Timex Deepwater Reef 200

Timex enters the Diver fray, as only Timex can

A more mainstream diver? (weak lume on hands?) image Timex

I’m jumping right on this. Normally I write about watches I have discovered years after they were released. For this new Timex release I just stumbled onto this morning, I had to get out a lot of built-up contemplation. I never really wanted to write watch reviews for new releases as there are so many sites that can do it better. I tend to look at watches more from an aesthetic or visual design perspective than a technical specification perspective. Also, I feel a need to put watches into some place on the watch spectrum so I can figure out why they appeal to me. I have some things to say about Timex and diver-style watches.

I have posted on this subject before and I have been planning for a long time to write more about older Timex watches with diver flavor. I usually own at least one example of watches I write about. I don’t have one of these yet. In fact, I have been collecting watches and researching for quite a while on this specific category. My head is full of tidbits I have been wanting to put down. This post will be limited mostly to these new Deepwaters. Focus, focus, focus… My historical survey will have to wait.

Did they go there?

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the Deepwater release email was, “Oh no, they went and done it.” I have been wondering for years why Timex didn’t do a more mainstream diver? It was the tool watch guy in me. By mainstream I mean a diver that looks more conventional, less Timex-like and has 200m WR specs. In this age of diver saturation, Timex has been mostly absent. They have done lots of diver/marine/ themed watches with 50m or 100m WR ratings, and 200m titanium tool watches, but never combining all the elements into what any watch enthusiast would quickly recognize as a diver. The recent 43mm Tiburón auto and 42mm Expedition North Anchorage quartz were closer but still bigger and awkward in a Timex way. They currently have a titanium auto GMT for $550 which I don’t even know how to classify? This new diver is sort of an extension of that. This is much better.

TW2W74600 Blue on Rubber, brushed stainless, quartz image Timex

This DW Reef had several attributes that immediately registered with me; Skin diver shape, vintage vibe, tool, restrained styling, matte finish, classic bezel/dial. They went towards generic diver in a way that moves them into more mass market acceptance. This can be a dangerous area, especially in the category of divers, because it opens you up to unlimited comparisons!

Still the Timex way

Even if they moved more into the fray, these Timex watches still are Timex, through and through. On offer is a range of styles and colors from $199 to $479. There are still loads of compromises (I love design), still lots of things for Timex haters to hate, still not perfect for every taste, but moving closer to the best Timex can be. We have to remember what Timex represents. It is a humongous company selling lots of inexpensive watches to the masses and making a profit. Their watches rarely venture towards $400. You get what you pay for. To me it is getting the most from the least. The theater, the smoke and mirrors. These are not small run $500 or $1000 micro-brand divers here. Well, ok, the $479 titanium one will take the most flak. There are many tried and true steel divers in the $4-500 range (Vaer, Seiko, Citizen, Tissot, Lorier etc.) with solid build, better movement, better tool reputation. But, they are not titanium. I don’t even know how to tackle the GMT version for comparison? I’d have to think a while to list other Quartz GMT divers?

A common gripe I hear about Timex is a lack of value, even for watches under $100. Well, all I can say is; apples and oranges. When you look at all the factors — price, materials, style, size, function, etc., there is nothing like Timex. They usually make very careful decisions about product position in the market. So, it comes down to your personal likes. Rarely is it possible to find any two watches from different brands that compare on all points. There is always a trade-off somewhere. We make decisions of what qualities we value. Priorities. If we go to the $199 DW Reef quartz, which is steel, there are not as many choices for a 200M WR diver with sapphire? When you look at all the features/styles, I believe Timex is still competitive. Don’t forget the emotional appeal, the style, the intangible feeling a watch evokes. Timex watches can allude to much bigger fish, if you get my drift? Lots of times they feel like more than they are. I mean it in a good way.

Deepwater Breakdown

Right off the bat, we have a titanium auto, brushed steel quartz, coated steel quartz and, oh yeah, a brushed steel GMT and a coated steel GMT quartz. They all share a basic shape/look/size, but you have some choices to make. There are some choices by price/feature that Timex had to decide on. Will there be more variety in the future? Well, if they take off, and we look the Q series as an example, we could be in for more? My first question was, “Why no brushed steel auto?”

