Timex’s new digital watch looks like a Garmin without any of the smartwatch baggage
The Retroware Digital pairs an enormous retro-futuristic display with simple watch functionality and zero smartwatch distractions
Smartwatches can do almost everything these days, but sometimes you just want something on your wrist that tells you the time, looks good and doesn't expect you to analyse your sleep score before breakfast.
The newly launched Timex Retroware Digital fits that brief rather nicely.
Unveiled earlier this month, the new digital watch has an unmistakably chunky sports-watch aesthetic that wouldn't look completely out of place alongside some of the most recent Garmin watches.
Look closer, though, and you'll find no GPS, heart rate sensor, mapping or smartphone notifications.
Instead, Timex has gone back to basics, wrapping classic digital-watch functionality inside a wonderfully retro-futuristic design.
The star is undoubtedly the display. Timex uses enormous, curved numerals for the hours and minutes, with smaller readouts underneath for the day, date, and seconds.
The brand says the design takes cues from vintage digital sports watches, and there's something pleasingly old-school about it, even though the display's scale makes the Retroware feel considerably more contemporary than something like the company's T80.
Big screen, small ambitions
It's a sizeable watch, too. The lightweight resin case measures 46mm across, 50mm lug-to-lug and 11mm thick, with a matching 20mm resin strap.
Underneath that giant display is a fairly traditional set of digital functions, including a chronograph, countdown timer and alarm.
It also has Timex's excellent INDIGLO backlight, and its 50-metre water resistance makes it suitable for light swimming. The display is protected by an acrylic crystal.
It's available in two colourways, including a grey-green model with an inverted dark display and a blue version with a lighter screen. Both really lean into the late-'80s/early-'90s sports-tech aesthetic.
And that's perhaps where the Retroware becomes particularly interesting.
If you like the chunky, utilitarian look of modern outdoor smartwatches but don't want another rechargeable computer strapped to your wrist, this feels like a compelling alternative.
You won't get training readiness, turn-by-turn navigation or a morning report, but you also won't have another device asking to be charged or buzzing because someone has sent you a WhatsApp message.
The Retroware Digital launched on 4 August 2026 and is available now at Timex UK, Timex US and Timex EU for £120 / $149 / €139 (~AU$210).
