In this ‘Hands on Review’ section, I am sharing my observations on a Timex MARLIN® Automatic watch model, which is a re-edition of a classic Timex Marlin watch of the 1960s.
Inspired by the recent trends in the watchmaking industry, Timex has launched the reissue versions of some of its iconic models manufactured during the golden era of mechanical watchmaking. In 2017, Timex revived its iconic MARLIN mechanical watch by launching the MARLIN® hand-wound collection. The MARLIN® automatic models were introduced in 2018.
The re-issue of vintage era MARLIN collections is a milestone for Timex, which has restarted the manufacturing of mechanical watches after a long period. The timepiece we are focusing in this ‘Hands on Review’ is a Timex MARLIN® automatic watch with reference number TW2T23000. It is a stainless steel model with black dial.
Established in 1854 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Timex is a world leader in the production of affordable and utilitarian wristwatches. The original name of the company was Waterbury Clock Company. After its insolvency in 1944, Thomas Olsen, the new owner, reformed the company and renamed it as Timex Corporation. In 2008, the company was acquired by the Dutch holding company Timex Group B.V. and changed the name to Timex Group USA, Inc.
In the 1980s, due to the surge in the popularity of quartz watches over their mechanical counterparts, Timex Corporation took a long break in mechanical watch production. With their recently released mechanical watch collections like MARLIN® and Waterbury, Timex is now bringing back the golden years of mechanical watchmaking.
In the following section you can unearth the findings and comments on the MARLIN® Automatic 40mm timepiece.
Timex MARLIN Review
Case
The case of MARLIN® automatic watch is made from stainless steel, a tested and proven material widely used in the manufacturing of modern wristwatches. The case surface maintains polished finishing.
The rear side of the watch features an exhibition case-back, which offers the view of self-winding movement beating inside. The stainless steel case back ring features inscriptions indicating model reference, movement number and type, water resistance and case material. The transparent case-back glass features a sticker marked with the name of the series i.e. THE MARLIN COLLECTION. This sticker is a removable one and you can remove it if required.
The case measures 40mm diameter and 13mm thickness including the crystal. It is to be noted that the thickness is slightly more (1mm) than that of the Timex Waterbury classic 40mm automatic model, which has a thickness of 12mm.
The reason for the slight increase in thickness is the domed acrylic glass used with the Timex MARLIN® automatic watch. In comparison, the Waterbury 40mm automatic model features a flat mineral crystal glass. The lug width of the MARLIN® automatic watch is 20mm. The aforesaid proportions are perfectly suitable for a classic dress watch.
Dial
Dial of this MARLIN® automatic watch maintains a classic three-hand configuration with centrally placed hour, minute and seconds hands. Domed in shape, the satin-finished black dial features printed minute indexes and applied hour markers.
The hands and the hour marker indices are in stainless steel and feature polished finish. The dial is absolutely minimalistic, clutter free and it also features a date window at 3h with black digits on white background. The hands orchestrate excellent display of basic timekeeping functions; however readability of the date is average due to small size of the date window.
The baton shaped hour and minute hands are coated with luminescent material. As the hour-markers do not feature luminescent coating, readability of the dial under low light conditions is not excellent. Lume quality is also average.
Movement
The inscriptions on dial and case-back hint the nature of the engine that drives this timepiece. The inscription MV02N on the case-back possibly indicates the nomenclature assigned by Timex for the self-winding movement housed inside the case.
The view through the transparent case-back suggest that the movement is a custom produced Miyota 8215 standard automatic caliber with the TIMEX name etched on the rotor. Except the Timex engraving on the oscillating weight, the movement does not feature any added decorations or enhancements.
The Caliber 8215 is a 11 ½ ’ ’ ’ (26mm diameter) self-winding movement produced by Japanese movement manufacture Miyota. It beats at 21600 vibrations per second and provides a standard power reserve of 42 hours when fully wound. The standard accuracy of the caliber 8215 is about -20～+ 40 sec per day.
The movement used in the MARLIN® Automatic watch is an unadjusted caliber featuring 21 jewels. The movement variation used for this MARLIN® Automatic watch is the Caliber 8215-21A, which features a date window at 3H featuring black digits on white background.
This self-winding mechanical movement offers both automatic and hand-winding facilities. The MARLIN® Automatic watch wind automatically when you wear the watch around the wrist. Driven by the movements of the wrist, the rotor of self-winding movement automatically winds the mainspring of the barrel, the energy source of a mechanical watch.
The Miyota 8215 movement can also be energized manually by rotating the crown at 3h. These features assure versatility for every MARLIN® Automatic watch. The movement however does not feature the hacking (stop-seconds) function.
