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At this point, a tasty little Timex-Noah collaboration is a time-honored tradition. The duo has been releasing limited-edition watches for a few years now, often tackling archival styles or leaning into highly cultivated aesthetics; they’re highly coveted for their exclusivity and affordable price tag. (The drops have yet to retail for more than $300.) Past references have included moon-phase tank dupes and métiers d’art lighthouse dials, which have sold out within days, sometimes hours.
All of which to say, expecting anything less than sensational from their latest collaboration was a mistake. Announced on Tuesday and releasing Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. EST, the latest addition to the ongoing project is the Noah x Timex MK1 Anchor, a riff on the latter’s short-lived but beloved field watch.
The model is an obvious choice. Originally an ’80s-era military issue for Marines, the MK1 was lauded for its serious battle-ready ruggedness when it was first released, but was ultimately scrapped. In the ensuing decades, the watch gained cult status among die-hard tool watch fanatics, culminating in Timex rebooting the silo in the 2010s and a host of brands — names like YMC and Todd Snyder — gravitating toward the style as a preferred template for limited-edition releases.
This is not to suggest, however, that Noah’s take is just another throwaway collab. Quite the opposite, in fact: The MK1 Anchor variant is significantly different from other versions of the pared-back field watch, leaning away from a martial ethos and leaning into Noah’s distinctive brand of Marine-inspired New England prep. Buoyed by a red-blue fabric strap, the watch features an off-white dial designed with silver-accented, even-numbered hour markers, a set of low-key brand logos and not much else.
The detailing goes even further in establishing a seaworthy vibe. Unique to this specific iteration is a set of spear-shaped, lume-appliqué alpha hands — a style named for its A-reminiscent shape often found on old-school diving watches — and a miniature sub-second dial, complete with an appropriately themed red anchor graphic. The watch also comes with a custom, laser-engraved caseback, featuring yet another anchor motif (and Noah’s logo).
There’s a lot to like about the timepiece — at a versatile 36mm, the size is universally flattering and just right for a utility watch, and, between the hefty, three-bar stainless steel case, quartz movement and dynamic build, it’s a workhorse, even with the added maritime embellishment. It’s also a handsome watch, in a sort of old-school mall brand way — exactly the kind of accessory you’d want to pair with a weathered Oxford shirt and salt-stained jeans, or, say, virtually anything from Noah’s just-launched fall collection.
This isn’t the first time the MK1’s been utilized for a brand collab fit for an NYC cool guy. Brooklyn-based Adsum reworked the style a few years back, opting for a military-forward design that included high-vis cardinal hour markers and an army-green NATO strap, while J.Crew — notably, under the leadership of since-departed head designer and Noah founder Brendon Babenzien — dropped an angler-coded MK1 earlier this year, complete with a brook trout graphic and a woven leather strap.
The new Noah x Timex MK1 Anchor Watch retails for $248, and is available to purchase from Noah now. (Depending on when you read this, it may very well be sold out: You can find other MK1 styles here.)
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