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California dials have always caught my eye. Mixing Roman and Arabic numerals sounds like an odd thing to do, but there's something about that combination that works wonderfully on a watch. When Timex put it into the Marlin, I was keen to have a closer look. The version I chose had a steel case and a slightly pink champagne dial, and it was that little hint of colour that made it the more interesting of the two for me.
I'd already enjoyed what Timex was doing with watches like the original Q, bringing older designs back at prices that made them fun to explore. This Marlin appealed in a different way. It's a straightforward automatic with a round case, a leather strap and very little to distract you from the dial. I bought this one myself, and the watch you're seeing in my photographs is reference TW2U83200, the 40mm Marlin Automatic California Dial.
What makes this a California dial?
Look at the upper half and you'll find Roman numerals at ten, eleven, one and two. Below them, four, five, seven and eight use Arabic numerals, with simple bars at three, six and nine and a triangle at twelve. That's the California layout. It gives the Marlin a slightly unusual character without making it difficult to read, and I really liked how neatly Timex had put it together.
The numerals are applied, so there's a lovely bit of depth beneath that domed crystal. I thought they were just the right size, too: distinctive enough to be the main feature, with enough space around them to keep the dial looking clean. Timex sits below the triangle and Automatic above six, and that's about all the writing you get. There isn't a day or date window breaking things up, which I think suits this watch very well.
The colour is what makes this particular version so enjoyable for me. You might see it described as natural, salmon or champagne, but slightly pink champagne still feels like the best description of what I saw. As the light travels across the sunburst finish, those pink and champagne tones become more apparent, giving a simple dial far more life than you might expect. Against the dark numerals and sharp sword-shaped hands, it's a fantastic choice of colour. The hands have luminous centres, and I found the whole dial straightforward to read at a glance.
Timex announced this automatic California version in December 2020, but the mixed-numeral idea goes back much further. It's a dial design with plenty of history, but what I really enjoy is how Timex has brought it to life with this particular colour. If unusual numeral combinations appeal to you, my UNDONE x Simple Union review covers another interpretation, using Kanji in the upper half. This Marlin keeps to the familiar Roman-and-Arabic arrangement, and that was plenty to get my attention.
The polished case and that domed acrylic crystal
The case is a fairly simple, classic shape, polished across its surfaces. I was pleased with the finishing, and it gives the dial a smart setting without adding anything fussy around it. At 40mm across, it isn't a tiny vintage dress watch, but I really liked how it looked and felt on my wrist. Between the polished case and that gorgeous dial, there's a lot to enjoy here, especially when you remember this is a relatively affordable automatic watch.
There's quite a dome to the acrylic crystal, which is a big part of the Marlin's vintage look. The overall thickness is around 13mm, so it isn't especially thin on paper, but that didn't cause me a problem in daily wear. It still slipped easily under a cuff. That's more useful to me than simply knowing the thickness, particularly with a watch whose crystal contributes so much to its profile.
Acrylic does ask you to accept a trade-off. It can pick up scratches more readily than sapphire, although light surface marks can often be polished out. That won't fix every scratch, and deeper damage is another matter. I do like how the dome suits the watch, though, and it feels very much at home with the case and dial.
A leather strap worth keeping
I was happy to find that Timex hadn't treated the strap as an afterthought. The brown leather was nicely made, with polished steel hardware and a Timex-signed pin buckle, and it suited this version of the watch very well. At this sort of price, the supplied strap can sometimes feel like the first thing you'll want to change. I didn't get that impression here, which helped the Marlin feel like a more complete package.
If you do fancy a change, the 20mm lug width gives you plenty of ordinary strap options, and the original leather has quick-release spring bars built in. You can release it using the little tabs underneath rather than reaching for a spring-bar tool. That's a useful addition even if you're perfectly happy with the brown leather to start with. Between the strap and the way the case sat on my wrist, there wasn't anything about wearing it that got in the way of enjoying the dial.
