We’re living in a golden age of affordable watches, and few, if any, brands embody the spirit of the times with the same day-in, day-out consistency of Timex. In addition to a stacked roster of low-key bestsellers like the Easy Reader and Ironman, the brand has been absolutely crushing it on everything from vintage reboots (Marlin, Timex Q); on-point collabs (Todd Snyder, Noah); high-end modern riffs (Giorgio Galli S2), and a whole bunch of irresistibly cop-able Snoopy dials.
But just when you thought that Timex’s tank of creative juice must surely be hitting the red zone, the American brand quietly drops a comprehensive update to an under-the-radar collection that will tempt—nay impel—you to smash that Quick Buy button again.
We’re speaking, of course, of the MK1, Timex’s vintage-inspired field watch collection. Because as of this week, the MK1 is available in no less than five funky new flavors, from a pair of cheap-and-extremely-cheerful sub-$100 models in yellow and orange resin to a more serious (but still extremely affordable) stainless steel manual-wind version.
At a glance, these tickers’ clean lines, vintage-inspired numerals, and Cordura nylon straps will immediately establish them as the perfect complement to pretty much anything in your casual wardrobe (as will the option of a universally flattering 36mm case size). Like so many of Timex’s recent bangers, however, the MK1 has a backstory to match its looks.
In the early 1980s, or so the story goes, Timex created a watch for the US Marine Corps. It had the same basic form of pretty much every modern field watch since WWII—black face, white sans-serif numerals, 24-hour scale, and a simple, hand-wound movement—but this one had a key difference. Instead of a stainless steel case, the MK1 used one made from hard plastic, a feature that made the watches cheaper to produce but still durable enough for the field. The result, according to the sleuths at Hodinkee, was the MIL-W-46374B, a now-collectible piece once sold at military PXs around the world.
Timex would switch from mechanical movements to cheaper (and more reliable) battery-powered ones soon after, making the MIL-W-46374B one of the last hand-wound Timex models of the 20th century. That makes the modern MK1 the heir to an interesting slice of Timex history, and the latest in a long string of recent hits that reinforces the brand’s reputation as the best place to get a nice watch without spending a fortune.
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