Timex X Huckberry Q Reissue "Cola"
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:37 am
Timex X Huckberry Q Reissue "Cola"
The Basics:
38mm dia case
44-45mm L2L
18mm lug width
Stainless Steel case, crown and bracelet
Bi-directional friction elapsed time bezel
Domed acrylic crystal
Lumed hour and minute hand
Day/date complication
Case:
The case has a size of 38mm and a lug to lug distance of 44/45mm making this fit many varied a wrist size. The case has an overall flat profile which might make it wear larger than its dimensions appear. Personally, for my 6.25" diameter, fairly flat, wrist this case fits well with no gap between the case and my wrist. The finishing on the case is predominantly polished with the sole exception being the hooded lug area that has a lateral brushing across the top. Personally, I would have preferred some additional brushing along the sides of the case for a more mixed finishing combination, but given this watch's vintage heritage/aesthetic, I can look past this.
The crown is unsigned and continues the high polished theme. The small and unguarded crown does help seal the case to a rating of 50M water resistance, even though it is only a push/pull seal. While I wish the crown was a bit larger, making operation a bit easier, it performs as expected, and given the quartz module inside, the crown should need only be used once every other month at most. The rear of the case is the only location the "Huckberry" name appears, and that is on the user-serviceable battery hatch. Oddly enough, for a supposedly limited run watch, no individual number or 1 of 1xxx appears on the case back. I think if this collab is actually a limited run, an opportunity was missed to show that on the case back.
Bezel:
Unlike the standard Timex Q models, the Huckberry Q has a 60 minute elapsed time bezel, rather than a 12-hour bezel. Similar to the standard Q, the bezel is friction-based and bi-directional in its rotation. The stiffness of the bezel on my Q is quite substantial, which I definitely prefer to the other option of way too loose and floppy. It by no means is inoperable but it definitely requires effort to move and adjust. The bezel insert itself is clearly printed with the first 20 minutes in red, with each minute from 0 to 20 marked with the remaining portion of the bezel in black, only having the 5-minute markers indicated. The bezel lacks a lume pip at the 12 o'clock position, so timing anything in the dark is not happening. The bezel insert appears to be aluminum with a coating while the bezel might be plastic, which has been the opinion of many others that have handled the Timex Q models.
Dial & hands:
Besides the bezel, the dial is the only other item that differentiates the Huckberry Q from any of the standard Q reissues. The predominantly matte black sector dial is split into 4 sectors by a red crosshair that matches the red inner train track and second hand. Large applied and polished indices sit at the 12,6 & 9 locations, while the day & date cutout steals the 3 o'clock location. The remaining hour markers are printed onto the dial in white. The day & date window is framed in a white outline, but unfortunately, the day & date wheel is stark white. I feel is a missed opportunity for a color-matched set of wheels, but I can concede that this change might make the watch dial look unbalanced. The minute track running around the perimeter of the dial is split into two, the innermost being red and the outermost being white. The definitely is a nice addition especially at the edge of the dial where the domed crystal distortion is at its greatest.
The only words that adorn the dial are "TIMEX" just above the pinion and "QUARTZ" just below. I feel while the reduced text might be a plus to some, I truly feel this was a missed opportunity for Huckberry. On past Timex collabs, Huckberry's signature pine tree logo has adorned the dial, giving a nod to something different or special. In removing the "Q" logo below the Timex brand name, I feel this would have been the perfect place for the Pine tree to appear. This addition would have further separated the Huckberry Q from the regular Q reissue.
The hands are adequately sized with the hour hand reaching the edge of the hour markers and the minute hand reaching the demarcation between the two colored minute tracks on the outside of the dial. The second hand is slightly shorter than the minute hand only reaching to the innermost red minute track. The difference in size between the minute and second hand is almost invisible to the naked eye. The vintage theme is carried through on the hour and minute hand with high polished finishes on both and yellowy vintage lume filling their centers.
Lume is there, and that truly the best I can say about it. It's weak and takes a lot of light to charge. It fades quickly and without any lume on the dial really renders the watch unless in low/no light situations. The second hand is red, matching the other red-colored elements on the dial. I am glad that these red accents all match or are so close it is impossible to discern any real difference in color tone. I feel that a miss-match here would stand out quite a lot and ruin much of this watch's aesthetic.
