Disclaimer: this video/review was not sponsored by Timex or any other entity. This watch was given to me without restriction and is not contingent upon a particular outcome for my review. I don’t think Timex even expects me to review it.
Video
Review
A few months ago, my Instagram page finally crossed 10k followers, and a friend of mine congratulated me on the achievement. I joked that with 10k followers, I should expect to hear from Rolex or Patek Philippe about reviewing some of their watches. Not long after, I received a message from a brand that is arguably more recognizable, more well-loved, and more important to the watch world than either of those. Timex reached out and asked if they could send me one of their recently released Q Timex 1982 Ana-Digi watches. That was it. Nothing requested in return, not even an Instagram post or a review.
Of course, I said yes. I’d be an idiot not to. Timex has been such a key part of my watch journey, and I know many others who feel the same way. Sure, they don’t make the most horologically impressive timepieces, nor do they have the kind of legacy or heirloom status that Rolex and Patek Philippe have, but they’re one of the few brands adored by nearly every watch enthusiast and watch-adjacent person I know. As someone who enjoys bringing new people into the hobby, I’m deeply grateful to brands like Timex, Casio, and Seiko that shaped my early experiences and made watches a meaningful part of my life. I’m sure many of you feel the same, especially if you’re around my age or older.
That nostalgia is likely why Timex’s vintage reissues do so well. They bring back memories of watches we might have owned, seen on others’ wrists, or once desired. I feel that way about the Q Timex 1982 Reissue. It reminds me of watches I saw on the wrists of adults when I was a kid. While I didn’t grow up coveting a bright gold watch, I love the familiarity of the design and the brand. I like to say that while we all dreamed of owning a Rolex or Patek, a Timex was the loyal companion that never left your wrist, even if you wished it would.
This watch retails for $189 USD and comes with a gold-colored mesh-style bracelet. It’s a faithful recreation of the Ana-Digi watches from the 80s and early 90s. You can still find some originals on eBay for reasonable prices, but this reissue makes a strong case for skipping the hassle of vintage repairs and buying new instead.
Let’s check it out!
Case
I measured the case to be 32.15 mm across its width, excluding the pushers and crown; 40.5 mm across the length of the case, and 8.7 mm in overall thickness. The case and bracelet are both made entirely of stainless steel and have a gold-colored plating to deliver full 80s vibes. The case and bracelet together weigh about 88 grams, which gives it a nicely substantial feel on the wrist.
The case design is nearly identical to the original Ana-Digi watches from Timex, with a very rectilinear design style somewhat reminiscent of old television sets from the 70s. The top surfaces have a brushed finish, while the rest is polished. A slightly raised bezel section holds a mineral glass crystal that appears to have very good anti-reflective properties.
A hooded lug design encloses a 16 mm lug width that flares out to about 23 mm and flows nicely into the color- and finish-matched bracelet. There is a 3.5 mm crown at the 3 o’clock position that is slightly recessed into the case. The crown isn’t the easiest to grip or operate, but given that you’re unlikely to use it often, I think that’s entirely fine. There is a pusher button above the crown that lets you switch between digital modes, along with a pair of pushers on the left side to interact with these modes and operate the chronograph.
Flipping the watch over, you’ll find a non-plated stainless steel case back that is fixed to the mid-case with four screws. The watch is rated for up to 30 m of water resistance. Funnily enough, I spent my entire childhood believing that all my watches were waterproof, and that included a bunch of Timex watches that had no business being in the water. But somehow, they survived?
Dial
For the most part, the dial of this watch is a perfect recreation of the original. I say “for the most part” because there are some minor differences. A few versions of the original had all applied indices for the hour markers, and some even had lumed hands and indices.
At the top is a recessed digital display that shows either the time, the date, an alarm function, or a chronograph timer. All are pretty useful features for an everyday watch. You can switch between modes and operate the relevant settings using the two pushers on the left and the mode pusher on the top right.
There is a neatly recessed dial area that is cut out in a shape similar to the case, though in a more symmetric square layout. There is an applied “Q” index at 12 o’clock and bi-color applied rectangular indices at the remaining cardinal positions, with the white sections being lumed. The rest of the hour markers are black painted ticks, with shorter and lighter ticks for the minute increments. Interestingly, only the three hour indices are lumed, delivering absolutely no practical value for low light legibility since the hands are not lumed.
The handset is quite lovely, with the hour and minute hands featuring an almost enamel-like black color, and a short gold seconds hand. This enamel-esque finish is very true to the era, and I’ve even seen this style on a vintage Grand Seiko I owned a few years ago from a similar time period. The hour and minute hands are very legible, but the length of the seconds hand makes it somewhat difficult to read the exact second, and the fact that the hand is quite slim doesn’t help with overall legibility. On the flip side, since the hand doesn’t reach most of the second markers, the fact that the quartz ticks don’t align perfectly with the markings isn’t glaringly obvious.
I like the overall dial style, color, and layout. I appreciate that Timex has mostly kept this watch true to its original design and executed it in a manner appropriate to that era. Personally, I would have liked to see some type of illumination or lumed dial elements, but that’s my only real critique here.
Movement
To be completely honest, I know absolutely nothing about the movement in this watch, and even after attempting to dig into it for a while, I couldn’t find much information about it apart from what it can do. Timex has been known to use movements from Seiko, Miyota, Ronda, and others, so I’d imagine the analog/digital quartz movement powering this watch is from one of those popular movement makers.
From a feature perspective, the digital section of this watch can be used to tell the time and date, set an alarm, and operate a chronograph function with 1/100th of a second resolution for up to 60 minutes. The analog part of the watch is used solely to tell the time, with a ticking seconds hand.
If there were one feature I would have liked to see, it would be some form of backlight or illumination for both the digital and analog displays. Lumed hands may have been a stretch, but some kind of Indiglo feature could have done the trick.
On The Wrist
You might think the 32.15 mm case width would wear small, but rectangular measurements don’t always intuitively translate to circular case dimensions. The case measures about 41.35 mm diagonally and has a 40.5 mm case length, making it wear more like a traditional 37 mm or 38 mm watch. The overall 8.7 mm thickness sits comfortably on my 6.75″ wrist, and I have no complaints about the proportions.
The watch features a true-to-era vintage-style bracelet with a 16 mm lug width that tapers out to about 23 mm beyond its hooded lug design, which is also very characteristic of this era of watch design. These bracelets are typically notorious for pinching hair, but this one isn’t as bad as some of the watches I’ve owned in the past. I did experience a few hair pinches, though those might have been isolated incidents of bad luck.
Wrapping Up
The reality of this hobby is that I’m sure a lot of people will take issue with the fact that this watch costs $189 USD and doesn’t feature a sapphire crystal. Others might suggest mechanical automatic watch alternatives from their favorite Chinese homage brands, and some might dismiss this watch altogether simply because it is a relatively inexpensive Timex. But I think all of those perspectives fail to appreciate what this watch and this brand represent.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of everything Timex has been doing over the last five years. I think their design leadership under Giorgio Galli has been nothing short of exemplary. They’ve released some incredible pieces recently and have managed to capture the attention of many seasoned watch collectors as well. This particular watch is just one of many excellent reissues from the brand, and I’m glad to see them continuing to create these nostalgic pieces. The last one I purchased was the Timex Ironman x Huckberry collaboration, which revived a watch I wore for years as a child.
You can probably find a much more objectively superior watch at this price point if you’re chasing value in some corner of AliExpress, but I can assure you that kind of value compares poorly to the ability to relive a nostalgic feeling for a very accessible price.
