The M79 Automatic was a nice retro looking divers style watch from US brand Timex last year and the back-in-the-day theme continues for this year. The 2020 Marlin trio, in green, black or cream dial flavours, all capture the 1960s feel of classic Timex watches but have the benefits of being assembled in a modern manufacturing plant in the Phillipines.

Timex isn’t one of our fave classic collectable brands here at the Northern Watch Co, mainly because the very basic pin-pallet movements feature no rubies, and tend to wear out fairly well after 50 years or so. They’re fun vintage watches if you can buy a runner for say £25, but don’t go mad – there are better cooking Swiss models out there for £35-£50.

To be fair, the old Timex watches made in Dundee were never meant to be anything but everyday timekeepers for the average person, and provided planty of fettling work for the vast network of watchmakers and small scale jewellers of the era.

Times change and the modern quartz and auto Timex models are built to be worn, and not serviced as often as a 1966 Ford Anglia. There’s a super minimalist day/date and 60s style baton markers on the slightly bevelled dial. Sometimes, less is more.

Hard to go wrong with a Miyota automatic movement, which is often found in other fashion brand watches that cost substantially more than the £229 RRP for the Marlin – that’s the price on the offical Timex website by the way.

A 40mm case size means that few people will mistake this Timex for a classic model, many of which were in the 33mm-35mm case size category. The 2020 Marlin is a handsome old school watch that looks classically elegant and makes an alternative to an entry level Seiko, Citizen, Accurist, Fossil or similar automatic.

Also new this Spring is the Milano XL, an updated classic inspired by the 1970s. The round dial is set against a tonneau stainless-steel case and paired with a true-to-the-era bracelet or leather strap. Timex also has a luminous hands/markers model called Essex Avenue, (pictured above) which is thankfully nothing to do with Joey Essex.