Movement:
The Huckberry Q runs a Seiko Instruments PC33, which houses a day/date complication. The date is quick change; while sadly the same cannot be said for the day. This means going round and round and round in the time setting position till you reach the day you desire. Annoying at the time of setting but because of the quartz module, it can be an afterthought until your battery dies. Take this information and do with it as you wish. My example is running -4s total for the last 14 days, approximately 0.25s/d. The Seiko Instruments PC33 that's in my Huckberry Q is near silent running (ticking can be heard when next to your ear), furthermore this module hits all the minute markers on the nose. This is a nice change from other Timex offerings that are loud enough to wake the dead and also have a 60/40 split of miss to hit for the minute markers. Lastly, I have noticed when setting the time, that if you push the crown back into the normal position too aggressively, the minute hand can jump, thus inaccurately setting the time.
Bracelet:
The bracelet measures 18mm across the lug then flairs to 24/25mm to match the case profile. It then tapers down to 16mm for the adjustable section of the bracelet. The finishing is a combination of brushed and polished that matches/suits the case aesthetic. The clasp is infinitely adjustable, so the right fit is easily achieved. On that point of fitment, we should probably discuss how you "should" wear this bracelet, and that is tighter than normal. The bracelet, with its rolled links, pinches and pulls hairs if it is allowed to move up and down, or rotate around your wrist. To eliminate this, I tightened the bracelet a slight bit more than I usually wear mine and it almost entirely eliminated this issue. The only time the hair pulling returns is upon putting the watch on or taking it off again. I have personally toyed with purchasing an 18mm polished Milanese bracelet to really lean into the 70's vintage aesthetic of the watch, but I have yet to do so at the time of posting.
Final thoughts:
The Timex X Huckberry Q is a departure from the standard Q reissue aesthetic, for better or worse. Personally: I am part of the former category, as you could probably tell by my above review. While the Huckberry Q model has several aesthetic changes that make it stand out in its own right, it won't be for everyone. The price, vintage style, and sizing, the bracelet are definitely going to be downsides to some potential buyers. The opposite is also true, if you like the look, size and can live with the above-mentioned bracelet, or are willing to spend a little bit to replace it, I think the Huckberry Q is the #1 option in the Q range.
A vintage-inspired sports watch, with actual heritage, that the modern enthusiast can enjoy.
The Basics:
38mm dia case
44-45mm L2L
18mm lug width
Stainless Steel case, crown and bracelet
Bi-directional friction elapsed time bezel
Domed acrylic crystal
Lumed hour and minute hand
Day/date complication
Case:
The case has a size of 38mm and a lug to lug distance of 44/45mm making this fit many varied a wrist size. The case has an overall flat profile which might make it wear larger than its dimensions appear. Personally, for my 6.25" diameter, fairly flat, wrist this case fits well with no gap between the case and my wrist. The finishing on the case is predominantly polished with the sole exception being the hooded lug area that has a lateral brushing across the top. Personally, I would have preferred some additional brushing along the sides of the case for a more mixed finishing combination, but given this watch's vintage heritage/aesthetic, I can look past this.
The crown is unsigned and continues the high polished theme. The small and unguarded crown does help seal the case to a rating of 50M water resistance, even though it is only a push/pull seal. While I wish the crown was a bit larger, making operation a bit easier, it performs as expected, and given the quartz module inside, the crown should need only be used once every other month at most. The rear of the case is the only location the "Huckberry" name appears, and that is on the user-serviceable battery hatch. Oddly enough, for a supposedly limited run watch, no individual number or 1 of 1xxx appears on the case back. I think if this collab is actually a limited run, an opportunity was missed to show that on the case back.
Unlike the standard Timex Q models, the Huckberry Q has a 60 minute elapsed time bezel, rather than a 12-hour bezel. Similar to the standard Q, the bezel is friction-based and bi-directional in its rotation. The stiffness of the bezel on my Q is quite substantial, which I definitely prefer to the other option of way too loose and floppy. It by no means is inoperable but it definitely requires effort to move and adjust. The bezel insert itself is clearly printed with the first 20 minutes in red, with each minute from 0 to 20 marked with the remaining portion of the bezel in black, only having the 5-minute markers indicated. The bezel lacks a lume pip at the 12 o'clock position, so timing anything in the dark is not happening. The bezel insert appears to be aluminum with a coating while the bezel might be plastic, which has been the opinion of many others that have handled the Timex Q models.
