled with an Ameriquartz, ETA (quartz or mechanical!) Ronda or STP or a even a Chinese made version of the old unitas manual movements and I'll be interested.
19 and 21 mm bands are reasonably common nowadays; barton makes tons of options. That marlin looks amazing, but the case finishing and over all quality seems incredibly dubious for a 300$ watch. Theres so many good ideas going on there. A black quartz one with a hydro mod would be insane lol
The Giorgio Galli S2 would still be the cheapest watch I would own but 995 for a timex! It’s so pretty though like a fancy movado. I rather buy a Hamilton murph. I won’t hesitate spending more but that under 1000 mark is weird for me to commit to.
the X and marlin are better
Timex is shit. Period
Here's me feeling like a king splashing out on a timex ironman shock model of course. And you've spent nearly 500gbp on a watch
I don't mind it; I'd trust a Timex over a fashion watch any day of the week. New watches are not my thing, especially vintage-inspired ones. Don't get me wrong; I know why people don't go real vintage. Unless you can perform repairs and servicing yourself, it can get very expensive very quickly, even if the initial purchase price is low. Interesting video I enjoyed a look at these new Timex watches. I'm behind the curve on what's happening at the newer end of the market.
I like the Jet, but I had a watch with a similar crown. It was borderline useless. The crown caught some cloth from a jacket or a shirt and was pulled out too often. Stylish, but stupid. (Unless it is a screwdown version).
The crystal looks like those technos watches before the company was liquidated and moved to Brasil.
*Not to be confused with Technic watches...
The one that i think is a really nice looking release is the TW2V42500 with the reverse panda dial/subdials
i would be cautious with Timex more expensive offerings, I broke a marlin automatic, a marlin manual and and their 38mm filed mechanical, in one year. put me completely off the brand. great watches terrible reliability.
I suspect "the notify me" button on website not to be a waiting list on restock but a group buy list. I suspect brands are waiting to have a certain amount of people clicking it before to actually manufacture it and then sell it. Let's for exemple say 40% of people clicking are not buying it afterwards for any reason when 140 person clicked it they are more or less sure to sell hundred untits. So apply the formula on the company scale and voilà
I love the designs, but Timex quality is trash. I bought a Q reissue at Christmas and the crystal just fell off randomly.
I love the aesthetics on Timex's old watches, but there's no way I'd pay $200 for a Timex.
watch tells time... its a good watch.. most of the watches over 500 are ugly af imo. a clean simple blank watch is all that looks good imo. Ill save buying a 50-150 watch that works just as well as a 10k watch like... ohhh nooo i have to twist the dial once a week poor me
Problem with buying a luxury watch is the same with getting a tattoo! You’ll change as a person and will want something else further down the line and the depreciation of most luxury watches will sting you! Except Rolex which your at very high risk of violent robbery wearing and is also highly successfully cloned in any case with total watch experts needing an eye piece to find the replica from the real if at all.
Timex does nothing today. They use Chinese or Japanese movements. There is no reason the Marlin should be over $100.
I really wish Timex would get their prices in line and Use Waterbury as their higher end watches then do more in house.
I'd like a Timex, but can't bring myself to buy one after they disgraced themselves at Dundee.
Timex have been using other company movements for years. I have a Timex 400 with an mechanical Seiko movement in it and a Laco.
Can someone explain why in god's name Timex watches tick so loudly? Even my cheapest Casio and Citizen watches do not have this tick sound.
Fun fact - Casio copied Timex but instead of Indiglo Casio called it Illuminator!!
The coolest thing about Timex watches it’s the Name itself “TIMEX”
Timex is an overpriced, low quality joke.
Timex👉🤡💩
TImex can't fight them with specs, so they are fighting by adding more soul.
I've got both and I get more sheer watch joy from these than from several watches costing 4X the price.
Design > Specs. At the end of the day, they do exactly the same thing. Showing the time. Wrist watches are obsolete technolgy. They are in the jewelry category for me so they are meant to be fun!
Timex is a cheap watch manufacturer that’s what they specialize in and they have been doing it very well for years now but to try passing them off as a luxury watch is like dressing up a pig it still going to be a pig.
That's exactly the impression i have about Timex, beyond the uncreative use of quartz chronograph movements in some recent releases.
I've been eyeing this since release, and for 3 months have never seen this in stock. Looking at how much attention this piece has gotten, I don't get why they don't produce more of it.
If you like the watch get it….no one really cares what’s on your wrist except for you. And isn’t that what really matters?
CRAP
Theyre straight up copying 60s lord seikos, minus any actual quality that is
If they brought the thickness down to 12mm - this is an instant runaway success. Shame!
Trying to buy the Marlin Jet is impossible. Still waiting for it to come back into stock. 😢