Crown
This MARLIN® automatic watch has a small, stainless steel crown at 3H for winding the watch as well as to set time and date functions. The crown has three positions: original, 1st and 2nd. The owner of the watch can manually wind the watch by turning the crown in its original position.
The quick date setting mechanism allows the wearer to easily set date by pulling the crown out to the 1st position and turning it counter-clock wise. For setting the time, pull the crown out to the 2nd position and turn the crown to set hour and minute hands. Some users may find it uncomfortable to operate the crown due to its small size.
Crystals
The glass used with this watch is acrylic, which is a less expensive option compared to both mineral and sapphire crystals. To maintain the MARLIN®’s retro appeal, Timex has chosen a box-type acrylic crystal for the front glass. A flat crystal is used for the case back glass of every MARLIN® automatic watch models.
Even though less scratch-resistant than mineral and sapphire crystals, acrylic glass is easy to repair. In my opinion, it would have more reliable if the watch had a sapphire crystal instead of acrylic glass, which is vulnerable to scratches.
Strap
This watch model is fitted with a leather strap featuring brown color on the top. The strap is fitted with a stainless steel Tang buckle. Strap width is 20mm and it is secured with quick release spring bars.
On the rear side of the strap, you can find the name S.B. Foot Tanning Co. indicating the supplier of leather used for making the straps fitted with MARLIN® automatic watch models. For those who prefer metal bracelets, Timex also offers a variant featuring stainless steel mesh bracelet.
Timex MARLIN Price
The Timex MARLIN® Automatic Watch boasts all that specifications what you expect from an affordable mechanical timepiece. The watch is minimalistic, utilitarian and easy on the pocket with a retail price of $249. The version with stainless steel mesh bracelet costs $259.
Origin
This Timex MARLIN® Automatic watch is not exactly a “Made in USA” product. Being an international conglomerate, Timex Group operates several subsidiaries in various parts of the globe. The timepiece featured here was produced by its Asian subsidiary TMX Philippines Inc. located in Lapu-Lapu, Philippines. The automatic movement is from the Japan.
Other than the illustrious brand name, the other American linkage noticeable in this timepiece is its leather strap, which is made from the fine leather processed by S.B. Foot Tanning Company of Red Wing, Minnesota in USA. Renowned for its high-quality leather, S.B. Foot Tanning Company is a historical tannery founded in 1872. Since 1986, the company has been owned by Red Wing Shoe Company of Minnesota.
Technical details
Name: Timex MARLIN® Automatic Watch 40mm
Model reference: TW2T23000
Movement
MV02N (Miyota 8215) automatic movement
21 jewels, 21600 vph
Functions
Hour, minute and centre seconds
Date window at 3H
Dial
Black dial
Case
Shape: Round
Material: Stainless steel
Case diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 13mm
Water resistance: 30m
Crystals: Acrylic
Strap
Brown leather strap
The details of other MARLIN® Automatic 40mm (with date) variants presently available are given below:-
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T22900: Stainless steel case. Black dial. Stainless steel mesh bracelet. Approximate retail price: $259.
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T34600: Gold toned stainless steel case, Silver toned dial with gold toned hands and indices. Gold toned crown. Gold toned mesh bracelet. Approximate retail price: $259
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic X Peanuts Featuring Charlie Brown, Reference TW2U12700: Stainless steel case. White dial with monochromatic drawing of Charlie Brown flying a kite. Black leather strap. Approximate retail price: $249.
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T23100: Stainless steel case. Blue dial with golden hands and indexes. Gold toned crown. Blue leather strap. Approximate retail price: $249.
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T23200: Stainless steel. Burgundy dial. Burgundy strap. Approximate retail price: $249.
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T22800: Gold toned stainless steel case. Black dial with gold toned hands and indices. Gold-toned crown. Black strap with gold toned buckle. Approximate retail price: $249.
- Timex MARLIN® Automatic 40mm, Reference TW2T22700: Stainless steel case. Silver toned dial. Brown Strap. Approximate retail price: $249.
- Timex Marlin® Automatic – New York Yankees™ 40mm, Reference TW2U87100: Stainless steel case Silver toned dial with ‘NY’ Yankees™ logo at 6 o’ Clock. Approximate retail price: $249.
Additional information
The MARLIN® collection is also available in hand-wound and automatic day-date versions. The Hand-wound models feature 34mm diameter stainless steel case. The Automatic Day-Date models feature 40mm diameter stainless steel case and 21 jewels self-winding movement.
