Timex Goes Surprisingly Classic and Elegant with the New, Affordable Marlin Chatham Automatic

An important part of the recent history of American watchmaking, Timex has long been known for making reliable and accessible watches. As explained by our editor Erik, the brand survived and effectively embraced the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, becoming one of the biggest and most popular brands in the world. By 1982, it shut down mechanical watch production altogether and focused solely on quartz, until the return of a hand-wound watch in 2017 with the Seagull-powered 34mm Marlin Mechanical. Based on this, Timex has expanded the Marlin collection and even gone upscale with the Giorgio Galli models and the Atelier Collection since 2025. And now, the American watchmaker releases a rather surprising model: retro-styled, compact, elegant and designed with traditional elements in mind… Let’s discover the new, accessible Marlin Chatham Automatic. 

Since its return in 2017, the Timex Marlin has evolved into a proper collection of mechanical watches, from the original hand-wound 34mm model to 40mm automatic versions, as well as more original versions such as the shaped Marlin Sub-Dial Automatic or the pretty cool Marlin Jet. And if the latter was inspired by the futuristic design of the 1960s, the new Marlin Chatham Automatic strongly plays on classic codes of watchmaking, with a shaped case and a dial that wouldn’t look out of place on some higher-end Swiss models.

The model is launched in two classic styles, both sharing the same specifications. The case is a classic of vintage watch design, a cushion-shaped case that some would call a tortue… There is, without a doubt, a bit of Cartier (the Tortue), Patek (the 5940 and 3670 are probably the most obvious references) or Journe (the Vagabondage series) in these new Marlin Chatham, which is not unpleasant. The case, entirely polished, is compact at 36mm in width and only 44.5mm in length. The thickness of 12mm is one of the consequences of its price positioning and an automatic outsourced movement. Another concession has to be seen on top of the case, which features a mineral crystal, and not a more resistant sapphire. Water-resistance is decent at 50m. Specs-wise, in line with its price tag, look-wise, pretty appealing.

The dial is also playing on elegant and retro inspirations, with its Breguet-styled applied numerals and polished, non-lumed hands. Then again, these are classic codes of high-end watchmaking, here transferred to a far more accessible range. The Marlin Chatham comes in two styles. The first one has an uncoated steel case paired with a silvery-white dial. The other adds warmth with its gold PVD-coated case, black dial and gold-coloured dial hardware.

Under a see-through caseback, we find an expected movement: an automatic Miyota Calibre 8215, one of the most used engines in the accessible automatic field. Beating at 3Hz, it can store about 42 hours of power reserve and comes with a stop-seconds. The decoration is, as anticipated, minimal but still comes with silver-coloured, brushed bridges and a customised oscillating weight.

Worn on a sustainable leather strap in black or brown sourced from the Leather Working Group (LWG), and fitted with quick-release spring bars, the Timex Marlin Chatham Automatic 36mm is a nice, elegant addition to a growing collection of accessible mechanical watches. Indeed, it retails for EUR 279/USD 289 for the silver model, and EUR 289/USD 299 for the gold-coloured version. For more details, visit timex.com.