Sometimes you just need a cheap watch to cleanse the palate. After a stretch of browsing releases with prices that ask for a second glance and a deep breath, there’s real comfort in honest, and plain fun. Timex has played that role for us at TBWS for years, and it usually shows up right when the luxury talk starts to wear thin. So the timing here feels about right. For $149, the brand is leaning into the goofy charm of old digital sport watches with the new Timex Retroware Digital.
The thing to know up front is that the Retroware isn’t a reissue. Timex has built a solid program around reviving specific pieces, from the Q Timex line to the T80, and those are faithful callbacks to watches that actually existed. The Retroware is a brand-new reference that borrows the attitude of mid-’80s digital sport watches without recreating any single one of them. Those oversized, curved numerals dominating the display are the giveaway, and they read like something a designer in 1985 imagined the future would look like. For whatever reason, the whole thing gives me a hit of the recent Dune films, and I couldn’t tell you why. It’s a strange and kind of wonderful place for a new watch to live.
On paper it does the expected digital things. You get a chronograph, an alarm, a timer, and a full calendar on the readout, all run by a battery-powered quartz movement. The Indiglo backlight is here too, which remains one of the absolute joys of owning a Timex after dark. The 46mm resin case keeps things light on the wrist, though 46mm is a lot of real estate, and I’d want to see how that curved display wears before calling it easy for everyone.
Available in blue and grey-green on color-matched resin straps, the Retroware also uses quick-release spring bars you can swap without tools, which is a nice touch at a price where that used to feel like a splurge. My one real wish is a bit more water resistance, since a casual resin knockabout like this is exactly the watch you’d want to stop worrying about around a pool. These two models offer 50m of water resistance.
That leaves the Retroware in a pleasant spot. It’s a $149 digital that doesn’t take itself too seriously, from a brand that’s earned plenty of goodwill around here for doing exactly that. Whether the big curvy numerals still charm you once the novelty settles is the open question, and it’s the kind of thing you can only sort out on the wrist. For now it’s a cheap, easy reset with a weird retro-future streak I can’t fully explain, and some days that’s the entire point. I’m curious whether Timex treats this as a one-off or the opening move on something with more colors and sizes to come. We’ll see.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.