Timex has teamed up with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to bring five paintings to your wrist.
Far from merely inspired by the artwork, these watches put the famous paintings right on their dial and strap. It’s a bold move, but in a world where Rolex sells a watch with a date window full of emoji instead of numbers, it perhaps isn’t too out there for modern horological tastes.
The five-piece Timex collection is made up of three models of Modern Easy Reader 40mm, plus a pair from the Timex 80 range, complete with their compact 34mm case and digital display. The former three are fitted to a leather strap while the digital art watches come with a resin strap. They all have 30 metres of water resistance and are priced between £100 and £110.
With the basics covered, let’s take a closer look at the artwork itself. All five have a ‘The Met’ logo on their faces, but the artwork is clearly the main attraction here. The first features Self Portrait with a Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh, with the piece appearing on the dial and both pieces of the strap.
The polished stainless steel case and bezel are shared by another member of the collection, this time featuring Mäda Primavesi by Gustav Klimt. In this instance the artwork is featured in full on the dial, with a strap inspired by the piece rather than repeating it.
The third of the Timex/Met Easy Readers has a black case and bezel to match the darker tones of The Actor Nakamura Fukusuke I as Asahina Tōbei, by Kunisada. As with the Van Gogh, this piece is shown on the face and repeated on the leather strap.
Now to the digital Timex 80 pair. The first has a gold coloured case and features The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai, whose name appears below the digital dial. Finally, the second Timex 80 has a polished steel case and a dial and strap featuring Maple Trees at Mama by Utagawa Hiroshige.
All of these watches come in The Met branded boxes with information about the artwork and a QR code that can be scanned to explore the rest of The Met collection. The watches are non-limited and available to buy now.