The automatic movement, and the back I'd have changed
Turn the Marlin over and there's a display caseback showing its 21-jewel Miyota automatic movement. Wrist movement winds the mainspring, and the watch can also be hand-wound using the crown. Timex quoted a 40-hour power reserve for this California Automatic, so a full wind gives you roughly a day and a half of running time off the wrist. Leave it for a weekend and you may be setting the time again when you come back to it. That figure is Timex's specification rather than a runtime I measured.
I'm quite happy with a straightforward movement at this price, but the display back didn't do much for me. There's little decoration to look at, and I'd rather Timex had fitted a nicely engraved steel back. I can understand the appeal of seeing the mechanism, especially if it's your first automatic; it simply wasn't something that added much to my enjoyment of this one. It certainly wouldn't have stopped me wearing it.
The movement isn't really the star of the show here, and that's fine by me. What I enjoy is getting an automatic watch with a dial this distinctive at a price that doesn't feel out of reach. It's the overall package that makes this Marlin so appealing.
Timex Marlin California Dial TW2U83200 specifications
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference reviewed | TW2U83200 |
| Case | Polished stainless steel with display back |
| Diameter | 40mm |
| Thickness | Approximately 13mm |
| Lug width | 20mm |
| Crystal | Domed acrylic |
| Dial | Pink-champagne sunburst; applied California numerals and markers |
| Functions | Hours, minutes and central seconds; no visible day or date |
| Movement | 21-jewel Miyota automatic with hand-winding |
| Stated power reserve | 40 hours |
| Water resistance | 50m |
| Strap | Brown leather with quick-release spring bars and signed steel pin buckle |
| Original review price | £229, recorded in February 2021 |
With a leather strap and an older example, I'd keep it away from water rather than assume the original 50m rating tells you the current condition of its seals.
Price, availability and other watches to consider
When I first reviewed this Marlin in February 2021, I recorded a UK price of £229. At that money, I thought it was a very appealing package. The case, dial and supplied strap gave it a quality that didn't really come across in a bare list of features, and I liked that you could enjoy a distinctive mechanical watch without spending a fortune.
Finding this exact TW2U83200 is a little trickier now, and Timex's original product page is no longer available. If you do spot one for sale, I'd check the reference and photographs carefully to make sure it's the right watch. After all, it's that lovely pink-champagne dial that makes this particular version so appealing to me. The black-dial, rose-gold-tone TW2U83300 was the other automatic colourway offered alongside it, and smaller hand-wound California Marlins are different watches again.
Timex's current Marlin collection includes other designs and movement types, so don't assume every Marlin offers the same dial, dimensions or automatic movement. If you're happy to explore the wider automatic range, there are more buying options there than I found for this particular California. Any price comparison needs to take the model, condition, strap and delivery costs into account.
For another dressier automatic with a dial full of character, have a look at my Seiko Presage Blue Moon review. It has a very different blue dial rather than this mixed-numeral layout, but it's another watch I've enjoyed for the way its face catches the light. I'd compare the actual examples and asking prices available to you, rather than assume an older review price still settles the value question.
Why I enjoyed this Marlin
What stayed with me was how well it all came together on the wrist. On paper, the California Marlin is a fairly simple automatic, but wearing it gave me much more to enjoy than that description suggests. The pink in the dial, the crisp raised numerals and the way the light moved across the finish made it feel special without becoming showy. It was smart enough to wear with a shirt, yet relaxed enough that it didn't feel reserved for a formal occasion.
I'd still have preferred an engraved steel caseback, but that's a small criticism of a watch I really enjoyed. For me, the magic is all in that dial. The slightly pink champagne colour, those lovely applied numerals and the vintage styling work so well together. I bought this version because it caught my eye, and I'm really pleased I did. It's a cracking little automatic from Timex, and a great example of why you don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy something a bit different on your wrist.
