Photo: Uncommon Artifact
Thirty-six millimetres of orange resin: the MK1 takes Timex's 1980s military-issue field watch and removes every reason to be careful with it.
Verdict
| What it is | Timex MK1 (TW2W91300) — 36mm orange resin field watch, quartz, 24-hour dial, fabric slip-thru strap |
| Price | £70 — Timex UK list (checked Oct 2026) |
| Availability | Current Timex line |
| The angle | The whole watch — case, dial, strap — is one colour, and the colour is the point. |
| Verdict | A field watch priced so that the field is never a worry. |
The story
The MK1 is Timex's revival of its own 1980s military-issue watch — the collection is named for the military designation of the original — rebuilt in resin at the original's compact 36mm. This version takes the formula to a single decision: everything is orange. Resin case, dial, and the slip-thru fabric strap, with black Arabic numerals in 12- and 24-hour scales, triangular markers, and luminous hands. The crystal is acrylic, the movement quartz, the water resistance a splash-level 30 metres.
Photographed on the wrist for the daily story series, against indigo denim — the one outfit pairing this watch reliably improves. The judgement: colour is doing all the design work here, and it is enough. A field watch's job is to be read instantly and replaced cheaply, and the MK1 is honest about both halves of that contract in a way that decorated "heritage" editions at ten times the price are not.
Specs
| Reference | TW2W91300 |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Case | Resin, orange, 36mm diameter × 12.5mm thick |
| Dial | Orange, full Arabic 12/24-hour scales, luminous hands and markers |
| Crystal | Acrylic (Plexiglas) |
| Strap | Orange fabric slip-thru, 18mm |
| Water resistance | 30 metres (splash-resistant) |
What to check before buying
- Acrylic scratches, and that's fine. The crystal will mark; it also polishes out with a cloth and patience. Judge the watch on the case and dial, not the crystal.
- Resin ages in sunlight. On used examples, compare the case colour under the strap with the exposed case. Fading tells you the watch lived outdoors.
- 30 metres means splashes. Rain and hand-washing, not swimming. The rating is printed plainly; believe it.
- Strap length. The slip-thru strap is sized generously for over-sleeve wear. On a bare wrist there will be tail to tuck.
Price record
| TW2W91300 | £70 — Timex UK list, checked Oct 2026 |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: the reference and specifications are at See it at Timex — the MK1 36mm page. Not our listing. See Disclosure.
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- Mondaine SBB Big Date — the Swiss railway watch, in black
- Kiwame Tokyo MUNE USUKI — Asakusa, written on the dial
- Toraichi 2530-418
Photographed for the daily wrist-shot story series — not our stock, and not a sales listing. Disclosure
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