The Timex watches of JCrew
Over the years, JCrew has collaborated with many brands, including Red Wing, Ray Ban, New Balance and Sperry. The one that holds the most significance for me however, is their collaboration with Timex. Years ago, I remember thumbing through a JCrew catalog that was send to my home, and noticing that every other page there was a shot of someone wearing a rugged, military style watch on a nato strap. A few pages later, there was giant picture of this beautiful military style timex watch. The style and simplicity of this watch really stood out to me.
This period of time was well before my watch nerdom truly set in and I just had to know more about this watch. I googled Timex Jcrew watch, and started looking at anything I could find on the web about it. In fact, those keywords brought me to this article on a Timex Originals Dive Watch on a little site called Hodinkee. I clicked the article, and just like that, I couldn’t stop learning enough about watches. You could say that the JCrew Timex collaboration and Hodinkee led to me being the watch nerd I am today.
We will take a look at the various styles of watches that JCrew and Timex collaborated on and do a little review of my personal JCrew Timex, the Andros Dive Watch. JCrew also collaborated with Tourneau to bring back a defunct French watch label Mougin & Piquard, but we will just focus on the JCrew watches here.
JCrew Timex Military Style
This is the watch that started it all for me. The black dial, black strap watch is the one that caught my eye in the JCrew catalog years ago. This model is a modified version of a watch that Timex actually made for the US military. The dial is very similar, though the movement and case are different. When this was made for the military, it actually had a hand wound mechanical movement.
The price for this originally was quite a shocker to me, It listed for $150, which seemed like a lot of money for me for a timex, but by today’s standards, it seems like a bargain for a unique collaboration like this. Proportion wise, this model hit the sweet spot for diameter, at 36mm, which was the diameter of the Rolex Explorer of the same era. They also made this watch in a wide variety of dial colors, case colors and strap choices. The white dial, leather strap style of this watch really stands out to me.
JCrew Timex 1600
I think this is my favorite of all of the Timex-JCrew collaborations. The watch takes its name from what could arguably be the most important address in the world, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The following excerpt is from their own description of the watch:
“ Why 1600? It's been home to some of our greatest presidents (and style stewards), from FDR to JFK, whose brands of unflappable cool served as inspiration. With its old-school styling and world-class, modern construction, this timepiece is, well, timeless.”
I couldn’t agree more. Classic and timeless look. This thing gives off a Patek Philippe Calatrava vibe for about $150, as opposed to $15,000. The watch also comes in at a more traditional size at 36mm. The brown, simulated alligator strap is a great contrast to the silver dial and case.
My Watch- JCrew Timex Andros
And finally, my personal watch, the JCrew Timex Andros. This watch was a birthday present to myself, which I paid $175 for back in 2012. I had the itch to get something special, and saw this watch in the store and had to have it. I had always wanted to get one of the JCrew Times Military watches, but when I saw them in the case side by side, I knew this one was for me.
It is pretty obvious that some of the design cues come from the Rolex Submariner, but I like how they went different and instead of doing black dial and bezel, they went with a great shade of blue. In fact, I would say that this looks more like a Blue Tudor Submariner, or Tudor Black Bay Heritage Blue, which this watch predates by one year. The watch came with a blue nylon strap, which I love, but I also bought a brown leather strap, which really gives the watch a warmth about it. Another nice touch, is that it not only had the date, but also the day of the week. Don’t be looking for indiglo on this watch, however, as it is lume only.
Here are the specs taken from the original website description:
Dimensions: 38mm wide x 11mm thick
18mm lugs.
Bi-directional friction dive bezel
100M water resistance.
Lumed handset & markers (no Indiglo).
All stainless steel.
I had mentioned while discussing the Timex JCrew 1600, that the styling was timeless. Well, this watch stands the test of time as well. I opened my mailbox a few Months ago, and a Johnnie-O , catalog in there. They are an Apparel brand that describes their clothing as “Perfect For The Golf Course, Home Office, Or Wherever Life Takes You". While thumbing through the pages, I was in awe that the watch I bought in 2012, was featured on one of the model’s wrist. I have included those pics below. This shows the versatility and style of the Andros.
Timex is being extremely fan friendly and releasing some incredible stuff. I am a huge fan of the Timex Marlin, and appreciate the ruggedness and utilitarianism of the Ironman collection as well. They really have something for everyone. Currently, there are no Timex watches available on the JCrew website, which makes me kind of sad. A simple search on Ebay, however, will bring up quite a few of these watches.
I think that the Timex and JCrew collaboration really set the stage for the awesome things that they are doing today. My favorite current watch? The Toddy Snyder Timex Liquor Store of course! It perfectly combines the two things we love here at Whiskey and Watches. Check out this great article in Worn and Wound on the watch and the story behind it.
