Timex has just released a mid-century vintage beauty but does it deserve its $199 price tag?

Coming in three colorways (blue, pink, silver) the new Marlin Mesh is a 34mm quartz watch with attractive applied Roman numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9.

Powering this vintage-inspired piece is a quartz movement and protecting the dial is a domed acrylic crystal. Timex usually favor their acrylics which helps keep the watches affordable but it’s worth noting that the good Chinese brands around this same price point (and cheaper) will typically use sapphire crystal.

In any other watch I might dock points for an acrylic crystal at $200, however, it fits the watch’s vintage characteristics so I can’t fault Timex for that.

18mm lugs hold the quick release mesh strap to the watch and I have to say - it looks great. If you’ve never worn a mesh bracelet before I highly recommend them. Infinitely customizable and comfortable, they can really elevate the look of a dress watch or vintage-inspired watch like this one.

The watch is also stainless steel - no Casio resin here.

Overall I think the color options are stellar, the bracelet looks great, and the dial is gorgeous.

So why am I hesitant on the price?

For $85 more the Orient Bambino Version 6 sits as a silent competitor. In a vacuum, the Todd Snyder x Timex Marlin Mesh is a decent value watch, but we’re not in a vacuum. Orient exists, Chinese watch brands exist.

The Orient Bambino Version 6 is a 40mm automatic, powered by an in-house movement and sports a date function. Again, no sapphire crystal, but the value proposition is clear: a 40 hour power reserve automatic with higher levels of finishing and date function for $85 more.

The Orient Bambino Version 7 improves on this design by shrinking it to a more traditional (or perhaps modern, in the perspective of the Todd Snyder x Timex) 38mm and a compact 44mm lug to lug, though costs about $100 more.

Quartz has its place (and there’s nothing wrong with it) but if you can stretch the extra $100, the Bambino seems the better value.

The Bottom Line

All that being said, watches are superfluous purchases at the end of the day. We like what we like. The benefit of enjoying and collecting affordable watches is that we might not have to make difficult decisions. This isn’t a comparison between a Tudor and an Omega. Get both. Or one. Or none!

Though on the more expensive end for Chinese watches you can find on Aliexpress, the San Martin BB homage is every bit deserving of it’s nearly $300 price tag.

This 39mm solid stainless steel watch sits a little larger on the wrist due to its 49mm lug to lug, but still works on small wrists like mine.

Chinese watches have a negative connotation for the uninitiated but some brands (Sea-gull, Sugess) create affordable and well-made pieces. San Martin is among these brands.

Beneath the sapphire crystal and applied lumed indices a trusty Seiko NH34 powers the time, date, and GMT functions.

Speaking of GMT, the SN0109’s aluminum bezel both clicks nicely and looks great.

The watch is an impressive homage to the Tudor and while I wore it out, someone even mistook it for the BB.

The screw down crown helps this watch achieve 100 meters of water resistance, though sometimes it does look like there’s more room to screw in. I’d be hesitant to really test the watch’s ability to keep its innards dry, so no diving, but I’d wear it in a pool without a doubt.

While we’re nitpicking there is the occasional less-than-smooth edge, though it’s only felt when leaning my wrist against something hard like a desk. Perhaps five more minutes rounding out some of the edges in the factory would’ve done the piece good.

Finally, the watch comes standard with an oyster bracelet which looked and felt great, but San Martin also sell a jubilee that really elevates the watch. Unfortunately, despite being made for this specific model, I couldn’t buy the watch with the jubilee, I had to purchase separately. I even messaged San Martin beforehand to see if they’d sell the watch to me jubilee and not the oyster but the answer was a no. Keep in mind if you want the jubilee bracelet, you’re forced to purchase the watch with the oyster as well.

That being said, the watch itself feels great and should be easily serviceable. One day I’m sure I’ll feel the Tudor in person and can compare the build quality (probably only in the boutique) but for now, this scratches that itch.

I recommend this watch!

What better way to start than with my first watch?

The Seiko SRK050 was my gateway into watches. Its simple dial, with small seconds and roman numerals provided an elegance I was looking for to match business casual days without being too flashy.

At 39mm it sits okay on my relatively small wrists and its sapphire crystal gives me piece of mind against potential scratches. While I don’t take this watch into pools, it is water resistant up to 165 feet (5 bar, 50 meters).

Seiko uses the 6G28 quartz movement in this piece, which they claim is accurate to ± 20 seconds per month with a battery life of 3 years.

It’s quite thin and lightweight; easy to forget you’re wearing it. However, the cow leather strap did take some time to break in as it was extremely stiff out of the box. It’s also quite shiny and frankly, cheap. Recommend changing the strap.

Seiko lists this watch along with its various-colored brothers and sisters at about $250 but it can be often found for ~$120 on grey marketplaces. Its grey market price certainly makes it a steal.

Due to the white dial and highly reflective crystal, this watch is very playful with light. As the picture above suggests, it will accept and bounce back any light source with intensity. Definitely a piece for the disco!

While the majority of the hour markers are printed on, we do get a few gold-colored metal studs with the roman numerals which match the case and the OEM strap buckle. Small details but they look great.

On the wrist, expect this watch to sit relatively flat. There isn’t much curve or contour to the lugs. If your wrist is big enough, it’ll sit well right in the middle. Despite its 39mm diameter, it does wear a millimeter or two bigger which is about the limit for me. If your wrists are any smaller you may find this a tad too large.

Truthfully, the Seiko SRK050 gets less and less wrist time lately as more intricate or complicated designs catch my eye, but the simplicity of this piece means it’ll still be wearable in 50 years (with a battery change!)

It’s hard to go wrong here - I recommend adding this watch to your collection.