END. X TIMEX X NEIGHBORHOOD 18004 WATCH
Hi, this is Alan. My contact information is below. Here is a watch from October 2018. It's a diver-style watch that resulted from a collaboration between TIMEX, END. clothing, and the Japanese streetwear brand NEIGHBORHOOD.
It's a nice looking watch, and you can see it has most of the classic features associated with "diver" type watches initiated by the mighty Rolex Submariner, which someone once said was "maybe the most influential wristwatch of the last half of the 20th century."
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So, everyone knows TIMEX, but who are END. and who are NEIGHBORHOOD. END. describes themselves as "purveyors of the finest globally sourced menswear." As far as I can tell, they source menswear sources from around the world, have them shipped to their warehouses in Newcastle, and then sell them everywhere. I've been to Newcastle, btw, in the summer of 2015. For just one night. Stayed at a Premier Inn. Walked across the Tyne bridge. The people there were so nice. I've bought a watch from END. before, a Timex x Nigel Cabourn collaboration, a really beautifully designed watch.
NEIGHBORHOOD seems to have as it's motto, CRAFT WITH PRIDE. Here is the machine translation from their site, describing themselves. "Shinosuke Takizawa, who was devoted to the countercycles of the motorcycle and its surroundings, started the brand in Tokyo Harajuku in 1994. 'Basic clothes made by digesting elements of motorcycle, military, outdoor, trad, etc with their own interpretation, proposal of that lifestyle.' These concepts are a product which always breathes in each season theme and involves NEIGHBORHOOD And the basis of all projects." "Elements of motorcycle, military, outdoor, trad, etc with their own interpretation, proposal of that lifestyle." How great is that?
Some specifics about this watch:
Movement: quartz
Size: 38 mm
Water resistance: 100 meters
Crystal: mineral glass
Strap: Black woven NATO type
Price: £119
Other: rotating bezel, date window with rapid date advance feature, crown guards
One of two stickers on the outer box (white cardboard sleeve), giving the official name of the watch. 18004 was not familiar to me. I looked it up, and found mostly references to this watch. Some sites indicated that "NAVI 18004" or "OG NAVI" was a military watch, made by TIMEX. Here:
Does anyone know this archival watch? I've searched many combinations of NAVI, OG, 18004, TIMEX and everything that comes up just points to this current model. I know of of one quasi-issued and now quite infamous watch from TIMEX and the military, the 1981-1982 US Army MIL-W ..etc... plastic cased watch that never quite made it to prime time, but became the inspiration for the Camper Watch. But I've never heard of this archival watch they reference. If anyone knows this, and has pictures of it, I'd be grateful if you could please contact me with whatever you know about it.
Detail of the case, bezel, crown and guards. The case is described as being "tarnished," and you can see there is a kind of distressed treatment to it which I think is a better descriptor. Tarnish, as far I know is a chemical process, a kind of oxidation and having to do with oxygen, water, the environment basically. But this looks like physical distressing. Minor point, but that's what I'm here for. The treatment is slightly lighter than that done on a 2008 TIMEX from J Crew, if you know what one. Here is a pic of the distressing on that Crew/TIMEX.
Crown guards were not part of the original Rolex Submariner, but came a few years later. The rotating bezel you can see is knurled or maybe scalloped at the edges. It turns with some effort, which is what you want; avoid the accidental resetting of the bezel's timing by bumping up against something.
Some dial features: CRAFT WITH PRIDE is NEIGHBORHOOD's motto. WR 100M gives its water resistance depth. I am not sure what the Circle R means. Can anyone tell me? It does remind me a bit of the Circle T on the dial of some of the old watches with tritium luminescent material. (BTW, hands and dial on this watch do not glow. No luminescent material.)
Red arrow marker on the bezel allows you to set the bezel for timing remaining dive time, or other timing needs. Notice the hour marks are a kind of "eggshell" color over a white background, with some of the white showing as a thin rim.
The crystal is nice. It is mineral glass, beveled at the edge, and is described as being domed. However it is not at all domed. The surface is totally flat. The bevel is really nice, as shown in this pic, but that does not make this a domed crystal. Here is a pic of a domed crystal on a Submariner ref. 5513. Here is another pic of a replacement Sub crystal on its own. Domed or not, it seems like a high quality crystal, and in fact the lack of a dome makes for zero distortion when trying to read the dial.
Dark grey box, triple signed on top cover, and all over the inside.
Watch comes in the box strapped around a black pillow.
Black woven "NATO" type strap, with an attached patch that is triple signed. I had never heard of KALEIDOSCOPE NATO MOD but I assume it refers to the type of strap. I looked that up too, and found exclusively Japanese websites referring to TIMEX watches. If you are interested, here is someone reviewing a Timex Kaleidoscope watch. Below is from the Japanese site RAKUTEN:
Typical metal hardware on the strap. The finish is kind of a matte appearance.
A nice look at many of the details of this watch. You can see the beveled edge of the crystal nicely. Crystal otherwise is totally flat. The scalloped edge of the bezel. The distressing treatment is pretty subtle and I would still consider the steel case to be "shiny" more than dull.
This is a pretty nice TIMEX. Solid, rugged, 100 meter waterproof and with timing bezel for diving and other purposes. It derives from a long aesthetic and functional history of the bezel-dive-watch, originated or at least popularized by Rolex. Take a look at the first Rolex Submariner, 1953, here:
So many (most!) of the elements of this 1953 Rolex are still present in this as well as countless other watches over the decades. Black dial, non-number hour markers with triangle at 12, and bars at 3, 6 and 9. Outer circle with simple hash marks for the minutes/seconds. Black bezel with a knurled, turning 60 minute timing ring, straight simple hands. This TIMEX has all of that! The persistence of those design elements in a watch 65 years later is a testament to the greatness of the design.
Photo: Antiquorum
Wow, I almost forgot the caseback. I had a hard time getting a photo, so this is from the END. website. Has all the good stuff. Triple signed, model number, water resistance, all steel, TIMEX website, and 56 which means it was made in August 2018 (my watch has the same.)
All in all it's a nice watch. Does it break any molds? Maybe not, but most watches don't break any molds. They don't have to, be good or even great. Watches are often the sum of a long legacy of design and function, plus the added creative elements of the design team. In this case also END. and NEIGHBORHOOD contributed to this effort.
Thank you reading.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact:
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
Photo: END.
