HYPEBEAST announced its first watch release with Timex, launching a vintage-inspired version of the watchmaker’s workhorse M79 watch, which will be exclusively available on HBX at 9AM EST, Jan 12. Individually numbered out of 500 pieces, this timepiece is intended to be used as a tool watch for everyday wear, with many of its signature features kept intact and minor tweaks added to display HYPEBEAST’s signature aesthetics.

The Timex M79, the mechanical successor of the Timex Q (“M” represents “Mechanical” and “79” the year of the Q’s release), greets watch collectors with a new look presented by HYPEBEAST. The HYPEBEAST’s M79 color combination tells a story, with the navy maintaining the ongoing theme of incorporating a signature navy into its collaborative releases, and the fuchsia being a play on one of the more interesting variations of the reference 1675; this color pays respect to the obscurities found in the world of vintage watches — things like tropical dials and faded “ghost” bezel inserts are a rare sight. These “happy accidents” from the ‘50s - ‘70s occurred when certain -- now considered defective -- paints were used which resulted in a number of imperfections when exposed to UV light from the sun over a long period of time. The pink hue in this watch mimics a bold red that has been subjected to years of sunlight.

The hour and minute hands have luminescent in-fill for ease of noting their positions in the dark. At the three o’clock position lays the day/date indicator with a Chinese/English date wheel, replacing the English/French version, paying homage to vintage watch collecting and the feeling of landing on a rare region-specific date wheel timepiece that occasionally pop up at auctions.

The watch will be available for purchase exclusively on HBX from 9AM EST, Jan 12.