u/jonesboi-

Timex is putting out some serious heat 🔥

What I find interesting is that several of their newer watches seem to reference very recognizable luxury watches.

A few examples that caught my attention:

Timex Deepwater Meridian → Omega Seamaster
Blue dive bezel, wave-pattern dial, big lume plots, date magnifier, serious tool-watch look. Obviously not a Seamaster, but I definitely see some of that late-’90s/2000s Seamaster DNA.

Timex Automatic E Line → Patek Philippe Nautilus
Integrated bracelet, rounded-square case/bezel, horizontal blue dial. The Nautilus influence seems pretty obvious, but Timex has made it its own thing at a completely different price point.

Timex Deepwater GMT → Rolex GMT-Master II
24-hour bezel, jubilee-style bracelet, cyclops, GMT hand, familiar overall layout. Again, definitely not a Batman, but it scratches some of the same aesthetic itch.

And that’s what has me thinking:
Can I basically build the affordable version of my grail collection with Timex? 😂

Instead of:
Omega Seamaster
Patek Nautilus
Rolex GMT-Master II

I could have:
Timex Deepwater Meridian
Timex E Line Automatic
Timex Deepwater GMT

Obviously I’m not pretending these are substitutes in terms of movement, finishing, heritage, materials, resale value, etc. A $200–500 Timex isn’t magically a $10k–$100k luxury watch.

But purely from a design and collecting perspective, I kind of love the idea.

Between the Deepwater, E Line, Marlin, Q, Waterbury, etc., there’s actually a pretty interesting enthusiast collection you could build within one brand.

So I’m curious…

Are these good affordable interpretations of classic watch designs, or is Timex getting too close to homage territory?

And if you had ~$1,000 to build a 3–4 watch Timex collection, what would you pick?

[Chronograph] Help me pick my next watch: VAER vs Seiko vs Militado

I’m looking to add a proper racing-style chronograph to my collection and have narrowed it down to three pretty different options:

1. VAER RS1 Rally Chronograph – $279
40mm, cream dial with colorful racing-inspired subdials. This is probably my favorite aesthetically. I like that VAER has its own identity rather than being a direct homage, and this feels like the most distinctive of the three.

2. Seiko SSB383 – $159
Champagne dial, 40mm quartz chronograph. Probably the safest choice and arguably the best value. I like the Seiko name/heritage and the dial, although it feels a little dressier and less overtly “racing”.

3. Militado ML23 – $139
40mm, Miyota 6S21, sapphire crystal, 100m WR. Specs seem excellent for the price, and I really like the vintage motorsport/pilot aesthetic. The obvious downside is that the design is heavily inspired by much more expensive watches.

My current chronograph is an inexpensive Seventeenth Ref. 9127, so whichever one I choose would become my primary racing/sports chronograph.

Long term, I’d like to own something like a TAG Heuer racing chronograph and eventually an Omega Speedmaster, but I’m trying to build a fun collection at the affordable end first rather than jumping straight into luxury.

Right now I’m leaning:
VAER for design and originality
Seiko for brand/heritage and value
Militado for specs and vintage styling

Which would you pick? And for anyone who owns one of these, how has it held up?