Timex are one of the masters of accessible tool watches and in the past few years they have really stepped up their game in one of the most popular tool watch niches, dive watches. Last year they introduced their first ISO standard collection with the Deepwater Reef 200 and now they’ve released what might be the most handsome diver they’ve ever produced: the Atelier Marine M1a.
It’s a 41mm steel watch with 200m water resistance and skeletonised lugs and recessed caseband in order to reduce the weight and make it comfortable to wear both in and out of the water. It gives it an almost architectural appeal when viewed in profile while from the top it appears completely normal. The aesthetic leans towards the 1960s with a slightly domed ceramic bezel inlay that recalls the shape and style of bezels used on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, even down to the dive timer markings.
For the dial they’ve opted for an enamel black display with large hour markers in circle, rectangle and triangle shapes that are all coated with Swiss Luminova and that sit raised above the dial itself to create a layered appearance. The purpose of the multi-shape hour markers is to add a definitive orientation to the display, which allows you to read the watch from any angle or point of rotation, which is useful for reading it at a glance when underwater. A minute and seconds scale sit around the periphery of the display while the name Timex Atelier, denoting it as part of Timex’s new luxury series, sits just below 12 o’clock.
Below the surface of the watch is housed the Catena SA100 automatic movement. A much less frequently used rival to the Sellita SW200 and ETA 2824 that crucially is not a clone or replacement for those movements due to its different dimensions. Though it has a 38-hour power reserve and +/-15 seconds per day accuracy so it’s a very comparable movement. You can view it through the exhibition caseback and admire its striped and perlage finishing.
It’s presented on a choice of NBR rubber strap for £800 or steel bracelet at £900. For a 200m dive watch with automatic movement, layered dial and ceramic bezel insert that seems like pretty solid value. Maybe not as exceptional value as the majority of Timex watches but this is the Atelier series, which leans a bit more towards luxury on purpose. Plus, I think it’s the best looking dive watch they make thanks to its combination of modern skeletonised case design and 1960s influences.
Price and Specs:
More details at Timex.
That is one beautiful TIMEX. Way to go design team … that is a watch of desire, not a price / brand compromise.