Timex - Miyota movement, August 2010!
"Timex Unisex T Series Classic Automatic model T2N351."
Hi, this is Alan. Thanks again for reading these pages. My contact info is below. Here is a pretty interesting TIMEX from August 2010 (U8 date code on back.) Above pic is not a caseback, but the rotor/weight of the automatic movement. I usually don't lead with a huge, high-res photo of a part of the movement, but to me this watch is all about the movement. I'll be totally honest at the outset of this article: I bought this watch not because of it's dial appearance, but almost "in spite of it." It's not really my cup of tea the appearance, but a TIMEX with this movement is pretty interesting.
TIMEX stopped making mechanical watches in 1996. In fact, they made a highly intentional, almost "ceremonial," limited-edition watch called "The Last Mechanical," in June 1996, of which only 700 were made. They have since made occasional watches with mechanical movements, but I believe that in 1996, they probably thought that this really would be the "end of an era," and that this truly would be their last mechanical (it still is the last watch made with a mechanical movement *made by TIMEX* as far as I can tell, more on this later.)
Have a look at the 21 jewel Japanese Miyota movement, above. TIMEX obviously contracted with them to not just purchase the movements, but to have TIMEX boldly printed on the rotor. Note the shock-absorbing clip over the balance jewel, and the movement plates decorated by "damaskeening" in believe it is called, those decorative grooves.The lower part of the pic shows the flat edge of the auto rotor and its screw.
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Above and below, pics of the watch from behind, with the central part of the movement visible through the somewhat small display back. The TIMEX stamp is visible but the part where TWENTY-ONE JEWELS MIYOTA CO JAPAN is stamped is fully covered by the caseback and isn't visible. Unless you removed the caseback (or had the ability to recognize movements by sight,) there would be no way to know this was a Miyota movement. (As you can tell from scratches to the metal part of the back, this was a used watch, but I got it for next to nothing.)
Inside of the caseback. CASE CHINA TIMEX SA. Black rubber gasket at the groove along the edge, for water protection.
As mentioned above, TIMEX made their last "windup" watch in 1996, with a special limited edition watch to celebrate/mourn/eulogize/mark/archive (depending on your perspective at the time, I guess) the last windup-watch (and I presume the last mechanical of any kind) they ever planned to make.
But we know they have made occasional mechanical watches since then, mostly automatic, and all with movements purchased/obtained from other manufacturers. If there have been any watches made since "The Last Wind Up," using TIMEX-made movements, I am not aware.
First post-1996 TIMEX mechanical watch I am aware of are these watches from 2005 or 2006, using Chinese-made automatic movements. At least 3 or maybe 4 different models are shown at that site. I vaguely remember these watches coming out, but the look of the watches doesn't appeal to me that much, so although it was interesting to see a TIMEX mechanical watch, I wasn't moved to buy any of the models.
Here is the front of the watch. It's 39 mm across, and appears to be marketed as a unisex model. Dial is kind of pearly white, with in the center a clockwise spiral pattern, and at the periphery straight grooves. Hands are metal with a bevel to the front surface. Applied metal hour markers. There is subsidiary seconds dial at 4-5, with red hand, and grooved surface. And I almost forgot about the diamonds! Synthetic diamonds I'm sure. But around most of the dial, there are tiny round-cut diamonds. One had come loose (the last one, near 4 o'clock as you can see from the empty hole) and was rolling around the dial. I removed it when I opened the watch.
Same, with the assembly removed from the case.
Above is a movement from a DIFFERENT mechanical watch, the TIMEX Marlin reissue, from 2017. When this watch was released, there was quite a lot of fanfare, and also fair a lot of misinformation. The fanfare is justified. It's a great reproduction of a 1965 watch, and at the link you can read all about it, including my high praise for all the details. I won't dwell much on the misinformation, but the most glaring detail was that this Marlin was the "first mechanical TIMEX since 1982." Even ignoring these intervening mechanicals (which duly noted were not made with TIMEX movements, and were automatic, not hand-wound), TIMEX kept making mechanical watches, both hand-wound and auto, side-by side with quartz watches, through the 1980s, and into the 1990s, tapering off favoring quartz as time went on. But by no means was 1982 the "last year a mechanical TIMEX watch was made." I'm not sure how this date entered into the discussion, but once it did, it was picked up and truly spread virally, with nearly every watch/fashion/style review site saying this was the first since 1982.
Anyway, the above movement is inside the Marlin Reissue, is hand-wound, and is a Chinese movement sourced by TIMEX.
See the missing diamond. Also, note the circular grooves for the seconds dial. Seconds hand short end has these tiny perforations. Hands are silver but are reflecting back the black from the back of my phone. I don't find the watch unwearable, and I have worn it a few times. It's really accurate, and the movement seems really good. I just wish I liked the appearance more.
Above is a much more recent watch, the "Marlin® Automatic 40mm," from a series of TIMEX watches that came out in 2018. It also has a Miyota movement, but probably a different movement than my watch from 2010, but I'm not sure. (Actually it will be a different movement, as the Marlin has a date.) Notice the more recent Marlin displays a lot more of the movement; the caseback ring is thinner than the one on my 2010 watch.
One more look at the TIMEX-stamped Miyota movement from this 2010 automatic. I find these "occasional" mechanical TIMEX watches interesting. The late 1990s and 2000s saw a surge in interest in vintage mechanical watches which continues today, as well as greater interest in new-production mechanical watches, from all the various watch manufacturers. TIMEX was probably "gauging interest" with these lines, putting them out to see how people (and sales) responded.
I can't say I know with any certainty, but my "gut feeling" is that both the 2005 auto linked above, and the "T-Series" which my watch is from, were not met with massive, runaway sales and "hype" that the Marlin Reissue 2017 generated. I'm not sure if it was the dial aesthetics, or something else. I'm not sure about the retail price, but I believe it was quite reasonable for an auto. Runaway or hype or not, they were produced, and the fact that for at least five years they were made (even if intermittent during those years) so some one was buying them.
But these are just my speculations, I don't have any info. I do know that this very model I'm reviewing is available on Amazon, more than 9 years after it was made!
I don't much about the T-Series. The above relates, I believe, to the ones from 2005, with the Chinese auto movement. I think this was from a long extinct TIMEX sales page, and it was taken from this site. Was the T-Series in continuous production from 2005 to 2010, or longer. Or did it stop, and then start up again around 2010? We do know that the movement changed from the Chinese movement to the Japanese Miyota movement found on my watch. Also the 2005 ones seemed to all have "power indicators" and date, which mine does not have. I wish I knew more about the history of the T-Series.
U8, August 2010.
If anyone has more information about the T-Series, please let me know.
Thank you fo reading.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact:
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
