Introducing: The Very First And Very Fun Q Timex GMT (2024)

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Timex has just announced the very first GMT variant of its flagship, quartz-powered Q Timex. Inspired by the original Q Timex watches released in the late 1970s and '80s, the contemporary Q Timex collection gained a cult online following after it was revived in early 2019. The rampant enthusiasm that surrounded that release three years ago has been cited as a predecessor to the recent MoonSwatch mania that gripped the watch collecting world in late March.

So, the big question I have with today's announcement is:Will the new Q Timex GMT garner the same sort of hype?

I don't see why it wouldn't, especially if you're looking at it on a purely aesthetic basis. The new Q Timex GMT has the same barrel-shaped case with a concave sloping caseband, except its now slightly thicker, measuring 38mm × 12.5mm compared to the 38mm × 11.5mm dimensions of the three-handed Q Timex. The bidirectional rotating two-tone aluminum bezel insert is still here, but the 12-hour format has been swapped for a 24-hour design. The famous hair-pulling woven steel bracelet also disappears on the Q Timex GMT in favor of a three-link design that almost resembles a "Jubilee"-style bracelet. Other recognizable Q Timex design elements like the domed acrylic crystal and functional battery hatch on the caseback remain.

We now have a matte black dial that's updated with applied circular hour markers and slightly simplified with a singular square date aperture instead of the combination day/date of the standard Q Timex. Of course, being a GMT, there's a fourth hand with a triangular, lume-filled tip that can be used to display a second time zone. Speaking of the GMT functionality, one big update on the Q Timex GMT is that Timex was able to source a Swiss quartz movement instead of returning to the original Seiko base caliber used on the original Q. I've followed up with Timex to confirm what exact movement they're using, but a reasonable enough guess would be something like the Ronda 515H.(*Update 5/2/22: Timex has just confirmed that it is a Swiss-made Ronda 505.24, like I had assumed. That means it incorporates an independently adjustable 24-hour hand for the second time-zone functionality, not a local jumping hour hand.)

The best bit of news here for many, I think, will be the price. Timex is offering the Q Timex GMT for just $199 on a synthetic rubber strap, or $219 on a steel bracelet. You can choose from three options at launch: a red-and-blue "Pepsi" bezel, on bracelet, a black-and-blue "Batman" bezel, on bracelet; or a blacked-out alternative on a rubber strap. I should note that the $219 figure makes today's announcement only a $40 increase, on bracelet, from the three-handed Q Timex.

If that's not a value proposition, I don't know what is.

On January 13, 1985, The New York Times published a reader's letter in response to a prior editorial written about the watch industry. In it, a Caldwell, New Jersey resident named Daniel Wardin laments the choice of a recent gift he had received.

For Christmas, I received a beautiful gold quartz watch. Lest I sound ungrateful, let me say that it is very handsome for a contemporary watch. It has a flat, shiny crystal so highly polished and well cut that by reflecting the sun's rays upon it you can beam prismatic light shows on the ceiling or, if so inclined, start major forest fires. Sleek is probably the best word for it. Aside from not telling the day and date (a plus in my reactionary opinion), it does not mention its quartzitude on the face.

Not only does Wardin's letter, published over 35 years ago (and subsequently republished in the second edition of David S. Landes' seminal tome Revolution In Time), sound remarkably familiar to the opinions of today's watch enthusiasts (right down to the date window), it also introduced an excellent new word into the watch-enthusiast lexicon: quartzitude.

As equally fun to say as it is informative, I think there are two ways to look at defining quartzitude. Formally, and likely how Wardin intended with his use, it means "the state of being quartz." Informally, I'd like to propose the delightful image of a quartz watch with attitude – perhaps one that's read a few too many Instagram comments about its lack of gears. But, if there is any watch that fits both definitions of quartzitude immaculately, it is the Q Timex.

The history of quartz timekeeping doesn't start with the Q Timex; in fact, the first use of quartz-based timekeeping took place in the late 1920s and early '30s, when refrigerator-sized clocks with quartz crystal-based oscillators were installed in a small number of U.S. laboratories. It wouldn't be for another few decades, in 1969, when the very first quartz wristwatch would be released. That specific watch came from Japan and was built from a chunk of weighty solid gold, with a space-age name to match the groundbreaking timekeeping technology inside; it's been said that it cost as much as a new car upon its debut.

Quartz wasn't an overnight success, it took a number of years to enter the mainstream as the technology was eventually refined and made more accessible. It wasn't until the 1980s that the general populace truly started to embrace quartzitude, and one watch from Timex helped that happen. It was, of course, the Q Timex. When it was first released in 1979, the Q Timex was one of the first truly accessible quartz watches, and it represented a major turning point in how people approached quartz technology.

Timex was already known worldwide for its everyman approach to watchmaking, so the fact that it was embracing quartz in a major way with the headline-worthy Q Timex was significant for many in accepting the new tick-tick-ticking seconds hand. Where previous quartz watches were halo products intent on demonstrating the potential of quartz technology, the Q Timex was produced to reach as many people as possible. Thanks to the Q Timex, accurate and affordable watchmaking had a new champion, one that was brimming with style and – yes– Quartzitude, with a capital Q.

I think the new-for-2022 Q Timex GMT does a great job of maintaining that same through-line of easy wearability, accessibility, and accuracy, but also successfully updates it for a new globetrotting generation.

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The Basics

Brand: Timex
Model: Q Timex GMT
Reference Number: TW2V38000, red and blue bezel; TW2V38100, black and blue bezel; TW2V38200, all black
Diameter: 38mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes, on hands and hour markers
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet or synthetic rubber strap

The Movement

Caliber: Swiss-made quartz movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, date

Pricing & Availability

Price: $199, on strap; $219, on bracelet
Availability: Immediately
Limited Edition: N/A

The HODINKEE Shop is an Authorized Retailer of Timex watches –check out our selection here.For more information about Timex, visit their website.

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