Back in 2022, Timex teamed up with Pan Am to produce a duo of pilot’s watches co-branded with the famous airline company’s logo. While Pan Am no longer operates commercial aircraft and Timex largely produces its watches overseas, both brands occupy a celebrated place within American culture. The Timex x Pan Am watches were a hit among collectors, as they allowed individuals to enjoy the nostalgia of a Pan Am Airlines timepiece at a categorically accessible price point. To continue the collaboration for 2024, Timex and Pan Am are expanding their partnership with an additional pair of watches that offer complications synonymous with aviation. The latest Timex x Pan Am models come equipped with either a flyback chronograph or GMT functionality.
The original duo of Timex x Pan Am watches included a chronograph and a 42mm day-date model that we previously reviewed upon its launch. However, the pair of 2024 watches takes things one step further when it comes to their complications, and the new duo consists of a 43mm flyback chronograph (ref. TW2W97200) and a 39mm GMT watch (ref. TW2W97300), the latter of which is featured here. Regardless of their functionality, all four of the Timex x Pan Am models are powered by battery-operated quartz movements, and they also feature cases made from stainless steel instead of having plated brass or resin cases like the brand’s entry-level watches. Compared to the 42mm and 43mm cases of its siblings from the collection, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT (which the brand formally refers to as the “Timex Waterbury GMT x Pan Am 39mm Leather Strap Watch” on its website) represents a significantly more compact overall profile that sits right in the sweet spot for today’s consumer preferences.
Crafted from recycled stainless steel, the case of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT features a traditional round profile. While it offers a predominantly brushed finish, the outer rim of its bezel is high-polished for a small dash of refinement. In terms of its dimensions, the Timex x Pan Am GMT measures 39mm in diameter by 12.5mm thick, and it has lugs that are set 20mm apart with an overall lug-to-lug profile of 47mm. On Timex’s official website, the brand lists a case thickness of 11.5mm. Since the top of the watch is furnished by a flat mineral glass crystal that sits flush with the rim of its bezel, I can only assume that its on-paper thickness doesn’t include the additional height of its caseback. As for the caseback itself, it is crafted from stainless steel with a standard snap-on design, and it features fluting around its perimeter with the Pan Am Airlines logo engraved into its center.
Timex tends to frequently favor snap-on or screw-on casebacks over ones with a threaded design, and while I personally always prefer a screw-down caseback, a snap-on approach makes at-home battery replacements far easier for those who do not have access to a proper caseback tool. In terms of its weight, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT comes in at approximately 67 grams (including its strap) or 52 grams for just the watch itself, and access to its internal movement is granted by an onion-shaped crown at the 3 o’clock location that is given a polished finish and signed with a blue-filled Pan Am emblem. Additionally, while the crown operates with a standard push/pull style motion, the Timex x Pan Am GMT still offers a fairly respectable 100 meters of water resistance, which Timex states is suitable for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and poolside diving (but not scuba diving).
Just like its siblings from the collection, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT features a blue sunburst dial with crisp white printing. Its handset follows the same sword-shaped style that characterizes both original Timex x Pan Am watches. With that in mind, an additional 24-hour scale is printed along an angled chapter ring that appears around the outer periphery of the dial, and the chapter ring is given a blue and silver split-color finish to help create an at-a-glance distinction between day and night hours. Similar to the original duo of Timex x Pan Am models, the seconds hand on the GMT version features a small airplane-shaped tip. However, the triangular tip of its additional 24-hour hand is finished bright red for a small splash of color, and this design detail also exits on the Flyback Chronograph model that joined the collection alongside the GMT version for 2024.
Rounding out the rest of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT’s dial is a date window at 3 o’clock, while the Pan Am Airlines logo is printed below the hands. The rest of the display remains free from text, with the only exception being the Timex name printed below the 12 o’clock marker. Additionally, detail-oriented enthusiasts will be pleased to find that the proportions of the handset are reasonably well-considered, and the tip of the minute hand extends all the way to reach the corresponding markers of the minute track. That said, lume is one area that could benefit from an improvement. While green-glowing luminous material is applied to the hands that display the hours and minutes, the rest of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is entirely devoid of lume. This seems like somewhat of a missed opportunity that results in a rather lackluster display in the dark.
Fitted to the lugs of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is a brown leather strap that tapers from 20mm at the case down to 18mm on the underside of the wrist. Similar to the straps that can be found on the original duo of Timex x Pan Am watches, the strap that is paired with the Waterbury GMT model is dark brown with a bright blue lining, and it includes two pilot-style grommets near the springbars that appear as additional blue-filled Pan Am logos. However, rather than having contrast stitching surrounding its perimeter, the strap for the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT only features two small stitches near the lugs, and it also offers a less dramatic taper compared to the straps that come with its 42mm day-date and chronograph siblings. Completed by a simple stainless steel pin buckle, the strap isn’t especially premium or luxurious, although it does represent a solid step above what you typically find on Timex’s entry-level models, and very much leans into the aviation spirit of these collaboration watches.
Powering the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is the Swiss Ronda Caliber 515.24A quartz GMT movement, which can also be found inside the brand’s Q Timex GMT models. While Timex typically uses movements from Asian suppliers such as Miyota and Seiko, the quartz GMT functionality required for this model is a bit less common compared to something like a chronograph or traditional time-and-date display. This likely explains why these quartz Timex GMT models receive Swiss calibers. Running on a single SR920SW power cell with a battery life of approximately 45 months, the Ronda 515.24A is a “caller” style GMT movement that offers independent adjustment of both its 24-hour hand and date display. Since it is based upon the foundation of the familiar three-handed Caliber 515, the Ronda 515.24A offers an accuracy rating of -10/+20 seconds per month.
No watch is perfect, and this is especially true for timepieces that exist firmly on the affordable side of the spectrum. When it comes to the shortcomings of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT, its minimal use of luminous material is slightly disappointing. While I hardly expect the lume performance of a high-end dive watch, a few luminous plots on the dial would have gone a long way toward mitigating this minor nitpick. Additionally, while its movement may be Swiss, it isn’t a particularly refined design. This is most apparent when setting the 24-hour hand, which moves with an entirely smooth action (rather than jumping forward in one-hour increments). Although perfectly aligning the 24-hour hand can be a slightly tedious process, its ability to be set fully independently from the other hands enables it to serve as a rudimentary way to track elapsed hours by simply aligning the hand with the 12 o’clock marker and then reading the value against the fixed 24-hour scale surrounding the periphery of the display.
Due to their increased functionality, the latest additions to the Timex x Pan Am collection are slightly more expensive than the original duo of models. The Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT (ref. TW2W97300) has an official price of $289 USD, which ultimately still feels like a solid value given its use of a Swiss movement. At slightly more than the current price of a standard MoonSwatch (or slightly less than the moonphase-equipped versions), the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is the definition of affordable horological fun, and it exists at a price point that allows it to be enjoyed by both die-hard enthusiasts and casual buyers. While there are certainly Pan Am-branded watches that offer a more elevated sense of ownership, Timex has always been a brand for the people, and the new models from this Americana-drenched aviation series allow collectors to get their hands on popular complications and indulge in the nostalgia of Pan Am’s heritage for a price that is less than what some brands charge for a replacement strap. For more information on the Timex x Pan Am collection, please visit the brand’s website.
