Timex 38 mm Q Timex Reissue Stainless Steel Case Blue Dial Stainless Steel Bracelet

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With all this going for it, it’s just a “no-brainer buy” — when considering the quartz movement and acrylic crystal, the price is just too good to pass up. With the quartz crisis well underway in the late 1970s, many watch brands were threatened by this new technology and felt it would affect the sales of mechanical watches. Timex was different. They knew quartz had numerous benefits over traditional mechanical movements and they wanted to help it go mainstream. Although not their first quartz watch, the Q Timex was one of their most popular models because of its pleasing design and “Pepsi” rotating bezel. Originally released in 1979, Timex wanted everyone to know this was a quartz watch by branding it “Q” and proudly printing “QUARTZ” in bold font on the dial. They were not ashamed or embarrassed about this new technology, a stance that has made them a highly successful watch brand today. To further the accurate reproduction of the Q Timex reissue, the brand used a nicely domed acrylic crystal that gives some period correct vintage charm. The domed crystal stands about 2.7mm proud of the bezel, which in turn makes for an impressive side profile not often seen in modern watches. So much so, in fact, that Timex continued to riff on the design and release numerous Qs throughout 2020: the original in myriad bezel and dial colors; the 1978-inspired Falcon Eye; and an outlier, the automatic M79, which retained the Q's looks but added a mechanical movement. People were hooked, it would seem, and Timex was happy to oblige its fan base. You then have large printed indices that are entirely covered with a faux patina lume material. I’m usually not a fan, but I think it works here and the faux vintage color isn’t obnoxiously yellow or orange.

At the start, we chose styles for Q reissues that we thought would resonate most with watch collectors and Timex enthusiasts, so we were not surprised at how excited they were about the first Q Timex 1979 Reissue. We also choose reissue styles where the design aesthetic and functionality have a story to be told. We lean into classic ‘70s design elements such as the band style, unique colorways on the watch face and the recent gold and rose gold colors we launched. As you know, the Q story is one of our favorites and we are glad to see it resonate so well with fans, too.

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You then have polished stainless steel hour and minute hands that are surprisingly well finished, and contain a good amount of lume application. Overall, I like the dial design and I think the finishing is great too. The colors are great, and this dial is the reason why this watch is so much fun to wear. The watch is measured at a proportional 35mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug of about 40mm. These dimensions make the watch perfect for just about any wrist, especially slender ones.

To be entirely honest, I was pretty surprised that this watch had any lume at all. And while it isn’t great lume, it is decent and should last at least an hour or two in the dark. The M79 is an interesting outlier in that it’s mechanical, but seems to fit within the “Q” collection. Did you sense a hunger for a mechanical version of the Q aesthetic after the original “Pepsi” model was released?

Quartz Movement in the Q Timex

The Q Times 1978 Reissue really impressed me. It’s a watch with a lot of class and a ton of vintage appeal. This Timex is both sporty and sophisticated, with a dial, case, and crystal combination that adds up to a uniquely stylish look. In Timex’s own words, the hour markers are fashioned after the towers and skyscrapers of New York City.

The bezel is friction fit and has pretty good grip, so the alignment is as good as you want it to me. Timex calls this bezel a top ring, which is an interesting way to describe a bezel, and is made of aluminum. The quality is pretty good, and I think the printing on it is well executed too. I don’t expect these bezels to age very well, but they sure look great. Are each of the models fairly faithful to their inspiration, or have you upgraded or improved the designs to suit the modern wearer? Who would I recommend the Q Timex 1978 Reissue to? If you are a fan of vintage 1970s or even early 1980s style, I think you’ll dig this watch. If you want a watch that will stand out on the wrist and get noticed, something with a unique look and a touch of sleek sophistication and class, the 1978 won’t disappoint. It would be a great, easy daily wear watch for someone with the right sense of style. Or a solid occasional-wear dress watch for most everyone else. This watch just hits a lot of the boxes that one would find in an expensive dress watch, but for low price.

The height of 11.75 mm includes the boxed plexiglass and the bump for the battery cover, so the actual height on the wrist feels closer to 9mm watch.