With Timex’s release of their Q and Q GMT, the brand has dominated budget-friendly categories with stunning, vintage-styled quartz watches. What’s the next step? Releasing a skin diver-styled watch featuring a familiar bezel insert colouration and design while maintaining a unique and charming aesthetic paired with an automatic movement instead of quartz. The watch on my wrist for the last couple of weeks is the Timex M79.
Many will remember the original release of the M79, which featured a variety of colour options (black dial w/ black bezel, black dial w/ red/black bezel, black dial w/ blue/black bezel and a burgundy dial w/ black/rose gold bezel,) equipped with the unfortunate hair pulling bracelet from the Timex Q. The variation on my wrist is an updated navy dial with a batman (black/blue) bezel insert and an updated bracelet.
The M79 features a 40mm stainless steel case, a 14.5mm case thickness and a 46.2mm lug-to-lug. The case sizing at 40mm is perfect for my wrist and the wrists of others—however, the 14.5mm case thickness makes for a taller form factor and makes the watch feel slightly off-balance. The saviour of the case is the 46.2mm lug-to-lug which makes it feel more compact and balances out the case thickness—if the lug-to-lug were more extended, there would be an issue regarding wearability.
While the case design remains the same, Timex upgraded the bracelet to this new variation, and I’ve never been happier. As a man with hairy arms, the previous bracelet style, also found on the Timex Q, left some bald patches on my wrist because it was a hair puller. Their new linked bracelet is exceptionally comfortable, but there’s one thing missing: micro-adjust. The lack of a clasp with micro-adjust makes it a tad challenging to size perfectly and should be added to the following variation of the M79; if there is a next version.
Powering the M79 is the Miyota automatic calibre 8205—a reliable movement, but again, the mark is slightly missed with the implementation of the 8205. While it is a reliable movement, it lacks hacking functionality, which is a must for any mechanical movement, in my opinion. However, it is reliable and a good choice for a watch in the budget-friendly category.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the M79 and stoked on the watches Timex has produced for the last few years. However, for the $369 price tag, Timex is in the same competing space as Seiko and the SRPD line, which have features missing from the M79 (micro-adjust bracelets, hacking movement functionality, higher water resistance, etc.) and are around the same price. The Timex M79 is a fantastic watch, and many would be happy to own one, but there are some things that you should look into before buying. Thanks for taking the time to read my review of the Timex M79. Until next time, cheers.
