TIMEX x HODINKEE: A Limited-Edition Q Timex Reissue

The Q Timex 1979 Reissue wristwatch launched in May of 2019 and became something of an instant icon. Boldly calling attention to the quartz movement powering it, the watch owned every angle and every component that made up its whole, the product of a company that takes great pride in its heritage and history.

Beloved when they were first released in the 1970s for their accuracy, reliability and sporty good looks, the Q Timex line of wristwatches took the company where the industry at large was going: away from strictly mechanical watchmaking, and into a future of batteries, capacitors, ticking seconds hands and even digital displays. And in 2020, the world of watches offers all those things and more.
 

No matter where your wristwatch tastes fall, you can probably look to the minds at HODINKEE as tastemakers, critics, reviewers and lovers of all things horological to guide you through today’s watch market. It’s pretty vast, after all.

“To work with HODINKEE and the wonderful people there has been an honor,” Giorgio Galli, design director of Timex, says of the collaboration. “The company has such a presence in the watch world, and rightly so. Their passion, taste, and depth of knowledge have brought so much to this industry and to our work as watchmakers.”

These reasons are why we trusted them to create a new take on our iconic design. And these reasons make HODINKEE’s imprint on this special Q Timex 1979 Reissue so significant, substantial and noteworthy. “We are excited to partner with Timex on our newest limited-edition timepiece,” says Cara Barrett, HODINKEE’s Manager of Special Projects. “The Timex brand has been a staple in many budding watch collections for generations. The Q was a natural model for us to work with, given its design and wearability, and we are so thrilled with how it turned out.”

“The symmetry and visual appeal of the Q Timex 1979 Reissue without a day or date display was something we wanted to explore,” says Galli. “Once we arrived at this final design it was clear that we wanted to bring the idea into reality.”

The following text and images come directly from our friends at HODINKEE, who have collaborated with us to create a new special-edition version of our beloved Q Timex 1979 Reissue wristwatch.

Replete with a steel bezel, a white dial, vintage lume and all the retro details you would expect from one of our iconic reissues, this special watch is available from 11am on October 13 for $189. Read an excerpt of HODINKEE’s full feature on the collaboration below — their write-up is substantial, thorough and wonderfully composed — or purchase your watch now by visiting the HODINKEE web shop.

We all know what good watch design looks like, and the Q Timex is exactly that: a classic, recognizable watch that stands out on its own merit. That’s why, for our Q Timex, all we sought to do was make a few simple tweaks to the already-successful formula.

The Q Timex was designed to combine accuracy and ability in a single functional package, which is one reason why a three o’clock day-date display has remained a signature for the model over the decades. On the Q Timex HODINKEE Limited Edition, we wanted to experiment to see how it would look without the additional calendar complication.

The day-date has been completely removed on the Q Timex HODINKEE Limited Edition, resulting in a more symmetrical dial layout without a “phantom” date position in the crown. That’s right, there’s absolutely no indication that the watch once featured anything more than its simple three hands ticking above the crisp, clean white dial. The hour markers consist of an intermix of geometric shapes, with triangles, rectangles, and circles all rendered in a pale yellow shade of painted luminous material, matching the color of the lume-filled, black-framed handset.

The Q-topped Timex branding at 12 o’clock remains the same as always – a proud indication of the quartz caliber inside – and we’ve paired it with a small black HODINKEE signature at six o’clock, balancing the dial even further.

Underneath the HODINKEE stamp is the water-resistance rating – meters first – that indicates the Q Timex can be worn all day, everyday, regardless of what you’re doing or where you’re going. We’ve also removed the bicolor anodized coating on the steel 12-hour bezel, leaving the cool tone of bare metal behind; this is one the first contemporary Q Timex models to feature a steel, rather than aluminum, bezel.

A concentric brushed surface finish has been applied to the friction-lock, bidirectional bezel, while the carved numerals and dashes are each colored in black. You can use the 12-hour bezel to track a second time-zone, or even to measure elapsed time by the half-hour.

This remains a Q Timex through and through, of course, so there were a few elements we knew we had to retain. Those include the acrylic crystal up top and the classic screw-in battery hatch around back, which can be quickly unlocked with the edge of a coin.

One thing we appreciate about the Q Timex HODINKEE Limited Edition is how it’s very clearly the Q Timex at a glance, but the details come alive on close inspection to indicate that it’s truly something special. For example, the lack of a colored coating on the bezel makes the unique barrel-shaped case profile of the Q Timex even more apparent. Just take a look at the concave sloping caseband that curves directly into your wrist from the side. Or examine the sharply beveled – and brushed – front and back elements that act as a hood for how the slinky, woven stainless steel bracelet integrates into the case. There are so many fluid lines in the compact 38mm × 11.5mm case of the Q Timex that we have always felt were underappreciated, and they are now placed on center stage in the Q Timex HODINKEE Limited Edition.

The Q Timex is the kind of watch that is approachable for all and lighthearted to its core, with real, authentic history standing behind it. There’s a clear passion for watches and watch design that is evident in the Q Timex’s appearance and construction, something that became apparent to us as soon as we strapped one on the wrist for the first time.

Our goal with the Q Timex HODINKEE Limited Edition was to share those details, and the excitement that comes with them, in as pure and refined a way as possible. Of course, the set-it-and-forget-it quartz movement inside goes a long way in ensuring that the trade-off between price ($189) and precision is more equitable than nearly any previous HODINKEE Limited Edition.