TICK...TICK...TICK - (Timex 25th Hour)

The limited edition April Fool’s joke watch dubbed “The 25th Hour” from Timex is a perfect exemplification of all the things I love and hate about Timex. This watch is a unique and creative concept that starts conversation and provides a beautiful, subtle point of interest on the wrist. The color is muted. It gives off a modern classic look that I’ve grown to expect from Timex. Their looks, style and tone are always on point.

However, the problem that plagued my other aesthetic favorite, the weekender, is unchanged in this watch. The case feels cheap and the band, while serviceable, begs to be replaced with something better. Worst of all, the trademark ticking of the Timex Quartz movement is present and loud as ever. If you are a person bugged by the loud sound of the second hand in previous iterations, this will give you no solace. It is loud enough that I hear it while driving, while sitting in the waiting room. I have been distracted by the watch while editing videos. I pull out the crown at night and reset the time in the morning because it’s impossible for me to sleep with the *tick tick tick TICK TICK* ringing out in the quiet of my bedroom at night.

Call me sensitive. Tell me I’m being ridiculous. But that ticking is the reason I avoided buying another Timex until this watch.

It is a testament to the visual appeal of this piece, then, that I continue to endure the annoyance of it’s overt ticking to wear it most days of the week. I can’t count how many times someone has asked about the watch or commented on the cool “V” shaped neon orange color at the top(actually, it’s color is more muted than neon, like smoke obscuring a neon sign in a bar, just trust me, it’s cool).

Telling the story of it’s weird place in the Timex lineup is fun. It was only sold during a 25 hour window. (Technically this is the second time it was made available and I’m thankful I was able to snatch one up) They created a sort of mystique around their discovery of an extra hour of time that they have graciously included with this limited edition timepiece.

The Arabic numerals are interesting and offset in a funky way around the 40mm face. Visually it’s somewhat disorienting but very much a part of the charm. Counting by twos on the outside of the face through the 24 hour day and skipping to 25 in that colorful sector at the 12 o’clock position, it manages to appear classy and fun in the same breath. It wears lightly on the wrist and lacks any date complication. It is hackable but, through and through, this is the most basic of basic watches and is much better for it in my opinion.

So, in a modern triumph of form over function, I have been enjoying the hell out of this watch. It is the kind of thing I wish was built by Seiko. I wish it was an automatic movement. I wish to hell and back it was quiet. And I wish it was just a little more robust in it’s build quality, but at the end of the day, I find myself smiling with it on my wrist and excited to share the story of it’s inception and my procurement during the 25 hours it was available on Timex’s site. Should you get this watch? For less than a hundred dollars, it feels worth it to me. It’s actual build quality is closer to a $30 or $40, but the visual elements and cool backstory add enough to the value of the piece that I don’t flinch pulling the trigger for less than an ol’ Benjamin Franklin. Snatch it up, and maybe set a few bucks aside for earplugs. You’ll need em.

Stuff above linked below:

Similar watch because this is out of stock - - Timex Weekender: https://amzn.to/2r2L4IM I filmed this with: Canon 5D mkiv: https://amzn.to/2qJn9Oq GH5: https://amzn.to/2NKJGSC Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART: https://amzn.to/32m7v8C Canon 16-35 L: https://amzn.to/32HR1rq 100mm Macro: https://amzn.to/2pLnbF7 Yongnuo y300 light : https://amzn.to/2pAgx4K Diffuser : https://amzn.to/2JRYRs6 Aputure Mini Light: https://amzn.to/2WP5UXY Fairy Lights: https://amzn.to/2KAYgeS

(If you buy through links on the site it will likely give me a small commission that helps keep the site running and almost buys me a latte sometimes. So thanks)