Review: Timex’s Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Might Be the Best Sub-$500 Automatic Watch Around

Born in 1854 as the Waterbury Clock Company in Waterbury, Connecticut, Timex is an American-based watch brand chock full of history. Alongside several other companies that are no longer in business, American watchmaker originally produced clocks as less expensive alternatives to their high-end European counterparts in the 1850s in Connecticut’s Naugatuck River Valley, a region once coined the “Switzerland of America.” 

Over its 171-year history, a lot has changed for the company now known as Timex, having gone through bankruptcy, the Great Depression, multiple World Wars, and competition from every direction from both traditional watch brands and technology companies alike. And yet, they’re still here with the same mission: to build simple, functional, and affordable watches.

Unfortunately, that sort of mission doesn’t earn you a ton of points in the watch enthusiast community, and we certainly understand why. Luckily, it appears that Timex got that memo prior to last year. 2024 was somewhat of a turning point for the brand, going on quite the run as they rolled out a handful of releases that were not only well received but, in some instances, ended up selling out rather quickly after their initial drop.

Releases like the 1975-revived Enigma, the Expedition GMT Titanium Automatic, and The James Brand-assisted Titanium GMT are just a few that made us take pause. Yet perhaps our favorite from the brand this past year was the Timex Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic 41mm, released in October to much fanfare as well.

While it’s a bit too early to tell, the watch is already being crowned as not only Timex’s best dive watch but perhaps one of the best divers you can buy under $500. With that in mind, we’ve spent the past few months testing the Timex Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic, seeing how it stacked up to the early claims. 

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

At a Glance

The dive watch has remained one of the most (if not the most) popular watch categories for years when it comes to high-value prop. In terms affordable divers, the brands that typically come to mind are Seiko, Citizen, Orient, and Casio, just to name a few. While Timex has a storied history of making durable everyday timepieces (check out their iconic “torture tests” from the 1950s and 1960s –– a masterclass in mid-century advertising –– where their famous “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” slogan helped the brand become a household name), the brand has never really been known for their dive watches, specifically.

Well, their Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium looks to change all of that. At just a quick glance, the inspiration is clear, nodding to the Rolex Submariner with the Cyclops date window at the 3 o’clock position and with an overall silhouette that feels very reminiscent of the current-day Tudor Pelagos from the Crown’s sister brand. But, that’s not to say that this Timex doesn’t have its own identity; we’d argue that while it feels familiar to Rolex and Tudor in some ways, it also feels fresh in others –– especially at this price point.

The real draw here, for us at least, is the value-laden package being presented. For under $500, you’re getting a workhorse Japanese automatic movement, a fully-lumed dial and bezel that glows brighter than you could ever ask for (let alone at this price), and a sporty design that’s reminiscent of some of our favorite divers. Last but not least, however, is the employment of high-end construction materials, notably the heavy use of titanium on the case, bezel insert, and chunky Timex-stamped buckle.

And while we’ll be the first to admit this watch has served as more of a desk diver for us, the 200m of water resistance is nice to have in case we do decide to take a swim in the Pacific.

A ’70s-inspired case that’s been compared by many to the Seiko 62MAS (a comparison we can certainly appreciate), Timex’s measurements show the diameter at 41mm (with the bezel). However, we measured the actual case closer to 40mm, which, when paired with the 13mm thickness, 47.5mm lug-to-lug, and curved caseback, provided a very comfortable wearing experience for the 6.75-inch wrist of our tester. It should also be noted that the case features a 22mm lug width.

Admittedly, we are suckers for space-age materials, so Timex’s recent proclivity for titanium is something that’s definitely got our attention. The entire case is constructed from Grade 2, brushed titanium weighing in at just about 82g and offering up a svelte, lightweight wearing experience on the wrist.

The uni-directional lumed bezel is a standout feature, with the minute markers being covered in ultra-bright Swiss Super-LumiNova that glows a beautiful minty green, in addition to the pearl lume pip at the 12 o’clock marker. Also constructed in titanium, the bezel provided solid haptic feedback with little-to-no play and great ergonomics thanks to the coined edge. 

Other notable features are the screw-down crown at the 3 o’clock position with a red rotational directional arrow, along with a screw-down caseback adorned with a wave-like motif and the Timex Deepwater stamp, both of which further reinforce the diving DNA of this timepiece.

