Timex’s Fun ‘80s Digital Watch Is Now Half Off

Timex continues to be one of our favorite watchmakers simply for how much range its catalog has, in terms of both style and price. 

From its mid-century-inspired automatic Atelier Chronograph ($2,000) to the military-style MK1 field watch ($300), and even its phenomenal Deepwater Reef Titanium diver right in the middle (~$600), the iconic brand has no shortage of offerings. 

However, in recent years, Timex has done an amazing job of mining its archival catalog to bring us budget-friendly retro timepieces under its Q Timex label as well. And every now and again, those watches get even more affordable. 

Timex

Right now, one of the most distinctive watches in the brand’s archive gets its price slashed in half: The Q Timex LCA from the ‘80s is currently just $60, down from $119.

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It’s like analog, but digital

There are analog-digital watches and then there’s the LCA (Liquid Crystal Analog). While the former features both analog and digital displays occupying the same dial, the latter simply mimics an analog display on a digital dial. 

Timex

This style was born around the early ‘80s with brands like Casio and Seiko heavily experimenting with digital interfaces. Most of us know the Casio AE-20 and AE-200 (aka the Twin Graph) at first glance, while the Seiko G757 is a bit more obscure, yet popped up on Roger Moore’s wrist as 007 in Octopussy.

While automatic (and, thus, analog) watch brands were falling by the wayside during the peak of the Quartz Crisis, LCA models could be seen as an unintentional victory lap. Rather than simply replacing traditional hands with quartz movements, they dispensed with physical hands altogether, rendering them as pixels on an LCD.

Timex

Then, in 1987, Timex debuted its titular LCA model. It didn’t reinvent the wheel but it certainly gave customers a cleaner, decidedly more minimalist version of what was already on the market from the competition. The digital time was at the bottom of the dial.

Along with telling the time two different ways, the LCA also had chronograph, stopwatch and alarm features.

Timex

Timex remembers a classic

Since majorly reviving the Q Timex range in 2019, the company has apparently sought to reissue every single watch it’s ever made. And the LCA is no exception. 

Resurrected in 2020, the Q Timex LCA remains faithful to the ‘87 original but with some modern updates. According to the brand, “the display is clearer and sturdier than before.” Water resistance has also been bumped to 30m thanks to a revised case structure.

Timex

Nevertheless, the quartz watch’s dimensions are “approximately the same,” as are the push buttons and pre-Indiglo lighting system.

The initial LCA reissue introduced stainless steel models, but those have since been discontinued. The variant available right now is the transparent resin colorway in dark gray. The glossy gray strap is also made of transparent resin.

Availability and pricing

Priced at $60 (down from $119), the Q Timex LCA Reissue is currently on sale via Timex’s website. Amazon also has the watch listed as low as $42 right now.

There’s a good chance these models are being liquidated, so if you’ve been thinking of getting one, you might want to act fast.

Timex

Q Timex LCA Reissue Resin

• $60 at Timex
  $119 (50% off)
• $42 at Amazon
  $119 (65% off)

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