Don’t Forget the 100m gang
With all the focus on the newer 200m WR Deepwater offerings I have been forgetting another of Timex’s other water-focused collections. For the last six or eight years I have been following and collecting various Timex watches with the name Navi.
I have posted on the 38mm Navi Depth, Navi Harbor, and Navi Ocean. These little guys have been favorites of mine because of their vintage styling and compact size. What I have not taken the time to write about is my time with the 41mm Navi XL in both quartz and automatic forms.
41mm Navi Quartz
There have been many versions of the 41mm Navi quartz over the years, including collaborations. As I look at the watch landscape now, those Navi days seem like a long time ago. Back in the Timex Archive years the Navi family were some of the watches that caught my attention and started me down the trail of watch obsessive. I still like to wear them and look all these years later. Time flies! Now, they can seem rather quaint next to the Deepwater and Atelier models.
When I first learned of the Navi 41s I liked the vintage diver look but was puzzled over the differences between the 41mm and 38mm varieties. That was about the time I first started considering the particulars of watch sizing. Prior to that a watch was what it was and its exact size held no importance. I considered the look, but not the size, really. Early on I decided 41s were too big. I wanted the 38s. For a long time I sort of ignored the 41s.
The basic quartz Navi XL is 41mmx 50.5mm x12mm thick. Overall shape is more round than barrel. There are tapering pointed crown guards that are on the small side. They have pretty long tapering lugs, or legs as I like to call them. So, for me they are just about as big as I (normally)want to get for my wrist. One of the best things about them is the 20mm lug spacing. This makes them very versatile strap monsters.
About That Name
I can remember back six or seven years ago wondering is Navi pronounced nay-vee or naav-ee? What was Timex thinking? There was the XL, too? Did the 38mm or 41mm come first? Did the XL mean bigger than 38mm as in extra large? Originally I knew the 38mm as the Harbor and 41mm as the XL, in the North American region. The 38mm Harbor was part of the Archive project. Later there were 41mm XLs with Harbour on the dial. Another question I had was, “Do the 41mm versions fall under the Archive banner?” They never had “Archive” on the dial or back.
From dates that I have seen on watches, the 38mm version is older. So, I am going to take the position that the Navi 38mm Harbor came first under the Archive campaign. The Navy XL 41mm came next in North America, then the 41mm Harbour came last for the European region. During this Archive era, it seems North America and Europe got different versions and/or same versions at different times. I’m not sure when the initial release of the XL was, but it might be 2019.
What is a Navi XL or Harbour?
Here is some marketing copy from Timex from about 2019: The best inspiration is always found while searching our archives. Our Navi XL takes inspiration from our earliest diver-style watches and makes it modern. We found what’s old and made it cool again. The traditional stainless-steel case, black dial and black fabric slip-thru strap provide a modern take on this vintage design.
The thing is, the “inspiration” is hard to pin down. I’ve pored over a lot of Timex catalogs and don’t see any of their “earliest dive watches” that look like this. The late ’60S early ’70S skin divers certainly did not look like this. There was a 1971 Marlin with bars and dots markers, then again in early ’80s, but nothing with these crown guards, hands and case all together. It looks more like a T29781 from 2006 with modified hands and the inner 24-hr track added. I cant think of any diver that had this field watch-like 24 hr. track. It’s a blending of of details from several watches.
Tracing the origins of the 41mm Navi XL could be a whole project in itself. I don’t really know the specific design inspiration. It seems the 38mm Archive Harbor and the 41mm XL were conceived about the same time? To oversimplify, Timex had a multitude of 40mm-45mm diver-like watches in the 90s and early 2000s that mimicked basic submariner features including Mercedes hand sets. Most were in the 50m WR category. Their more sporting 100m watches were covered under the Ironman, Reef Gear or even Expedition headings. The Harborside range, which continues today, sort of characterizes the type of bigger, clunkier diver-like watches Timex was known for. The Navi XL was different. It was born from a time when vintage fashion style and retro design lead the way, hence the Archive project.
The best way to describe them is that they are a retro-inspired, diver-like quartz watch with maybe a bit of military vibe with that inner 24-hour track. I have talked about the size above. They have a 100m WR rating, so not really a diver, but up for a quick swim. They have been, and remain, popular for their submariner retro look, and low price and versatility as a grab and go fun watch. They do have a lot of character and look better than they are, if you know what I mean?
They were born in the pre-COVID years I call the Archive era. At this time Timex, in its vast array of watches, had conceived the Archive campaign to ride the vintage/military inspired fashion wave. They offered a bunch of watches of what I call Boutique grade build that should be separated from their discount store grade fare like Easy Reader/Camper/Scout. The Nav XL/Harbor were part of a more curated, detail-oriented fashion forward movement.
