Timex’s New Diver Is Its Most Impressive Watch Ever. It’s a Sign of Things to Come

Throughout the course of its 170-year history, American watchmaker Timex has largely been known as a producer of absurdly affordable watches. Even today, a large swath of Timex’s catalog — well over 100 references — consists of watches costing less than $100, a boast few other major brands can make.

But over the past couple of years, under the direction of the brand’s Milan-based chief creative director Giorgio Galli, Timex has broadened its aspirations.

Through a trilogy of eponymous watches beginning in 2022 and concluding earlier this year, Galli has introduced high-end materials and finishing, innovative designs, and Swiss-made automatic movements and construction to the bargain brand, taking Timex to places no one could have predicted just a few years ago — such as releasing a nearly $2,000 Swiss-made titanium watch earlier this year.

Now, Timex is taking its luxury aspirations even further by launching a new sub-brand called Timex Atelier. Its first product, the Marine M1a dive watch, might just be the most desirable watch Timex has ever made, and possibly its best.

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Timex’s luxury dive watch

The Marine M1a is, by any definition, a luxury dive watch. It’s packed with features and details we associate with the genre, like Swiss-made construction, yet also boasts a number of unique and exclusive touches that should make it interesting to even the most seasoned collectors.

“The dive watch, with its universal appeal and strong symbolism, offered the perfect canvas to express this balance: Refined design, Swiss Made quality and technical reliability, while keeping the price point accessible,” Giorgio Galli tells Gear Patrol. “It was the ideal way to communicate what Timex Atelier stands for: Luxury that is authentic, discreet and attainable.”

Timex

First things first, the 200m-water-resistant Marine M1a is devastatingly handsome. It features a real black enamel dial created using a high-heat firing process and adorned with diamond-cut, Super-LumiNova-filled indices with silver surrounds.

The handset is unique, with softened, faceted Dauphine-style hands tracking the hours and minutes. All hands feature Super-LumiNova, with the lollipop seconds hand double-dipping with lume at the tip and on the counterweight.

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The inky black dial is surrounded by a circular-brushed stainless steel ring between the indices and the black minute track, adding a nice bit of contrast that, at least at a quick glance, reminds me of some Paul Newman Daytona references. Moving outward, we get a black, polished, rounded ceramic bezel with every mark filled with more Super-LumiNova.

Moving on to the case, things get even more interesting. The 41mm stainless steel case has a skeletonized outer portion surrounding a black IP-coated inner case. Even the crown guards feature a skeletonized design.

It’s a highly original and unusual design, especially for a dive watch, and looks decidedly high-end, reminding me of a $50,000 MING chronograph I reviewed last year.

“The choice of a skeletonized midcase is very much part of our product philosophy and of Timex Atelier’s mission to offer features that are not common in this category,” Galli says. “We wanted to bring something unexpected, a design detail that immediately communicates refinement and distinctiveness without compromising the integrity of a dive watch.”

Timex

Galli also notes how the previous Giorgio Galli series featured a similar skeletonized case design as a trademark, and incorporating the feature into Timex Atelier felt like a natural way to make the leap from that pioneering series to the new brand.

“While it may not be typical for a diver, for us it is a statement; a continuation of our design journey,” Galli says. “A bridge between Giorgio Galli S2 and Timex Atelier.”

The watch has a double-domed sapphire crystal with three layers of anti-reflective coating, while a separate crystal showcases the movement on the caseback. The movement in question is a Swiss-made Catena Cal. SA100 automatic.

Timex

I’m not familiar with this calibre, or even with Catena as a manufacture, but the movement certainly looks nice. It’s decorated with perlage, Geneva striping and blued screws and features a Timex Atelier-signed rotor. It beats at 4Hz and has an ok power reserve of 36 hours.

The Marine M1a is available on your choice of an integrated rubber strap or a matching stainless steel bracelet. Both are nice, with the strap featuring a custom-designed deployant clasp and a clean, loopless design. But I think the bracelet is the only real choice here.

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Similar to the one we previously saw on the Giorgio Galli S2Ti, the bracelet features skeletonized links to match the case and is fitted with a custom-designed butterfly clasp. More impressive are the links themselves, as they boast Timex’s proprietary adjustment system that requires no tools for removing them. I know of no other brand with a system like this, and features like this make Timex Atelier’s first watch feel like a true luxury piece.

“For us, luxury lies in the details you discover over time — the subtle finishing of a case, the clarity of a dial, the comfort of a bracelet. It is about creating objects that feel personal, meant to be lived with, and that reflect a quiet confidence rather than a need to be seen,” Galli says.

“In short, ‘Luxury, the Timex way’ is subtle sophistication that resonates with those who appreciate design and quality without the need for extravagance.”

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Looking ahead

The Marine M1a is a seriously impressive dive watch, especially for the price. At $950 on the strap or $1,050 on the bracelet, it’s by far the most expensive dive watch Timex has ever made. But it’s also the nicest by an even wider margin.

As impressive as it is, however, the first Timex Atelier watch doesn’t represent the endgame for Timex’s luxury venture. Rather, it marks an exciting new beginning for the brand, with more watches already in the works.

“We have already developed a full series of products that will be introduced in different phases, and we chose to start with a dive watch for a very deliberate reason. We wanted our first launch to be a watch that remains in a contained price segment, yet carries all the hallmarks of a true luxury timepiece,” Galli tells Gear Patrol.

“From here, we will progressively expand into more complex pieces, introducing complications and higher-end movements, but always remaining faithful to the same philosophy of delivering genuine quality and luxury, crafted with care, at a price that reflects the democratic spirit of Timex,” he says.

Timex

If everything goes according to plan and Timex Atelier is successful in selling these higher-priced, more complicated watches, then the brand could one day even function as its own standalone brand à la Grand Seiko.

“Timex Atelier is not yet a fully separate brand in the way Grand Seiko has evolved from Seiko — but it could become one,” Galli says. “We are working on it with the same commitment as if it already were a brand standing on its own. We strongly believe in this project because it represents the culmination of decades of work at Timex, where we have consistently tried to bring light and prestige to a great story and a unique heritage.

“So while today Timex Atelier remains connected to the Timex name, our vision is long-term. To nurture it as a universe in itself, a testament to Timex’s ability to reinvent and honor its legacy while opening a new chapter.”

Timex

Timex Atelier Marine M1a

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Catena Cal. SA100 automatic
Water Resistance	200m

• Starts at $950

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