TW2W74700 Blk Rubber, TW2W74800 Yellow Rubber image Timex

$199 will get you one of these. I really like the look of this quartz steel version. These are stainless steel. They have a grey coating/treatment (like Tiberón?),the color of which just happens to be called “titanium”. Hmmmmm. I like the color, which is different from your classic brushed steel, and no date. Classic diver dial. The yellow sold out first!? Interesting decision by Timex to use this type of flex/articulated rubber strap? Maybe I will like it? I think I would go straight to a Tropic or flatter style. Specs: 41mm, M684 quartz, sapphire lens, 200mWR, 22mm lug width, Super-Luminova, screw down crown/case back, quick-release rubber(?).

TW2W74600 Blue brushed, Rubber, TW2W95200 brushed bracelet image Timex

Next there are two brushed (recycled) stainless, quartz Deepwaters. Classic styles, I would say? Blue dial, Blue bezel then a Black/black on bracelet. The bracelet bumps up the price to $219. These two probably represent what your average watch buyer thinks of when they imagine a diver? Again, no date. In true Timex fashion, the model number of the bracelet version departs from the norm of the others. I do like a blue diver, but these two are not as interesting to me as the coated ones? Specs: 41mm, M684 quartz, sapphire lens, 200mWR, 22mm lug width, Super-Luminova, screw down crown/case back, quick-release rubber(?), or brushed steel bracelet.

TW2W74600 brushed, Blk Rubber, TW2W95200 coated Blue Rubber, TW2W95300 bracelet. image Timex

Of course, there has to be a GMT diver, too. Not for me. These will bump you up to $249 or $269 for bracelet. You have to make a choice with case finish here. Notice the differences too in hand color and AM/PM rehaut colors. Even though the size/shape is still nice, this gets cluttered. I have a problem with GMT/Divers in general, plus this gets date/cyclops and 24-hr rehaut stuff. It loses the feel for me. I think it would have been better to just do it all on the bezel, like the Q GMT? Specs: 41mm, quartz GMT, probably Ronda 505.24, caller type?, sapphire lens, 200mWR, 22mm lug width, Super-Luminova, screw down crown/case back.

TW2W73800 titanium, auto, Blk Rubber image Timex

Finally, the titanium auto. It hooked me at first glance. The solid silver/grey bezel matching the case, the vintage skin diver shape, rubber, all appealed to my tool-ish side and my vintage diver side. It strikes a balance between vintage and new. I have to say though the cyclops is not good(why?), but I can overlook it. I don’t mind a date because I always forget the date! Maybe most people want a date for $480? There will be critics of the white background of the date and dial balance, etc., but the dial design is very restrained, I think. No wave. I don’t know what the bezel insert material is. A Miyota 8215, it has. Again, this is Timex and every penny counts to keep that price down in Timex range. Look at the overall design; if you break it down with titanium, sapphire, lume, cost, style, function, there is nothing just like it? Specs: 41mm, auto, Grade 2 titanium, sapphire lens, 200mWR, 22mm lug width, Super-Luminova, screw down crown/case back.

Grey-coated case on GMT image Timex

Final thoughts

I’m sure I will get one or two of these. My two favorites are the Titanium and the coated steel ones. Third would be the brushed steel in blue. I will probably be writing about them again. For now, I can just say this was a surprise. Coming so close after the recent Tiberón and Anchorage I wonder how long the Reef has been planned? These new Reefs do borrow several attributes from those two releases. Those two were a bit clunky whereas these are more classic. Even though all were designed as “divers”, they are each quite different.

I have wanted a new Timex diver with 200m WR specs and vintage flair. This is pretty close. How do you differentiate yourself with classic diver cues? Its a tough brief to be original in this most competitive segment. The vintage/modern balance is critical. I was hoping for a little more vintage with a box crystal, à la Q, and a tad smaller, but maybe that is too narrow an audience? Timex has done the auto titanium tool watch thing already. It is interesting they did it again with this diver instead of just a stainless steel design. Maybe the titanium and flat crystal is a modern statement. They did go for a classic dial layout and case shape with no crown guards. A 22mm lug width was an interesting choice, too? Makes a watch feel bigger. Its a similar strap to the one on the Tiberón, that tucks through a hole in strap. I would have liked a 20mm better. The wave dial on the steels is a bit cliché, but I love the case shape. I was a bit confused by the long name: Deepwater Reef 200. Then I realized the Tiberón also has the Deepwater first name. So, the reef is another in the Deepwater 200 range? I guess they are emphasizing the 200m? I’ll keep watching this.


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