The Jaguar XJ220 of the watch world? - stunning design but flawed execution

The XJ220 is remembered more as the car that it could have been than the car it actually was. Conceived in the early 1980s as a 220 mph V12 supercar but, due to compromises, the production version eventually arrived as just a V6 and, with a 210 mph top speed, fell disappointingly short of the expectations and excitement of the concept car. And that is sort of how I feel about this S2 - great lines but the wrong engine and so I am sad for what might have been!

At first sight the pics of the Timex S2 definitely drew me in. Amazing design, modern, minimalist and sinuous. And a few Crunchers posted glowingly here and their pictures and enthusiasm certainly prompted my more serious interest.

It was a Timex, not a deal breaker for me, but it was priced well beyond Timex’s pricing envelope (IMHO). I did read a number of the mainstream media reviews and these were universally positive other than a few comments about the price positioning.

I don’t think I would ever have paid full price for the S2 and I would likely have remained a distant admirer but when the opportunity came to buy one, new in plastic and at a substantial discount, I thought I could and should at least satisfy my curiosity. After all I had held off on the XJ220 … and I thought I was mad spending Oceanus money on a Casio but that turned out alright so …

It arrived in functional packaging, nothing special but I am all for protecting the environment and would always prefer the value to be in the watch rather than the wrappings. And Timex have clearly read my mind and the packaging was a few extra layers of cardboard than for a Marlin - a bit like opening matryoshka dolls but presumably the big surprise and delight is inside.

Out of the box and undressed it is certainly a watch that grabs your attention. The design is futuristic and classic all at once and the deep black dial is pretty stunning. On closer inspection …… And if ever a watch was crying out for a capped pinion this was the one. So heaps to admire and a growing wish list of improvements.

For such a minimalist design, I think there is too much text on the dial. I know it might mean parking an ego at the door but I would have left the black text (“Giorgio Galli S2 Automatic”) off the dial; most of that is already on the rotor. It’s pretty unobtrusive on the dial but it would have looked much better without it.

Strap wise I don’t find this is an easy watch. Mainly because the design is so strong and so good you’re hard pressed to find straps that complement such a good looking watch head. And for those that do find them (e.g. high quality black leather with curved ends) you’ll be paying plenty. Certainly I didn’t find anything in an extensive watch box that really grabbed me as the perfect combination - now admittedly I am light in the dress watch category and that perhaps is where the best options lie. 

The stock strap with its nifty clasp is pretty good - presumably the accountants balked at the quality leather that the design deserves. For average wrists (and remember it’s not a large watch at 38mm) the stock strap is also a bit unbalanced as you have a single thickness on one side and effectively triple thickness on the other side (with two layers of rubber and the thickness of the clasp sandwiched in the middle). So it feels a bit uneven in the wearing; it’s not uncomfortable but I am conscious of it sitting lopsided-sided and very differently to what I am used to.

And curved ends would surely have elevated the strap closer to the watch’s aspirations; come on Giorgio and Timex how hard would that have been if you’re looking to go premium? Perhaps curved ends would have detracted from seeing the architectural gaps in lugs’ profile but I think clever mounding could easily have delivered the best of both worlds.

But - for me - they’ve done just enough to prevent the strap being a buying obstacle and have distracted you with a neat clasp leaving you with the not inconsiderable challenge of finding and affording what the design really deserves. 

Now I’m guessing that somewhere along the line adding a Swiss movement was considered an essential part of the specifications both for cachet and to support some accountant’s pricing aspirations. Much as I like the Sellita it’s a fairly ordinary movement rather than something sensational. And in order to get an ordinary Swiss movement there are a few key compromises (e.g. thickness, ghost date position, pricing). With a Miyota 9039 this could have been a slightly thinner watch (or use that margin for a pinion cap) with no ghost date position and all without pushing the pricing beyond Timex’s envelope.

My conclusion is that the design and concept were top notch but that the execution has dragged an exceptional concept down fairly significantly. It feels like the artist’s drawings were hijacked by a committee of accountants. So it could definitely have been stunning and edging towards the top of the Timex price envelope (perhaps as a limited edition). But what we have got is a flawed execution of a stunning concept … that is priced too far beyond its envelope.

So what really is the right price? Well we are being asked to pay a premium for a Swiss movement but that movement does nothing but detract from the true elegance of the design concept. With a Miyota 9039, a thinner watch/pinion cap, better finishing, curved strap ends and a limited edition I think the pricing could get to 85% of RRP (which is effectively RRP as registering on Timex’s website gives you 15% off - though admittedly that doesn’t yet apply to the S2). As it is I think the right price is somewhere between 50% and 67% of RRP. So while I am happy I didn’t overpay I would really prefer to have paid more for the true stunner that this could have been.

But … if you do need to feel better about the S2’s price just compare this to a MoonSwatch and - with the S2 - you’ve got yourself a bargain! ‘Nuff said.