Besides the bezel, the dial is the only other item that differentiates the Huckberry Q from any of the standard Q reissues. The predominantly matte black sector dial is split into 4 sectors by a red crosshair that matches the red inner train track and second hand. Large applied and polished indices sit at the 12,6 & 9 locations, while the day & date cutout steals the 3 o'clock location. The remaining hour markers are printed onto the dial in white. The day & date window is framed in a white outline, but unfortunately, the day & date wheel is stark white. I feel is a missed opportunity for a color-matched set of wheels, but I can concede that this change might make the watch dial look unbalanced. The minute track running around the perimeter of the dial is split into two, the innermost being red and the outermost being white. The definitely is a nice addition especially at the edge of the dial where the domed crystal distortion is at its greatest.
The only words that adorn the dial are "TIMEX" just above the pinion and "QUARTZ" just below. I feel while the reduced text might be a plus to some, I truly feel this was a missed opportunity for Huckberry. On past Timex collabs, Huckberry's signature pine tree logo has adorned the dial, giving a nod to something different or special. In removing the "Q" logo below the Timex brand name, I feel this would have been the perfect place for the Pine tree to appear. This addition would have further separated the Huckberry Q from the regular Q reissue.
The hands are adequately sized with the hour hand reaching the edge of the hour markers and the minute hand reaching the demarcation between the two colored minute tracks on the outside of the dial. The second hand is slightly shorter than the minute hand only reaching to the innermost red minute track. The difference in size between the minute and second hand is almost invisible to the naked eye. The vintage theme is carried through on the hour and minute hand with high polished finishes on both and yellowy vintage lume filling their centers.
Lume is there, and that truly the best I can say about it. It's weak and takes a lot of light to charge. It fades quickly and without any lume on the dial really renders the watch unless in low/no light situations. The second hand is red, matching the other red-colored elements on the dial. I am glad that these red accents all match or are so close it is impossible to discern any real difference in color tone. I feel that a miss-match here would stand out quite a lot and ruin much of this watch's aesthetic.
The Huckberry Q runs a Seiko Instruments PC33, which houses a day/date complication. The date is quick change; while sadly the same cannot be said for the day. This means going round and round and round in the time setting position till you reach the day you desire. Annoying at the time of setting but because of the quartz module, it can be an afterthought until your battery dies. Take this information and do with it as you wish. My example is running -4s total for the last 14 days, approximately 0.25s/d. The Seiko Instruments PC33 that's in my Huckberry Q is near silent running (ticking can be heard when next to your ear), furthermore this module hits all the minute markers on the nose. This is a nice change from other Timex offerings that are loud enough to wake the dead and also have a 60/40 split of miss to hit for the minute markers. Lastly, I have noticed when setting the time, that if you push the crown back into the normal position too aggressively, the minute hand can jump, thus inaccurately setting the time.
Bracelet:
The bracelet measures 18mm across the lug then flairs to 24/25mm to match the case profile. It then tapers down to 16mm for the adjustable section of the bracelet. The finishing is a combination of brushed and polished that matches/suits the case aesthetic. The clasp is infinitely adjustable, so the right fit is easily achieved. On that point of fitment, we should probably discuss how you "should" wear this bracelet, and that is tighter than normal. The bracelet, with its rolled links, pinches and pulls hairs if it is allowed to move up and down, or rotate around your wrist. To eliminate this, I tightened the bracelet a slight bit more than I usually wear mine and it almost entirely eliminated this issue. The only time the hair pulling returns is upon putting the watch on or taking it off again. I have personally toyed with purchasing an 18mm polished Milanese bracelet to really lean into the 70's vintage aesthetic of the watch, but I have yet to do so at the time of posting.
The Timex X Huckberry Q is a departure from the standard Q reissue aesthetic, for better or worse. Personally: I am part of the former category, as you could probably tell by my above review. While the Huckberry Q model has several aesthetic changes that make it stand out in its own right, it won't be for everyone. The price, vintage style, and sizing, the bracelet are definitely going to be downsides to some potential buyers. The opposite is also true, if you like the look, size and can live with the above-mentioned bracelet, or are willing to spend a little bit to replace it, I think the Huckberry Q is the #1 option in the Q range.
A vintage-inspired sports watch, with actual heritage, that the modern enthusiast can enjoy.
