Why It Belongs

This is exactly what seconde/seconde/ does well: take something familiar, change one tiny detail, and suddenly you can’t unsee it. Underneath, it’s still the charming ’70s-inspired Q Timex. But that little customised seconds hand completely changes the personality of the watch. If you know the reference, you’ll probably smile. If you don’t, Timex basically says that’s fine too.

The Story

At first glance, there isn’t much unusual going on. You have the familiar Q Timex shape, blue dial and bezel, steel bracelet and domed acrylic crystal. Then you notice the seconds hand. The red mushroom-shaped detail against all that blue is a playful clue to a certain tiny blue cartoon character — and suddenly the colour combination makes a lot more sense. Timex and seconde/seconde/ intentionally don’t spell the joke out, which is probably what makes it work.

That’s really the appeal of seconde/seconde/. Romaric André has built a following by taking watches we already recognise and introducing small, sometimes ridiculous interventions that make us look at them differently. This collaboration doesn’t pretend to be serious horology, and I don’t think it needs to be. It’s inexpensive, playful and a little silly — but importantly, the joke doesn’t ruin the watch underneath it.

Collector’s Insight

I think watches like this are healthy for collecting. Not everything needs an impressive movement, precious metal or historical importance to deserve a place in the box. Sometimes you buy a watch simply because the idea makes you smile. And with this one, those who understand the little blue reference will probably enjoy it even more. IYKYK.