This Is Timex’s Best Chronograph Watch Ever. It’s Not Close

Timex has been on quite a heater over the past few years, and the brand shocked the world with the ultimate heat check last year when it launched its own luxury sub-brand, Timex Atelier.

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Although there was certainly a lot of sticker shock upon seeing Swiss-made mechanical Timex watches with price tags in the four-figure range, the experiment has undoubtedly been a hit. The first two Atelier models, a diver and a GMT, both sold out their initial runs in a hurry.

Now, Timex Atelier has launched a third model, a chronograph, and it’s the most ambitious and expensive yet. It also happens to easily be the best chronograph watch ever produced by Timex.

Timex

Evil Timex

The Timex Atelier Chronograph Automatic M1a Ti sports a classic “Evil Panda” chronograph layout, with a matte black dial contrasting against a pair of matte white-silver subdials. The 3:00 counter registers 30 minutes of chronograph time, while the 9:00 subdial tracks the running seconds of the main timekeeping.

The hands are a faceted dauphine style made of polished metal, making them somewhat unusual for a sports chronograph such as this, given their dressiness. The seconds hand is a needle with a sandblasted counterweight that echoes the skeletonized design elements found throughout the case and bracelet.

Speaking of the case and bracelet, both are made of titanium and feature a semi-skeletonized design. We’ve seen this same basic design on both of the previous Atelier models in stainless steel, and it’s proven to be quite versatile when it comes to sports watch styling.

Timex

The sides of the bracelet links are partially hollowed out and sandblasted, while the mid case is also hollowed out to reveal a black IP-coated stainless steel inner core. There’s an external tachymeter bezel in titanium that also features black IP coating.

Returning to the dial, the hour markers are pretty unusual here. Both the Atelier Diver and GMT feature a metal ring around the dial, with traditional applied indices set within it. The chronograph also features the ring, but it omits traditional indices in favor of cutouts in the ring itself. It’s a more minimalist look, and definitely less legible than it would be with traditional hour markers.

An oversized sapphire dome sits atop the dial, bringing some retro vibes to what is mostly a very contemporary design, while a separate flat sapphire crystal sits in the center of the screw-in caseback. This crystal offers a view of the movement, and once again, Timex Atelier has chosen an uncommon Swiss movement to power this watch.

Timex

The movement is the Landeron Calibre L72, an automatic running at 4Hz with a 43-hour power reserve. It’s finished rather nicely, with perlage, plenty of blued screws and a Geneva-striped rotor. However, it’s a thick boi, and it brings the total height of the watch’s 42mm case to a chunky 15.75mm. Then again, pretty much any automatic chronograph in this price range is going to be beefy.

The crown is big and bold with wide knurling, and it’s flanked by a pair of rectangular skeletonized pushers. Both the crown and pushers are set within the steel inner case, adding more visual interest to the skeletonized design.

Timex

The bracelet is packed with features seen on other Atelier models. These include quick-release spring bars, a very compact butterfly clasp that sits flat against the wrist and, most notably, a proprietary link-removal system that allows you to size the bracelet without the use of any tools.

This is a rare feature pioneered by Timex that seems to be catching on, with independent brands Ming and Christopher Ward each launching their own similar systems within the past six months.

In addition to the bracelet, you can also get the Chronograph Automatic M1a Ti on a black rubber strap. It’s integrated into the case and has quick-release spring bars, along with a titanium deployant clasp and a keeperless design.

Availability and pricing

Now, to the elephant in the room: the price. Timex Atelier’s first chronograph clocks in at over $2,000, the first in the line to do so. It goes for $2,100 on the rubber strap and $2,250 on the titanium bracelet.

Those numbers are getting up there, but even if this watch didn’t say “Timex” on the dial as a sort of mental barrier to the price, it would still face some stiff competition from brands that have been making entry-level luxury chronographs a lot longer, including big brands like Hamilton and Tissot, and smaller independents such as Nivada and Farer.

Timex

I think Timex is aware that this higher price point could prove challenging, and the brand seems to be hedging its bets a bit by also offering a cheaper quartz version of the chronograph.

The Timex Atelier Chronograph Quartz M1q is smaller than the automatic version, with its case measuring 40mm x 12.7mm. It’s also made of stainless steel rather than titanium, has less-refined finishing and differs stylistically with a guilloché-patterned dial. What’s more, it doubles the water resistance to 100m and adds a date complication at 6:00.

Most importantly, the quartz version of the Atelier Chrono is a whole lot cheaper, with the rubber strap version retailing for $700 and the bracelet style going for $800. So if you’re looking to dip your toe in Timex Atelier before dropping two grand, quartz may be the way to go.

Timex

Timex Atelier Chronograph Automatic M1a Ti

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Landeron Cal. L72 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

• $2,250 at Timex

Timex

Timex Atelier Chronograph Quartz M1q

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Ronda Cal. 5021.D quartz chronograph
Water Resistance	100

• $800 at Timex

Read More

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

  Timex’s New Travel Watch Is the Best It’s Ever Made
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  Is This Secret-Menu Timex the Snoopy Chronograph to Beat All Snoopy Chronographs?

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