Timex’s Beloved Q Lineup Gets a Pair of Slick, Affordable ’70s-Inspired Retro Chronographs

The brand further capitalizes on its budget-friendly reinterpretation of a legendary high-end Zenith.

Close-up of a silver metal wristwatch with a blue bezel and white dial showing chronograph subdials and a date window.Timex

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Perhaps this year, more than ever before, Timex has proved its prowess at offering stunning, affordable reinterpretations of classic watches. And it seems like each release is better than those that came before it.

Take the brand’s Waterbury Chronograph, for instance, from the beginning of the year. This Zenith El Primero budget redux was pretty spectacular. However, a pair of new chronos from the brand’s Q divisionthe Q Timex Chronographs — take it to the next level with even more refinement.

Two Timex chronograph watches side by side, one with a silver metal bracelet and white dial, the other with a blue leather strap and blue dial.
While functionally the same, the watch comes in two colorways, each with its own unique strap.
Timex

Jump the Q

Like the Waterbury before them, these Q Timex watches owe much of their styling to the Zenith El Primero, one of the most legendary chronographs ever envisioned. And they do have some of the same referential details as their non-Q sibling, such as the date window between the four and five o’clock positions.

Most notably, these chronos have similar tri-colored subdials. However, while they share similar markings and placement, their color scheme is a bit different.

Timex Q chronograph watch with blue dial and tachymeter bezel on a car steering wheel.
The styling of these Q Timex Chronographs is much more refined than their Waterbury sibling.
Timex

These ones are more minimalist, lacking the two-toned, textured styling of the Waterbury. They’re also rendered in gray, blue and black (left to right,) as opposed to gray, dark gray and blue.

However, that’s far from the only stylistic departure. These Q watches also have more simplified indices and markings, two-tone hour and minute hands, and they’re free of red highlights (as on the indices and seconds hand.)

Silver Timex chronograph watch with blue and black subdials and tachymeter bezel on a metal bracelet.
You don’t have to drive a classic car to enjoy these watches, but it doesn’t hurt, either.
Timex

Daily driver

While these watches draw clear comparisons to the Zenith El Primero, that’s hardly their only inspiration. In the brand’s own words, these watches hearken to “the original motoring watches that graced the tracks of Europe’s most iconic races.”

That starts with the “ultra-precise” quartz analog chronograph movement at its core (and its accompanying complications.) However, it also extends to the tachymeter bezel — a classic, iconic element of racing chronos across the ages.

Silver Timex wristwatch with blue tachymeter bezel and three subdials worn on a wrist.
At 40 millimeters, both of these watches are highly wearable.
Timex

Functionally, the watches are exactly the same. However, they do have some stylistic differences. For instance, one has a white dial, whereas the other is blue.

But the biggest difference is found in their straps. One of them (the blue dial) has an integrated leather strap, while the other (the white dial) has a stainless steel link band. That also translates to a slight price difference: $219 for the former and $249 for the latter. Still, they’re both highly affordable and stunningly rendered.

Man wearing a silver chronograph watch with a blue dial sitting in a car with beige leather seats.
The original motoring timepieces directly inspired these watches, and they continue that legacy.
Timex

Pricing and availability

Both of these new Q Timex Chronographs are coming soon, and you can sign up now to be the first to be notified when they drop. Upon their release, they’ll be priced at $219 (for the leather strap option) and $249 (for the stainless steel one.)

Blue Timex Q chronograph watch with stainless steel case and navy leather strap.Timex

Q Timex Chronograph (Leather)

Specs

Case Size 40mm
Movement Quartz
Water Resistance 50m
Silver stainless steel Timex chronograph watch with white dial and blue, black, and gray subdials.Timex

Q Timex Chronograph (Stainless Steel)

Specs

Case Size 40mm
Movement Quartz
Water Resistance 50m

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