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Timex E Line Automatic 1983 34mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. TW2Y07400
Sits in Timex’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Timex watches we list, which start at £39.
Price range £39 to £280 across 46 Timex watches in stock.The cushion case — that rounded-square television-screen geometry — is a direct lift from Timex's 1983 archives, and the proportions have been left alone. At 34mm it sits where a dress watch of that era would have sat, close to the wrist, unobtrusive beneath a shirt cuff in the way that most contemporary watches, thicker and wider, cannot manage. The expansion bracelet requires some acquaintance. It stretches over the hand without a clasp, and links can be removed tool-free across a wide range of wrist sizes, but it has the habit of catching arm hair that expansion bands have always had. The Miyota 8215 inside is a sensible choice for a watch at this pitch: a Japanese movement with a reputation for running quietly and accurately for years without attention, hacking seconds included.
- Reference
- TW2Y07400
- Brand
- Timex
- Collection
- 1983 E
- Case size
- 34mm
- Case thickness
- 12.5mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Cushion
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Miyota 8215
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 41mm
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
- Weight
- 78g
Learn more about Timex
The Waterbury Clock Company was founded in Connecticut in 1854, part of the brass industry that made the region the centre of American clockmaking. Its descendants became Timex, and the company's history is one of making timekeeping cheap enough that everyone could have it.
The first breakthrough was the Yankee, a pocket watch sold from 1896 for one dollar — roughly a day's wage — which sold in the tens of millions and was marketed as the watch that made the dollar famous. Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt both carried one.
The company supplied enormous quantities of military timing equipment during both world wars, and its wartime work with Ingersoll and on fuse mechanisms shaped its post-war manufacturing.
The modern brand was defined by advertising. From 1956 Timex ran televised torture tests — watches strapped to outboard motors, dropped from cliffs, fired from crossbows — under the slogan it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The watches used hardened Armalloy bearings instead of jewels, which made them cheap and, crucially, genuinely durable.
Indiglo, the electroluminescent dial lighting introduced in 1992, became the company's best-known technology after a Timex wearer used one to guide people down a stairwell during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Timex remains privately held and produces the Weekender, Expedition, and archival Marlin lines.
- 1854
- The Waterbury Clock Company is founded in Connecticut.
- 1896
- The one-dollar Yankee pocket watch goes on sale.
- 1956
- The torture test advertising campaign begins.
- 1992
- Indiglo electroluminescent lighting is introduced.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,868), Stainless Steel Watches (3,133), Automatic Watches (1,750), Watches Under 37mm (1,713), Blue Dial Watches (861) and Automatic Watches Under £500 (336).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 34mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Timex's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- Acrylic crystal marks easily, though it polishes out
Timex E Line alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | TW2Y07400 | I17001 | BU9110 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £200 | £215 | £169 |
| Case size | 34mm | 33.7mm | 34mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | — | — |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Yes, but it polishes out. Acrylic marks easily and a scratch can be buffed away at home, which is why vintage-style watches still use it.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 42 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 41mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 34mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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