Four New Watches Under AU$900 That Punch Well Above Their Price
From a Timex root beer GMT to a pastel rally chronograph, four new watches between about AU$315 and AU$905 that deliver real complications and vintage style.
You don't need four figures to get a watch that looks the part. A run of new releases shows four honest options at US$250 to US$630 (roughly AU$360 to AU$900), from a GMT with a root beer bezel to a pastel rally chronograph.
Between them, these four cover a second time zone, an automatic movement and a chronograph. Two have a GMT hand, which is handy if you have family overseas or travel for work, two are automatics you power just by wearing them, and one is a chronograph with a mechanical feel. Each is priced well below the big Swiss names that dominate the category.
Timex Waterbury Heritage Automatic GMT "Root Beer"
The headliner is Timex's automatic GMT, priced at US$579 (approx. AU$830). It has a 41.5mm stainless steel case, an NH34 automatic movement with a GMT function, a "root beer" bezel and an exhibition caseback so you can see the movement. An automatic GMT with that bezel look is usually a lot more expensive than this.
Héron Continental
Héron's Continental is the dressier pick at US$630 (approx. AU$905). It's a 37mm hardened stainless steel watch with a Miyota 9039 automatic movement, a sandwich dial and a beads-of-rice bracelet, which is a vintage touch you rarely see at this price. The 37mm size also suits smaller wrists.
Timex Marlin Quartz GMT
If AU$900 is too much, the Marlin Quartz GMT is the sensible one. The 40mm stainless steel version with an ice blue dial and jubilee bracelet is US$249 (approx. AU$360), and a leather strap version with a chocolate brown dial is US$219 (approx. AU$315). Both have a GMT function and a domed acrylic crystal for a vintage look, and quartz means no winding and no fuss.
Wind Vintage x True North Rally Timer IV "Dreamsicle"
The fun one. This collaboration is a 37mm stainless steel chronograph in pastel colours with a Seiko VK63 meca-quartz movement, for US$490 (approx. AU$705). Meca-quartz is a quartz-powered movement with a mechanical-style chronograph, which keeps the price down while still giving you a proper stopwatch function. It's the most distinctive of the four.
Before you buy
All prices are US list prices, so check Australian availability, shipping and any import costs before you order, because the final AU price will differ from the converted figure. The exchange rate also moves daily.
At a glance
- Timex Waterbury Heritage Automatic GMT Root Beer: US$579 (approx. AU$830), 41.5mm, NH34 automatic
- Héron Continental: US$630 (approx. AU$900), 37mm, Miyota 9039 automatic
- Timex Marlin Quartz GMT: US$249 (approx. AU$360) steel, US$219 (approx. AU$315) leather, 40mm quartz
- Wind Vintage x True North Rally Timer IV: US$490 (approx. AU$705), 37mm, Seiko VK63 meca-quartz
Verdict: the Timex Root Beer GMT is the best value if you want one automatic watch that does a bit of everything, and the Marlin Quartz GMT is the easy buy if you want to stay under AU$400. Take the Héron if you want something dressier, and the Wind Vintage if you want something no one else has.
*Prices in this article are US list prices converted at todays rate to AUD, so treat the Australian figures as approx.
