Introducing: A New Color For Timex’s Enigma 1975 Mystery Dial (Live Pics + Pricing)
What We Know
If you’ve taken a look at the Timex Q collection, you’ll know that there isn’t a coherent design language across the board. Rather, the Timex Q name serves as a sort of historical playground for the designers at the brand, where vintage Timexes can be resurrected or new homages created based on historical models. This year, Timex introduces a new colorway in a sequel to last year’s blue-dialed Q Timex 1975 Enigma reissue.
In the same way that the original model from 1975 attempted to execute a mystery dial, a dot is painted on the center of the crystal, color-matched to the dial color. This covers the center posts of the phantom hour, minutes, and seconds hands. In the right angle (basically perfectly top-down) and ideal lighting conditions, the highlighted tips of the hands appear to float around the dial.
The 37mm cushion case in stainless steel showcases a fully polished top case with brushed sides and bottom. The dial features black date windows and a contrasting outer minutes track, while the rest of the dial remains unsurprisingly sparse, with negative space required to maintain the illusion of floating hands. The seconds hand features a contrasting lume-filled dot in light blue, highlighting the effect as it whizzes around the dial every minute.
A thick, domed acrylic crystal sits on top of the case, contributing quite a bit to the total case height of 12.7mm (according to my calipers). But a compact 42mm lug-to-lug ensures that the watch still fits well on most wrist sizes. Multiple strap options are available, ranging from a steel bracelet to vegan leather or single-piece fabric straps, with the model featuring a leather strap priced at $209.
What We Think
Calling the Enigma a mystery dial might be a stretch, given that since its original release in 1975, we’ve seen many more successful executions of the idea with transparent discs (even from Timex, with its Snoopy Tennis watch). It’s a rare occasion when I wish Timex had strayed further from the original design, incorporating acrylic discs as hands to truly create an amazing mystery dial watch at a quartz price point.
However, at the $200 price point, the Enigma continues to add another uniquely designed offering to the collection, featuring well-balanced proportions, an interesting execution, and, of course, a healthy dose of space-age seventies inspiration to tie everything together.
The Basics
Brand: Timex
Model: Q 1975 Enigma
Reference Number: TW2Y34500 (black)
Diameter: 37mm
Thickness: 12.7mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Printed
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 50m
Strap/Bracelet: Bracelet, vegan leather, and fabric options available
The Movement
Caliber: Quartz movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day of week, date
Pricing & Availability
Price: $209 on vegan leather or fabric strap
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
