Brand collaborations can disappoint when the whole idea amounts to putting a famous logo on an ordinary product. If you are a Fender fan looking for something you would actually wear instead of another piece of branded merchandise, the new Fender x Timex collection takes a more thoughtful approach.
The collaboration celebrates Fender’s 80th anniversary and the Telecaster’s 75th anniversary with three special-edition watches priced from $269 to $499. Instead of relying on logos alone, Timex has borrowed recognizable details from the Telecaster and Stratocaster, including wood-grain finishes, guitar headstocks, tone knobs, pickguard-inspired materials, and even a guitar-strap-inspired watch strap.
The result is three distinct ways for Fender fans to bring a little guitar history to the wrist.
The $499 Automatic is for Telecaster fans
The centerpiece is the $499 Fender x Timex Automatic, a 41mm stainless-steel watch built around the Telecaster’s 75th anniversary.
Its butterscotch-blonde, wood-grain dial immediately evokes the Telecaster, while the seconds hand is shaped like a Telecaster headstock. Fender branding appears on the dial and crown, but the guitar-specific details are what keep this from feeling like an ordinary Timex with another company’s name printed on it.
Price: $499
Where to Buy: Timex
This is also the most substantial watch of the three. Timex fits it with a two-tone unidirectional ratcheting top ring for tracking elapsed time, luminous hands and markers, a date window at 3 o’clock, and sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Water resistance is rated to 200 meters.
Inside is a self-winding Miyota 8215 automatic movement, visible through an exhibition caseback carrying the Telecaster 75th Anniversary logo. Wrist motion winds the movement, rather than a battery powering it.
A black leather slip-thru strap from S.B. Foot Tanning Co. completes the look. At $499, this is clearly the model for the Fender fan who also wants the strongest traditional watch credentials.
The Stratocaster goes smaller and brighter
The $269 Fender x Timex Stratocaster takes a completely different direction.
Its polished stainless-steel case shrinks to 37mm, while the dial uses genuine mother-of-pearl. Timex says the iridescent finish is intended to echo the look of the Stratocaster’s familiar Pearloid pickguard. Because mother-of-pearl naturally reflects light differently as the viewing angle changes, it gives this model a much brighter personality than the Telecaster Automatic.
Price: $269
Where to Buy: Timex
The guitar references continue with a Stratocaster-headstock seconds hand and a crown modeled after a guitar tone knob. Those details give musicians something to recognize without making the watch feel like a novelty.
This model uses a battery-powered quartz analog movement rather than the Automatic’s mechanical Miyota. The practical advantage is straightforward: low-maintenance timekeeping.
The 37mm case measures 42.5mm lug-to-lug and 12mm thick. Timex pairs it with a brown S.B. Foot leather strap using quick-release spring bars, while a vintage-style domed acrylic crystal reinforces the retro look. Water resistance is rated to 50 meters, making it suitable for surface swimming but not snorkeling or diving.
For $269, this is the least expensive watch in the collection and probably the strongest choice for someone whose loyalty lies with the Stratocaster.
The $299 gift set leans hardest into Fender
The $299 Telecaster 75th Anniversary Gift Set uses another 37mm stainless-steel case, but its presentation is more playful.
The ice-blue dial has a subtle sheen and an embossed white Telecaster silhouette, accompanied by a Telecaster-headstock seconds hand, applied markers, and Fender branding. A domed acrylic crystal covers the dial, while the caseback carries the Telecaster 75th Anniversary logo.
Price: $299
Where to Buy: Timex
Like the Stratocaster model, it uses a quartz analog movement. The case measures 41mm lug-to-lug and 12mm thick.
Its two-strap setup is what makes this version especially gift-friendly. Timex supplies a black S.B. Foot leather strap with blue stitching and quick-release spring bars, then adds a second fabric strap designed to resemble a Fender-branded guitar strap.
That changes the character of the watch considerably. Leave the leather strap on and the Fender connection is relatively restrained. Swap in the fabric strap and the watch becomes much more obviously connected to guitar culture.
Every watch even gets a guitar pick
Timex includes a custom Fender x Timex guitar pick with every watch in the collection.
It is a small extra rather than a reason to buy one, but it fits the collaboration. More importantly, it reinforces how many guitar-specific references Timex has worked into the collection instead of relying entirely on Fender logos.
Which Fender x Timex should you buy?
The $499 Automatic is the easy choice if you want the most watch for your money and the Telecaster is your guitar. Its Miyota automatic movement, sapphire crystal, 200-meter water resistance, rotating top ring, exhibition caseback, and wood-grain dial make it the most fully featured traditional watch in the collection.
The $269 Stratocaster makes more sense if you want something smaller, simpler, and visually distinctive. Its mother-of-pearl dial, tone-knob crown, and Stratocaster-headstock seconds hand give it a strong identity without pushing the price anywhere near $500.
The $299 Telecaster Gift Set is the fun choice and arguably the most natural present for a guitarist. Its second Fender-style fabric strap lets the owner decide whether to keep the collaboration subtle or wear it loudly.
That is what makes the Fender x Timex collection more compelling than a typical logo collaboration. Each model incorporates recognizable elements of the Telecaster or Stratocaster into functional watch details rather than treating Fender branding as the whole design.
For guitarists who already own the shirts, picks, straps, and pedals, these watches offer a more wearable, and more considered, way to show their allegiance.
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