Timex’s Affordable Chronograph Dupes One of Rolex’s Most Coveted Watches

It’s only $84,251 cheaper!

Close-up of a stainless steel chronograph watch with a light blue dial and black subdials on a light blue background.Timex

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Timex is flush with affordable chronographs, covering a range of genres and mimicking classic watches from TAG Heuer, Zenith and Porsche Design.

One of the American watch brand’s most popular chronographs, unsurprisingly, resembles the stopwatch complication’s ultimate grail: the Rolex Daytona.

Timex Waterbury chronograph watch with light blue dial and stainless steel bracelet on a wooden game board.
The Waterbury Heritage Chronograph is now available with an ice blue dial.
Timex

The Waterbury Heritage Chronograph has garnered comparisons to Paul Newman’s favorite watch since the day it was released in March 2025. But the true appeal of the watch, to me at least, is that it separates itself just enough to avoid being a complete dupe.

Timex’s chronograph has two subdials to the Daytona’s three, uses chamfered indices rather than pointed and the seconds hand has a much more prominent, lume-filled spear tip. At the same time, faux screw-down pushers, a fixed tachymeter bezel and baton hour and minute hands achieve the desired effect.

Timex Waterbury chronograph watch with light blue dial, black subdials, and brown leather strap on a wrist.
The Waterbury Heritage Chronograph is a bicompax, featuring a 60-minute counter and 24-hour time.
Timex

The Waterbury Heritage Chronograph matches the vibe of a Daytona as closely as a $349 watch can without trying too hard. But a new iteration borrows a key feature directly from one of the Crown’s most expensive and coveted Daytona references.

Timex added this vintage-inspired racing chronograph to its new Ice Blue dial collection, creating a not-so-subtle resemblance to the platinum Cosmograph Daytona reference 126506.

Frozen in time

Rolex’s platinum Daytona retails for $84,600 before taxes and tariffs, if you’re fortunate enough to get one from an authorized dealer. Aside from the radiant precious metal used for the case and Oyster bracelet, it is distinguished by an ice blue sunburst dial with matching subdials.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watch with a light blue dial, brown ceramic bezel, and stainless steel bracelet.
The platinum Daytona features an ice blue sunburst dial.
Timex

It is accented by 18-karat white gold applique hour markers and framed by a chocolate-brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel with an etched tachymeter track, revealing a layer of platinum beneath.

The new Ice Blue Waterbury Heritage Chronograph does a commendable job replicating the sunburst dial, given the extreme price disparity. It adds chromatic depth to the design without being flashy, and it’s certainly the most attractive version released so far.

Aside from the new dial color, it is the same watch, featuring the same unorthodox bicompax chronograph setup. There is a 60-minute totalizer at 9:00, a superfluous synchronized 24-hour time at 3:00 and no running seconds.

Close-up of a Timex Waterbury chronograph watch with a light blue dial, black subdials, and stainless steel case and bracelet.
The hour hand, minute hand and chronograph seconds hand contain the only lume on the dial.
Timex

The only lume present on the dial is on the hour, minute and chronograph seconds hands, so it requires some guesswork to read in the dark. Another gripe I have is with the faux screw-down pushers, which create the impression of strong water resistance, blatantly dispelled by the “50m = 165ft” water resistance marker printed on the dial.

Availability and price

All of those quirks have led to divisive reviews of this ultra-affordable chronograph, but the beauty of the new Ice Blue dial is indisputable, and at this price, that’s what you’re paying for above all else.

Timex Waterbury chronograph watch with light blue dial, black tachymeter bezel, and perforated brown leather strap on an open book.
The Ice Blue dial will also be available with a brown leather strap.
Timex

The Ice Blue Waterbury Heritage Chronograph is available now for $349 on a quick-release steel H-link bracelet with a butterfly clasp. An additional version on a brown perforated leather racing strap with a pin buckle should be available soon for $299.

Silver stainless steel Timex Waterbury chronograph watch with light blue dial and black tachymeter bezel.Timex

Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph Ice Blue

Specs

Case Size 39mm
Movement Quartz
Water Resistance 50m

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