Housing a clean black dial underneath a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with AR coating, the Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium features that previously-mentioned Submariner nod with the Cyclops date window at the 3-clock position. And while Cyclops windows might not be for everyone, we did rather enjoy it here, feeling at home on our wrists.

As we mentioned previously, the use of lume is easily one of the most impressive features of this watch. All of the applied hour markers (a mixture of round and baton indices paired with an arrow marker at the 12) are constructed from solid blocks of lume –– not painted as you would typically expect at this price point. This attention to detail obviously greatly contributes to the increased overall lume output we experienced.

Unfortunately, we weren’t as impressed with the lume applied to the skeletonized handset. We had read several reviews online of others reporting absolutely no lume whatsoever on the handset. And while we didn’t share that same experience, the handset lume was not nearly as bright as the hour and bezel markers.

While it’s a bit difficult to see on camera, the seemingly all-black dial read slightly gray in certain lighting conditions, another detail we personally enjoyed. Rounding out the dial details are a white 60-minute chapter ring around the outside, Timex Deepwater branding under the 12, and three lines of text reading “Automatic,” “200m,” and “Titanium” above the 6.

Most Timex watches are powered by quartz movements due to their accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and affordability. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with quartz watches, it’s certainly not what you’d expect when paying nearly $500. At this price point, you’d typically hope for an affordable automatic movement, either from the likes of Miyota with their 9015 or Seiko with the NH35/36A calibers.

For the Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium, Timex opted for the Citizen-produced Miyota 8215, a dependable automatic workhorse with 21 jewels, 21,600 bph at 3Hz, and a reliable 42-hour power reserve. And, seeing that it’s a newer version of the caliber, it does feature a hacking seconds hand. While we understand that many would have preferred Timex to have upgraded to the more accurate Miyota 9015, we equally understand that we can’t have everything we want at this price point, so this is certainly not a deal breaker for us.

We’ll also note that the watch kept time as expected, adding about 10 seconds or so per day. And like many mentioned before us, the rotor noise is noticeable during daily wear, although we wouldn’t classify it as “loud” by any means –– and not something that would deter us from purchasing the watch either.

Rubber straps have a long history with dive watches; they’re highly durable, water-resistant, flexible, comfortable, and can withstand a lot of wear and tear –– and they’re easy to clean. It’s hard to argue a better choice for Timex’s Deep Water Reef 200 Titanium.

On the wrist, the all-black rubber strap was thick, but it felt lightweight, breathable, comfortable, and secure. Once secured into place, it was truly one of the more comfortable wearing experiences, even right out of the box. The Timex-stamped chunky titanium clasp was a nice finishing detail as well.

There were, however, a few things we didn’t enjoy about that strap. The slip-thru sport closure looked really clean without the use of strap keepers on the backside of the watch. On the other hand, getting this watch both on and off the wrist could be quite the chore at times, with the extra strap material constantly catching on our skin, particularly in the colder weather when the strap was stiffer and less pliable. Apple employs a similar strap style with their Apple Watch Sport Band, but we’ve found Apple’s to be more seamless during daily use. Hopefully with some tweaks, Timex can improve the wearability here too.

There’s also a large embossed Timex logo across the strap, and while it’s not the most offensive design element, we do think that minimal branding would have gone a long way here. But, those are just our 2 pennies.

If the strap is a deal breaker, Timex makes swapping a breeze thanks to the integrated quick-release mechanism and popular 22mm lug width.

At the end of our reviews, we always ask ourselves: Is this watch worth it? And there’s certainly no shortage of sub-$500 divers on the market, so how does the Timex Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium stack up against the entry-level dive watch competition? 

For some, buying a non-Swiss-made, mass-produced diver from a giant conglomerate will be frowned upon, and we understand that no matter what Timex does, this may always be the case for that select group of individuals. On the flip side, it’s also clear that Timex is really beginning to leverage its deep pockets to produce low-cost, high-feature watches with real design chops; watches that truly appeal to enthusiasts but are affordable enough for everyone to enjoy. 

Although Timex obviously didn’t break the mold with the design here, we think the total package and nearly unbeatable bank-for-your-buck value proposition make it well worth the price tag. Mix that with the classic-meets-modern dive aesthetic that’s hard not to love, and the overwhelmingly positive reviews, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see this watch becoming a hot commodity in the Timex lineup over the long haul.