Timex Watch Movements: Democratizers of Timekeeping

I believe that Timex movements have contributed more to horology than they get credit for. Read on to see what I mean.

As someone who grew up in a family that loved Rolex, I’ve always preferred Swiss watch brands. My first watches were an Explorer II and a ‘90s Omega Seamaster. I know, I know. This is wholly unoriginal. Most people prefer Swiss brands and Swiss movements.

This is likely why Timex watch movements are only spotlit by those in the know. These days, we often just think of their accessible quartz pieces. However, their contributions to the watch world are undeniable.

They are one of the few survivors from America’s watchmaking golden age. Not only that, they’ve always been about good watchmaking, efficiency, and attainability. 

Yes, even before Seiko. And yes, right on US soil.

If you want a comprehensive education on watches, I highly recommend you learn a bit more about Timex movements.

Timex Quartz Movements and Timex Automatic Movements Today

The Timex Marlin reappeared in the late 2010s. Ever since Timex has offered literally every kind of movement under the sun. 

So, there isn’t just one type of Timex movement. This puts them at a market advantage while also making their range a fun playground for the horologically curious.

They have a wider variety of movements than other budget brands. However, unlike most budget brands, they have an American heritage and history. Meanwhile, mid-tier brands with better automatics charge a higher premium than Timex.

For example, I love Tissot. But even their automatics are several times more expensive than their budget quartz pieces, whose prices overlap with Timex’s.

Timex prices themselves don’t range widely (with the exception of the occasional expensive limited edition or collaboration). That said, their line offers a wide range of movements:

• Quartz with analog hands
• Quartz with a digital face
• Quartz analog solar
• Quartz digital solar
• Mechanical hand-wind
• Automatic

And even among these, you have movements with added complications like GMTs, chronographs, and compasses.

Seiko is probably one of the few other brands I can think of with this wide range. However, modern Seikos don’t even lean as hard into the old-fashioned manual winds.

With Timex, you can find old technologies minus the hassle of going vintage and new technologies without the high premiums.

Vintage Timex Movements: A Brief History

Timex may have started in 1857 as the Waterbury Clock Company. But we’re going to start this with the first Timex-branded watch, the Timex Nurse Watch. These watches, of course, ran on mechanical vintage Timex movements.

An early Timex manual wind movement is Model 21, which watches in the 1950s ran on. Then, in the early ‘60s, Timex released M24 and M25, which were like the 24 but with a calendar movement. In 1972, the M27 came out, which featured a day and date.

By the ‘70s, all of the 20s models were replaced with 100 models: The M104, the M105, which had a calendar, and the M106, which had a day and date.

The automatic Timex movements were just adjusted versions of the above calibers. The M26 was an automatic version of the M21. Meanwhile,  the M24 served as a reference for the M31, M32, and M33.

Early Timex Skindivers were manual-wind, powered by the M24 or M25. Later ‘70s versions, like the Timex Sportster Skindiver, ran on the M32.

The first electric Timex movement came out in 1962, long before the quartz revolution. This primitive model, M67, would then be upgraded into the M84. The M85 and M87 were versions that also featured a calendar.

Then, in the ‘70s, Timex released their Dynabeat movements. These were high-beat electric movements that had a beat rate of 28,800 beats per hour. 

A lot of their popular models from the ‘60s, like the Timex Electric, would be upgraded into high-beat versions. Take the Electric Dynabeat subline, for example.

Then, in 1982, Timex stopped making mechanicals together until 2017, when they reissued the Marlin.

Timex Watch Movements Today

Again, today, Timex watches run on quartz movements, manual mechanical movements, and automatic movements. There are even timepieces that use light as a power source. Of course, the Timex quartz movement is the most common.

The brand sources its movements from all over the world, but mainly from Southeast Asia.

Yes, this is a cost-saving technique. However, Timex Group has headquarters in several parts of the world. Timex Philippines began in 1979, right before they temporarily stopped making mechanicals. 

The factory at this headquarters is also where Timex makes 80% of their watches. They’re either fully assembled or finished here.

They also have movements from China and even Japan. In fact, many believe that some of these self-winding movements are riffs on Omega designs. 

A lot of MK1s run on movements based on China’s budget workhorse, the Seagull movement.

However, a lot of Marlins run on movements from Japan. The Miyota 8205 powers some. It features a day and date complication. Others use the Miyota 8215, which has just the date.

Meanwhile, the Marlin Sub-Dial Automatic runs on the self-winding Miyota caliber 8217.
Miyota movements manufactured by Citizen. Most of them are made in Japan.

Still, since most Timex watches are under $300, you’re always getting a high-value movement for what the watch is.

FAQs

Here are some quick answers to common questions about movements that Timex watches use!

Who Makes Timex Movements?

Timex sources their movements from all over the world, including Southeast Asia, China, and Japan.

Are Timex Quartz Movements Good?

Yes, Timex quartz movements are reliable and durable. They lose only seconds per month compared to 12 seconds a day for a typical automatic.

What Movement Does Timex Use?

Timex uses a wide range of movements sourced from all over the world. These include quartz analogs, digitals, solar quartz, automatics, and manual-wind mechanicals.

What Automatic Movement Does Timex Use?

Timex uses different automatic movements for different models. For example, the Timex automatic movement Caliber 02N is based on the Miyota 8 series. They tend to use reliable Asian workhorse movements.

Conclusion: Different Movements for All Budgets

When Timex began as the Waterbury Clock Company in the 1800s. At that time, they employed Swiss techniques with more reasonable materials. Thanks to them, people who couldn’t afford high-end European clocks still had a timekeeping resource.

In that sense, not much has changed in what Timex offers the watch world.

If you want a solar-powered watch, you don’t need to pay $500 for a Seiko Speedtimer. Timex has solar watches that are all for well under the $300 price point.

Do you want a quartz beater or an automatic? Timex has them all at well under the average market price. 

And the fact they still make manual wind is a nice piece of nostalgia. There’s a lot to love about Timex watch movements.

What’s your favorite Timex watch? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at The Slender Wrist!