Timex Originals, "Circa 2010."
Recreation of a large, colorful 1970s Marlin.
Hi, this is Alan. Contact information is below. Thanks for looking. Here is a watch from around 2010, though I didn't obtain it until summer 2018. It is from a series called "Timex Originals," where Timex brought back a few mechanical models from I think mostly the Seventies, as quartz watches made from steel cases, and other modern features. It is model number T2N392. I have the original 1973 watch that this is modeled after (see below.)
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The dial has a lot going on.
The center is very dark grey, not quite black, with TIMEX and WATER RESISTANT. A very thin white circle is present at the edge of the grey. Date window at three, having a white border. Next, is a white ring with time markings, with another thin grey circle at its periphery. Spanning all of this are colored hour markers, having a kind of yellow cream color, a orange-y red bit, and (very hard to see) a black area that is barely visible against the dark grey. Finally, at the very edge of the dial, another ring with time markings, and numbers for every 5 minutes / seconds.
The hands have luminous material in the center, and the seconds hand has what I've seen described as "canoe paddle," shape.
I was surprised to find out that this watch is equipped with Indiglo capability. I never would have known to try it (by pushing the crown in,) unless the seller told me it was Indiglo. Looks quite nice actually, with a lot of dial detail seen.
The watch comes in a much better than average case, covered in red cloth, cream colored insides, a u-shaped holder for the watch, and springy closing mechanism. It seems that Timex really wanted the Originals series to be a special series.
Sales tag.
Here is my watch, the ORIGINAL 1973 mechanical version, in good condition, running very well. You can see the 2010 version is really a very good recreation of the appearance of the dial and hands; notice thought that the original has a more clearly "medium grey" dial, not as dark grey tending toward black, as the 2010 remake. Notice that the black rectangular parts of the hour markings stand out really well in the original, but are barely visible on the remake. They are definitely there, though, and when you look at the Indiglo picture, they are seen as areas blocking the light. I'm not sure why they didn't make the dial closer to the original. One other difference is that the original has TIMEX painted on, but the remake has an applied metal "TIMEX." The hands have minor differences in shape and proportion, but are in general faithfully reproduced.
Above is from a 1974 catalog, where it was listed as retailing for $15.95. Notice it has a grey plastic ring (missing in mine) with hours 1-12. These were all made from plastic, and could be easily removed. It has a black plastic "skin diver" type of strap.
Caseback marking UV indicate that this was manufactured in December 2010. The model number is listed below TIMEX. I'm not sure what the 905 refers to. The case is steel, where the 1970s original was chrome plated. Finally, let me mention CIRCA 2010.
Here is part of the box with TIMEX in gold lettering. You can see the box is covered in brilliant red woven fabric material.
Notice that when you look at it from the side, you can see that the outer white ring with numbers isn't actually part of the dial, but is connected to the inside of the case, maybe a millimeter in front of the plane of the dial. But effectively, it's part of the "dial appearance," and gives the whole thing some depth and gravitas. Notice here also how the TIMEX is a raised metal application, where WATER RESISTANT is painted on. I kind of wish TIMEX was also the same white painted appearance.
Here is a portion of a folding card that came with the watch. TIMEX ORIGINALS EST 1854, referring to the origins of the company that is now TIMEX. The logo / design is made in a kind of "vintage" way, and the TIMEX logo reminds me a bit of the LEVI'S logo, how the promoted their version of "originals." Here are a few examples of the LEVI'S vintage logo.
The case of the CIRCA 2010 version, like the original 1973 mechanical version, is large and thick. The case is very nice, steel. Crystal is raised up at the edge of the case (you can see a sort of bevel edge around 5-6 o'clock in this picture) but is otherwise flat across. I am not sure if it is acrylic or some kind of synthetic sapphire material.
The CIRCA 2010 (in my case I know it is exactly December 2010) "Timex Originals" Marlin is pretty nice. Modern materials, good steel case, great attention to the details of the original Seventies watch, and for the most part replication of the original appearance. The Indigo night-light was a surprise, and is kind of fun. Overall, solid rating for this TIMEX re-issue. Thanks for reading.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
