The Timex Marlin represents the confluence of several trends in the watch industry: a younger generation adopting mechanical timepieces, watch companies finally embracing the idea of crafting smaller-cased watches and the industry continuing the trend of producing vintage-inspired wares. First came the Marlin on a black leather strap, which worked beautifully as an inexpensive dress watch; then came the same watch but with a black dial produced in collaboration with Todd Snyder, which was even better suited to a formal setting. Now, Timex’s next collaboration with the venerable menswear brand has yielded a Marlin on a steel mesh bracelet — a decidedly more “everyday” take on the now-classic vintage reissue.
The Good: An inexpensive, hand-wound, attractive watch with a smaller case and a comfortable metal bracelet? For $209? Really? There’s not a lot to complain about at this price (there are actually a few things to complain about, but I’ll do that later).
Who They’re For: There are a few subsets of potential customers for the Marlin Mesh, the first of which is the budding mechanical watch enthusiast who’s looking for his first watch and doesn’t want to spend a fortune. Another is someone who’s already a watch nerd and just wants something fun and simple to throw on once in a while without having to put much thought into it (the watch seems to mesh well with most outfits, which is a “mesh” joke). Another potential customer is someone who’s looking for a gift for a someone, and that someone, given the aesthetics and dimensions of the Marlin, could certainly be male or female.
Watch Out For: Of course, when you’re talking about a $209 mechanical watch, it should be clear that what you’re likely not getting is a top-grade movement (of course there are exceptions to this rule, but they mostly seem to occur in Japanese watches, such as the Seiko SKX007). Winding and setting the Marlin Mesh (or any Marlin, for that matter) is not a “Rolex-smooth” operation — you can feel the resistance as you wind the crown or set the time, as if there were gunk in the movement.
I noticed that the power reserve on the Marlin is quite short — it stopped running after about half a day — though I have been experiencing this phenomenon with several of my vintage watches even after numerous rounds of servicing. Given that I write about watches for a living and am fairly confident in my ability to properly wind and use mechanical watches, this leads me to believe that either A. the Marlin, for whatever reason, has a very short power reserve or B. I was, at some point in time, cursed by a witch, but it was a very specific curse whose sole effect was to adversely affect the mainspring of any mechanical watch that I wear.
