Timex produce watches for men, women and children. The watches are available in a wide range of styles and designs to ensure that there is a perfect model for every collector. Here’s my most significant complaint: With a water rating of just 30 m, it feels weird that a watch dubbed the “Waterbury Ocean” isn’t rated high enough for a swim at the beach. I learnt the expression, “buy cheap, buy twice” the hard way with, of all things, shoes. Despite my best efforts to ignore the peeling soles and fraying laces, it was abundantly clear to me that spending less on something does not always equate to a saving. And so you might think that spending a single percent of the Rolex’s value on a watch is a fool’s errand. We’ve seen a number of watch brands utilizing recycled ocean plastic that comes from #tide Ocean Material. We’re glad to see those materials not just getting removed from the oceans, but also being put to new use in consumer goods. The latest to take advantage of this trend is the newly announced Timex Waterbury Ocean. Designs

That’s where Timex comes in. The company (and several other watch companies) are now offering watches aimed at eco-conscious consumers. These include the folks at Luminox, who’ve recently sent along a Survival Master Chronograph spun from the same stuff. But that’s a discussion for another time.In short: Timex’s Waterbury Ocean is an interesting concept, aiming to take ocean-bound plastic “From Waste to Wrist.” Despite its paradoxically low 30 m of water resistance, it’s a beautifully designed and affordably priced timepiece that carries a genuine sense of care and sustainability. The #tide Effect (Photo/Josh Wussow) This, along with the quartz movement, means the Timex Waterbury Ocean is going to be a very lightweight watch, which should make for very comfortable wear. In terms of coloration, there are five different versions coming. From the photos we’ve seen, it looks like you’ve got a heathered effect in the case and bracelet, and that pattern carries on into the dial as well. It’s a unique look, and has a very summery feel. Timex Waterbury Ocean – Price But that’s the point, right? And somehow, the Ocean manages not to feel like a toy. This is due in large part to the excellent polishing on its metal surfaces. (Photo/Josh Wussow)

You’ll also notice how narrow it is. Combined with the slightly underslung 20mm lugs, it creates a bit of a slim, narrow feel. Available in three colorways, the stunning marine-inspired dial of the resulting wristwatch follows suit in its responsible production, allowing for distinctive flakes of shredded material to make the face of each timepiece gloriously unique. Of course, it's only fitting that the classic Waterbury construction serves as the foundation of this wristwatch. Our story of unstoppable innovation began nearly 170 years ago as the Waterbury Watch Company, and what better way to honor our rich legacy in traditional watchmaking than through our eponymous collection? The clasp, the crown, and especially the indices and hands are wonderfully reflective, catching the light with a beautiful sheen. It helps that these latter two aren’t just flat bits of steel. Each has multiple bevels, which further scatter the sunshine. The Rolex, on the other hand, is a handcrafted pair of Italian brogues made from the finest dodo leather, and regardless of how good they are out in the rain, you’d never dare try because they cost so much. Speaking of which … It’s Safer Roughly 40% of the world's ocean surface already consists of plastic, and without action, it's predicted that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. This endemic is affecting marine life and harming ecosystems every day, which is why Timex® is taking an important step in the direction of sustainability. With Waterbury Ocean, we're redesigning our past to take care of our future by repurposing ocean-bound plastic pollution for a cleaner tomorrow.

Timex Waterbury Ocean: Review

On World Ocean Day, we're introducing the Waterbury Ocean collection, created using upcycled, ocean-bound plastic, in partnership with award-winning organization, #tide. This exciting release comes at a crucial time for our planet; the ocean is suffocating due to plastic pollution, with an estimated 8 million tons of waste finding its way into the sea every year. While the statistics surrounding this global crisis are certainly staggering, they're unsurprising given the rate at which societies around the world both produce and dispose of nonbiodegradable materials. I know, I know, that’s not why we enjoy mechanical movements, but it’s still a gut punch to realise that the peak of Rolex accuracy, losing just two seconds a day, is promptly walked all over by a pretty basic quartz calibre. Aside from the replacement of a battery, a cheap and easy thing to do yourself if you’re into that sort of thing, the Miyota quartz in the Timex is just better at doing the one thing it’s meant to do: telling the time and telling it accurately. But take a look at its band next to a few metal bracelets, and you’ll see that the Ocean’s links are indeed closer to the size of a traditional half-link. (Photo/Josh Wussow) The first time, I chalked it up to a possible battery issue. But after the second (and third) instance, I’m sure the blame rests with me.

It’s a proven, functional mechanism, and (other than some instances we’ll discuss later) it maintained more or less perfect timekeeping over its stay. The watches are created using both battery-powered quartz movements and automatic mechanical movements. Speaking of Timex mainstays, there’s one that you won’t find here — Indiglo. Instead, Timex applied luminous paint to the minute and hour hands, along with a small dot above each hour marker. (Photo/Josh Wussow) So you get the benefit of not only enjoying a cheaper, more sustainable watch, but one that boasts over a century and a half of production. That’s not only older that Rolex, it’s older than Breitling, Audemars Piguet, TAG Heuer—the list goes on and on. It’s More AccurateHere’s one you probably wouldn’t have guessed: Timex is older than Rolex. As a business I mean. Rolex started making watches—or rather, watches were made on behalf of the company—in 1905. Pretty old. But not as old as Timex. They’ve been at it since 1854. In the current materials arms race sweeping across the watch industry, one of the most unique and eco-friendly concepts to emerge is the implementation of reclaimed ocean plastics. Over the past several years, usage of ocean-sourced recycled plastic for cases and dials has spread across the industry, spearheaded in many cases by Swiss plastic reclamation specialist #tide. Timex is the latest brand to jump aboard the reclaimed ocean plastic trend, with a new series of affordable, classic styles in bright and appealing colors. With summery colorways, handsome details, and an environmentally conscious core message, the new Timex Waterbury Ocean series brings the ocean-sourced plastic trend to a new, democratic segment of the watch market. Like the cases, the dials of the Timex Waterbury Ocean collection keep the overall look simple and classical, with clean, bright highlights. The dial surfaces themselves match the colorways and textures of their respective cases for an attractively cohesive monochrome look in images. Timex tops these surfaces with elemental polished baton hands and matching faceted applied indices. With only two lines of dial text and a symmetrical no-date layout, the brand dedicates as much visual real estate as possible to preserving the visual texture of the plastic material, while keeping the design light and airy in images.

Basically, ocean-bound plastic is gathered, sorted, shredded, and turned into a new manufacturing medium. The clasp is functional and nicely signed, but it’s certainly abbreviated when compared with a traditional deployment method. ConclusionWhat do you think? Can the Timex Waterbury be your better-than-Rolex watch? I think in certain circumstances—which occur every single day—it really can. It’s nice to have the Rolex, like it’s nice to have a fancy car or a posh pair of shoes, but part of enjoying nice things is actually getting to enjoy them. Keep them as a treat, use them as an occasion, and let the Timex take care of everything else. For now, let’s dig into the Waterbury. Timex Waterbury Ocean: Review (Photo/Josh Wussow) The Product