As specs go, nothing special; 100m WR, mineral glass crystal, weak lume, basic M901 quartz movement, a friction-fit bi-directional bezel and no date. But, there is something about them that people like? Like their smaller 38mm siblings, they fill that space between $50 and $200 and have a look that makes them fashionable desk diver-ish. Classic, vintage look diver on the cheap. They had a pretty long run. I prefer the earlier, basic models from 2018-19. As time went on Timex added bolder, more modern design details and color schemes.
The flat, beveled mineral crystal sits a bit higher than the bezel. The bezel insert is narrow which gives them a lighter, subtler presence. Early bezel inserts were classic diver count up with numbers at ten minute intervals and dots for minute markers. I like the dots. One thing I have found with these bezels is that some can be very tight initially. Because the bezel is thinner, the dial is bigger. And a simple flat dial it is. The classic triangle at 12, bars at 3, 6, and 9. The rest get the circles. All painted with a green lume. These markers have polished embossed surrounds which give them a little sparkling detail. The 38mm watches did not get this detail. Small simple minute marks surround the dial. The inner 24 hour track, in military field watch style, has small Arabic numbers. There was only “TIMEX” type at the top and “10 ATM” above the six. Later versions added “Navi Harbour” above the 10 ATM.
The hand set is what distinguishes the Navi XL/Harbor from other watches in this Archive era. They are polished with lume in the early versions. There is a lumed lollipop second hand with lollipop counter balance. The minute hand is a slim tapering sword. The hour hand is the fun part. It is a short tapering sword capped with a big open circle that is tipped with a pointer that reaches the center of the hour markers. I think they took the “Mercedes” hour hand and hollowed it out, leaving the circle. It is that circle that aligns with the 24 hour track numbers that you notice. It highlights the 24 hour numbers, circling them, as it hits each hour. Simple, but fun.
Lots of Variety
Just guessing, I’d say the Navi XL/Harbour ran from 2018 to 2023? I’m working on the exact beginning and ending years. (There seems to have been some New Old Stock or Refurbished “old-style”models appearing with cases dated 2024 that are confusing.) So, in all that time there were many colors and designs added along the way as well as collaborations using the 41mm Navi platform. Looking back at those pre-COVID years, I think about what a bounty of designs were available in each line and how different things are now. We may never see that level of design variety again? The watch market has changed as well as the economic conditions. Fashion quartz has given way to autos/specs and the enthusiast crowd is more demanding. Timex is even making $1000 watches.
The first Navi XLs, I think, were Black dial, Black bezel, Black nylon single-pass strap, TW2T75600 and the Navy dial, Navy bezel, Navy nylon single-pass strap TW2T75400. Those 20mm rough-textured straps with polished hardware give the watches a casual workman-like appeal. They were also used in a 18mm version on the 38mm watches. This reminds me that when looking at images online, when both are on these straps, a 38mm Harbor and a 41mm Harbor can look like the same watch at first glance! These two were the OG XLs and maybe the most commonly seen? I get the feeling these coarse-textured straps with keepers that don’t slide, were not popular? Later versions got different straps. I can see people wanting to try different straps, but I really like original rough straps for their unique character.
Next there are two white dialed versions. The TW2U10900 came on a bracelet and had a navy bezel insert. I really fell for this white dial/blue bezel look. But, I did not want the bracelet! As soon as I got one, I took off the bracelet and put on a strap and haven’t gone back to the bracelet since. Little did I know at the time there was a white dial version, the TW2U111000, that came on a striped 2-piece fabric strap later. The black dial version without bracelet was the TW2U111001. Another interesting white dial version was the TW2T75500 that had a black PVD case and bezel, and a dark olive bezel insert on a the nylon single-pass strap also in olive green. The metallic finish on the hands and hour markers is also darker. This gives the watch an distinctive military style compared to the brighter TW2U10900.
After those initial four, things start getting a little, well, different. Really you could say after the first three–black, navy, white–with the black PVD one falling in to the different category. But it does have the original strap, and, there was an all-black 38mm Archive Harbor. The crazy variety of colors and finishes that happened with the Mk 1 and the Allied and my gosh, the Q, did not happen with the Navi XL. Later styles took on a slightly more modern or military look, but there were not as many styles. With the automatics came more colors.
More Styles
After the first four I count eight to ten styles that sported the words “Navi Harbour” on the dial just above the 10 ATM. This is where I delineate between the first set and the following styles–the early ones only said “10 ATM”. Now, I could be wrong, but dates do back this up, mostly. Timex is not a company to waste parts, so you will see them reuse dials, hands, bezels, and cases across styles. Another factor is determining if a styles are from different regions, as in North America instead of Europe. The spelling of Harbour is not American, so I don’t know if that was done for the UK and Canada or to help distinguish the 38mm Harbor from the 41mm? Having said that, the 38mm Harbor never had “Harbor” on the dial, but said “Quartz”, which was strange in its own way.
