When a brand like Timex has been on such a tear with vintage reissues, it’s sometimes difficult to encounter one that is a miss. The brand has been seemingly invincible with its myriad Q Timex and Marlin releases, each one somehow having just the right amount of vintage quirk. What’s more, Timex has managed to deliver these affordable throwbacks in packages that have never felt too cheap. Yet, when I opened the box of the Q Timex 1975 Enigma Reissue and picked it up, cheapness was the first impression I had. While the dial is fun, the case and bracelet leave much to be desired, even at this affordable price point.
One thing needs to be made very clear. This is damn near an exact reproduction of the original 1975 “Mystery Dial” watch from Timex. It’s done an excellent job visually recreating a neat watch from the 1970s. That streak is still alive. Two major changes have been made: The stainless steel case is no longer 33mm and Timex has put one of its standard bracelets on (it’s not entirely clear what kind of band the original came on). Instead of a now-diminutive 33mm case, the 1975 Enigma Reissue is sized up to 37mm — which one might argue is the 33mm of 2024. The case is 12mm thanks to a massively domed acrylic crystal and has 50m of water resistance with a pull-out crown.
Like the original, the case is entirely polished, and the surface curves from the edges up to the crystal. The edges of the case are a bit soft, and while that’s forgivable on a $200 watch, the full polish makes it play a bit too vintage for me. This is one opportunity that Timex missed to punch the watch up a bit; I think brushed case sides would have been more modern and better suited to the fun mystery dial. It also would have allowed the case to complement the brushed and polished links of the bracelet.
The bracelet itself — 20mm instead of the original model’s 19mm, thank God — is another miss for me. When I first encountered it on the 2020 Timex Q Todd Snyder, I found it to be comfortable and a great pairing with that watch. Here, it was mismatched, which led to a cascade of other issues. (It’s entirely possible that my initial reaction to the mismatched bracelet heightened my other criticisms.) Soon after encountering the bracelet, I was bothered by its cheap stamped clasp and the sizing mechanism. To size the bracelet, a small slot allows you to push a locking tab out of place and remove the link. It’s easy, and I was able to get an excellent fit. Mismatched or not, the bracelet is still comfortable but be warned that the hairier amongst you will have some pulls. Ultimately, there were a few ways to improve this situation: a leather strap, refinishing the case as described above, or finding a better matching bracelet. (Check out the gallery below for a couple of alternatives I think work better.)
The watch’s saving grace is, no doubt, its dial. I think Timex was smart to rename this from Mystery Dial to Enigma, though even Enigma may be pushing it. If you want to see proper mystery dials, check out these from Zodiac and Cartier; the Q Timex 1975 Enigma Reissue has a faux mystery dial, and it’s more of a children’s riddle than an enigma. The idea is that by painting a small blue dot on the underside of the crystal, directly above the cannon pinion, a sense of mystery is created by making it seem like the hands are floating around the dial. (Curiously, in the marketing photos for this watch, most of the shots are angled to reveal the watch’s secret.)
Like the case, the dial is an exact replica, only sized up to fit the new case dimensions. The darker blue main dial is surrounded by a lighter shade of blue in the chapter ring, offering a touch of contrast. The blocky hands are a darker shade yet, and for some reason, I cannot fathom, do not have lume on their ends, as you’d expect when you see any hand with a chunk of white on it. No, the originals probably weren’t lumed, but why not slap on a thin coat of cheap lume here? I also would’ve made the hands and the dot above the pinion the exact same color as the dial, which would create more of an illusion that the white tips and red lollipop seconds were floating around the dial.
Lume shot.
The movement is quartz and powered by a battery. And yes, even the caseback looks like the original. The only change is the amount of space the battery cover takes up and the caseback being screwed down instead of pressed on.
Let me take a deep breath. I’m a big fan of reissues and of brands revisiting their back catalogs, and the 1975 Enigma Reissue is exactly that, fun and affordable. But I also think there’s almost always room for small updates and tweaks to bring watches into modern times. Even with the neat faux mystery dial, this watch is hampered by a lack of lume where it so clearly belongs, the case’s soft edges, and the mismatched strawweight bracelet. These are vestiges of an old Timex, one that the brand has successfully worked to shed by producing hit after hit. I know no brand gets it right every time, and when you produce as many SKUs as Timex, there are bound to be a few (or more) that fall short. It’s just a bit disappointing when a streak gets broken. The Q Timex 1975 Enigma Reissue is priced at $199 USD. Personally, I’d recommend any number of other Q Timex models, or you could even go big and spend an extra $10 on a hand-wound Marlin! For more information, visit the Timex website.
