Long champions of affordable watchmaking, Timex has been in business since 1854, first producing mechanical timepieces and then, in the 1970s, quartz.
The American-based brand will be expanding its Reissue assortment with the release of the Q Timex GMT. The reissue is a modern version of a watch first introduced in 1979 during the “quartz crisis” — when a flood of cheap, battery-powered quartz movements saturated the market and forced the mechanical watch industry to reevaluate itself.
The Q Timex 1979 Reissue watch was previously reintroduced in 2019, featuring a blue dial with day-date display, 38mm case with a colorful 12-hour bezel and a lightweight mesh bracelet. The style sold out several times over as a popular and more budget-friendly alternative to the iconic Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” model. The Q Reissue also has more than 10 colorways and configurations, from a gold-colored expansion bracelet to a diver’s automatic (M79), and even a limited-edition version from Hodinkee.
The new expanded lineup sees the addition of a Swiss-made GMT movement but still adhering to the key features of the original — a 38mm case, rotating bezel, all black dial, date feature, functional battery hatch, domed acrylic crystal, luminant hands and water resistant to 50 meters.
Available starting Thursday on the brand e-commerce site, the release will be offered in a stainless steel case and bracelet version ($219) — its rotating top ring in red/navy and black/blue color combinations — and in an all-black finish case with a synthetic rubber black strap ($199).