Although very similar to the TW2T75400 and TW2T75600, they had changes to bezel insert. The dots were now gone and there were only hash marks for the first 15 minute range. Dials may be sunburst. Also changed was the strap. It was now a two piece silicone rubber. There was also a version of the black dial/bezel on a tan NATO strap, but I’m not sure of model number. Another version, in two-tone was the TW2U55600, with stainless brushed case, black dial, black bezel insert, and gold trim, on a tan leather two-piece strap. The bracelet version was TW2U55500. These also had the “Navi Harbour” on the dial and the new bezel insert.
Aside for the collaborations, there are probably some versions of the Harbour XL out there that I have not listed here. As is usually the case with Timex, there are some obscure models for specific regions that I discover during searches that might not be as well known.
These next two versions of the Navy XL are not as commonly seen. I don’t think they were made for the North American market. I particularly like them for the striped straps. Its a look I like better than a bracelet. What is interesting is that the straps are two-piece, not a NATO or single-pass. I have not seen these on any other Timex watch. Their model numbers change because of the straps, but they appear to be the early version of the white dial/blue bezel TW2U10900 and black dial/black bezel TW2T75600 with the “10 ATM” on the dial and early bezel insert.
The last version of the Navi Harbour 41mm I am going to cover for now is the 2021 black and blue TW2U90100. I remember really liking this combination of colors when I first saw it online. In most images the case appears as gunmetal rather than black PVD because of the satin sheen. I was surprised when it arrived. The thing I like best is the vegas gold and navy strap with black hardware. I have no urge to change straps on this one. The dial is a blue-grey and the bezel insert is navy. The hand finish and hour marker surrounds are a metallic black.
Navi XL Collection or Allied Collection
Another issue that presents itself are the differently labeled case backs. I’m not sure how tho explain this. Some “XLs” have etched on the bottom of the case back the words “The Navi XL Collection” while others have “The Allied Collection”. I never considered the 41mm XL/Harbour a part of the Allied group of watches. To me the Allied range included the 40mm 3-hand, the 42mm Chronographs, and the 43mm Allied Coastline set. I have never seen an Allied with that type of case back. Maybe the 41mm Harbour was thrown in with the Allied range in some regions? Maybe it was a production mistake?
Collaborations
The Navi watches in both 38mm and 41mm were the basis for many collaborations. There are several angles from which a watch enthusiast may approach these marketing projects; It could be for the unique colors scheme of a watch you already like. It could be an affinity for the collaboration partner brand, or it could be from a collector perspective considering the unique nature or rarity of the version. Three 41mm collaborations that I know off the top of my head are those with UK menswear brand End., US footwear brand Greats and Italian clothing brand Iceberg.
The END. version from 2020 is similar to their 2017 38mm version being black, white and red with a simpler dial. It has the older style bezel insert. The 24-hr track has been removed. If you like the black-out look, this is for you. It comes with multiple straps.
The Iceberg version, also from 2020 is much more ambitious incorporating branding that overlaps both dial and strap. It is rendered in black, grey, green and yellow. This is bold promotion, but does it keep more people from wearing the watch? I think the color arrangement is great, but the bold type would get old quickly.
I have not been motivated to collect the two above, but I did go for the Greats collab version from 2019. It is a black PVD XL case with a grey bezel insert and grey dial. A bit of orange for the Greats logo and the second hand tip. Overall a subdued look with its black single-pass strap. Like the 2018 Greats collab, it uses the hour and minute hands of the Allied Coastline range. Mine has the very tight friction fit bezel problem that you will find with some of these Navi watches.
Final Thoughts
The Navi XL and Harbour were popular Timex watches from the Archive era. They came about in a time when retro style and vintage military was trending. They were a larger sibling of the 38mm Harbor line. They were not really divers and not wholly fashion watches either. They occupy that space between where you want a sporty everyday watch that can take a quick swim with style and retro style. This type of watch has had an identity crises developing over the last 8-10 years. The enthusiast community wants to compare it to tool watch divers. You can’t.
As for their visual design characteristics, they also blur the lines between field watch and diver. I consider them closer to a diver than a field watch because of the rotating bezel and vintage diver looks. But, the 24-hr track as found on military watches gives them a field watch personality, too, especially in the black versions. Even though they were vintage inspired, they also had a modern feel.
Because they have quartz movements and are inexpensive– coming in at around $150 at the time– they take on a more casual feel than the auto XLs that came later. Now, ten years later, Timex has several 200m WR divers in both quartz and automatic to meet the demands of the enthusiast community. The Navi was from another time and was bridging the fashion watch concept and the tool watch. The line has been discontinued and its hard to find a current equivalent. The closest thing might be the 100m WR Harborside, but it is bigger, clunkier, with less vintage charm. The Deepwater Arctic has the vintage looks but moves toward the tool watch realm with 200m WR, sapphire and bracelet, so the price is up to $300.
This type of watch that combines vintage/military/diver with cheap fashion is just not being made now by Timex. They brought back some of the Mk1 line in an upgraded way, so maybe the Navi will return at some point? The Navi XL Automatic has taken the attention from the quartz XL since its release in 2019. I will cover these in Part 2.
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