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In 1977, Timex debuted its Easy Reader, a watch meant to be cheap, simple and — as the name blatantly suggests — supremely legible. The Easy Reader has remained in production ever since, with over 100 million examples sold, according to the brand. Even today the standard Easy Reader costs just $30. Now to celebrate its 40-year legacy of modesty, Timex has released a special edition with a few improvements thrown in.
For starters, the Easy Reader gets a new, larger 38mm case — a modest bump from the standard watch’s 35mm case — that seems to hit the sweet spot for time-only watches coming out in 2017. And as an added Easter egg, when you press in the crown to activate the watch’s Indiglo lume, a large number “40” shows up on the dial. Four dial colors are available: blue, green, white and black (which comes with a gunmetal finish on the case). But the best change made to this iteration of the Easy Reader is the strap. Timex saw fit to give the Easy Reader an upgrade from standard leather to Horween.
Given that somewhat lofty upgrade in leather, the Anniversary Edition Easy Reader will come with a bump in price to $69. But for a handsome, reliable watch with a strap made from some of the best leather made in the US, it’s not a bad price to pay.
