Modern digital watches keep piling on features nobody asked for. Step counters, phone notifications, a stack of alarms, and a backlight bright enough to read a book by. Somewhere in that race, the plain pleasure of glancing at a glowing screen and seeing only the time got buried.
Price: $169
Where to Buy: Timex
There’s a small crowd that misses when a digital watch did one thing and did it cleanly. No menus to learn, no app to pair, no charging cable to lose. Only a display that stays lit and stays out of your way.
So here’s the real test: can a watch built on a half-century-old idea still earn a place on a modern wrist? Timex is betting yes, and it’s reaching all the way back to 1975 to make the case.
One thing to know up front: US availability has been limited, but Timex now lists the reissue for pre-order on its site. If you’ve wanted one, grab your chance before it’s gone again.
The Watch Behind the SSQ Name
The Q Timex 1975 SSQ Digital Reissue, model TW2Y06100, revives the SSQ, short for Solid State Quartz. That was Timex’s first LCD digital watch when it arrived in 1975. An always-on liquid crystal display was a major leap at the time, since most digital rivals made you press a button before they’d show you the time.
The reissue keeps that always-on LCD up front, wrapped in a bold navy acrylic lens. A quartz digital movement runs the show, covering regular timekeeping, a simple date, and a 0 to 60 second counter, and it stops right there.
Two Buttons and Nothing to Learn
The case sticks to two buttons for the whole interface. The left one carries a small notch, and when that notch faces forward it drops the watch into settings mode so you can adjust the time or date. There’s no alarm, no chronograph, and no backlight to fumble for in the dark, which keeps the reissue true to the 1975 original. A common CR2016 battery powers it.
Steel, Acrylic, and a Navy Lens
Timex houses the reissue in a stainless steel case with a sunburst-brushed top and polished sides, so it catches light more like a dress watch than a throwaway digital. A matching brushed stainless steel bracelet finishes the look, riding on a fold-over clasp with links you can size for a custom fit.
The lens is acrylic, the same warm, slightly domed plastic Timex uses across its Marlin and Q Timex lines. It picks up scratches more easily than mineral or sapphire, but it takes a knock well and buffs clear again, which fits a watch chasing a vintage feel.
How It Sits on the Wrist
The case runs 38mm across and 13mm thick with a 19mm bracelet, and at about 92 grams it lands as a compact everyday size rather than a chunky statement. Water resistance sits at 50 meters, which covers rain, hand washing, and a light swim, though Timex reminds you not to press the buttons while it’s underwater.
Why Now
Timex has spent years mining its own archive, and the SSQ is the latest stop on a reissue streak that already brought back oddities like the Tennis Snoopy. Vintage digital is having a moment, with buyers hunting down the clean, unfussy screens that defined the early quartz years.
Reviving the SSQ lets Timex plant a flag on that history at a price most people can stomach. It also fills a gap in a lineup that leans heavily analog, giving the retro-digital crowd a reason to look past Casio for once.
Who Should Skip It
The SSQ makes its limits obvious. If you want notifications, fitness tracking, or a backlight for midnight glances, the SSQ will feel stubborn by design, and a modern classic like the Casio A130 covers similar retro-digital ground with a light and an alarm. Collectors after the original 1970s SSQ will also weigh the vintage hunt against a fresh, warrantied unit before they commit.
Price and Availability
Timex lists the SSQ reissue at $169 on its US site, where it’s currently up for pre-order.
Price: $169
Where to Buy: Timex
The watch launched in Japan first, on October 17, 2025 for 28,600 yen, before reaching the US site. US stock is limited and comes in monthly restocks, so Timex takes orders as pre-orders and hasn’t posted a firm US ship date. It isn’t carried by other US retailers, so signing up for restock alerts on Timex is the only way to reserve one.
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(as of July 14, 2026 14:09 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
