The Q Timex was a huge success when it launched last year, and it’s not hard to see why. The great retro design, distinctive bracelet, and accessible pricing made for an irresistible quartz watch that enthusiasts love. Recently, the brand followed up with the Q Timex Color Series — three color variants that add a lot of variety and fun to the already appealing package. I got a chance to go hands-on with this trio of new Q Timex watches, and I am sure everyone is going to have their personal favorite. For me, it’s the green and black bezel variant, though that white dial is a lot of fun. There was a persistent issue with the first Q Timex reissue being sold out everywhere, leading to markups in the secondhand market. I can’t speak to how many of the new Color Series they will produce (these are not limited), but I hope the bigger catalog relieves some of the shortages. As of now, they are in stock on the Timex website (link here).
The three new colorways are: white dial with blue and red bezel; blue dial with blue and orange bezel; and black dial with black and green bezel, which, ironically, is the least colorful yet still narrowly my preferred model. The colors on the bezel are vibrant and quite attractive, echoing a theme that persists across the case and bracelet: high-quality finishing made even more impressive when the sub-$200 price is factored in.
The first Q Timex dates back to 1979, and the reissue stayed very close to the original with its design and recognizable bracelet. Measuring 38mm-wide and 11.5mm-thick, the lug-to-lug measurement comes in at just around 45mm. This is partly due to the square and beveled (or hooded) lugs that are designed with the “woven” bracelet in mind, which itself is quite comfortable. Frankly, it would be difficult for a brand without the massive resources of Timex to pull off a bracelet like this and still keep costs level. This goes for the bezel, as well, which is a bi-directional friction lock bezel that doesn’t click. Oftentimes, at this price point, the “umph” required to turn the bezel never really hits the Goldilocks “just right” zone. Not the case here, as it’s just resistant enough when turned.
The domed acrylic crystal is another touch from the 70’s original, and the vintage charm is certainly there (note that there is a bit of a scratch at the center of the dial of the white model which is the result of a loose plastic cover during transport). Thick and old-school, the acrylic crystal gets the job done and legibility certainly isn’t an issue. On the point of legibility, the lumed hands are nicely sized and all three dial colors are easy to read. The red seconds hand, day and date window at 3 o’clock, and lumed hour indices are all carried over from last year’s first reissue.
The Q Timex has 50M of water resistance, which means getting it wet is ok but probably don’t go swimming. Turning that steel case around reveals the battery hatch, which allows you to easily change batteries — you just need to grab a coin and open it up. Inside the Q Timex is the Seiko PC33, which is fairly unremarkable though reliable. Something slightly annoying is that while the date is quickset, the day is not and requires full rotations to adjust.
Timex knows it has a winner with the Q Timex, and it seems like quartz has never been more popular and accepted, which makes me happy. Again, the price of all three new Q Timex Color Series watches is $179 each, and they are, at the time of writing, available on the Timex e-commerce page (link here). You can learn more at timex.com
