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Timex's Waterbury America 250 is a folding pocket watch for the desk, US$715

Timex has turned a hunter-cased pocket watch into a folding desk clock for the 250th anniversary of American independence, and it wants US$715 for it.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 2 min read · 11 August 2026

Timex Waterbury America 250 table clock open on a wooden surface, white dial with Roman numerals and blue hands — Timex

For the 250th anniversary of American independence, Timex has built a pocket watch that never goes near a pocket. Press the button on the side, the one with a small star on either flank, and the case springs open on its hinge. Prop the lid at whatever angle suits you, or stand the whole thing upright, and you've got a clock for the desk. Fold it flat and it slips back into a bag.

The Waterbury America 250 Table Clock, reference TW6A05900, went up on 10 August at US$715. That's a lot for a Timex, and it's priced that way on purpose, because it's a commemorative.

The Waterbury America 250 table clock opened to show the perlage finish inside the lid — Timex

A hunter case talked into standing up

Shut, the case measures about 49mm across. Stand it up and it reaches roughly 53mm tall. Those are pocket watch numbers, which follows, because underneath the desk-clock idea is a hunter-cased pocket watch that's been given a new job.

The case is stainless steel, brushed and polished, with guilloché worked into the front and the back. Lift the lid and there's perlage on the inside of it, which you'll only ever see with the clock propped open. That's a fair amount of finishing for something that spends half its life shut.

Timex dimension drawing of the Waterbury America 250 table clock, 49mm wide and 53mm tall when standing — Timex

Roman numerals behind a coin edge

Behind the coin-edged bezel sits a white gloss dial with full Roman numerals, a metallic blue handset and the 250th anniversary logo. The Waterbury name rides on top of the case. The layout is plain, and it should be, because the case is the whole act.

Timex hasn't listed the movement, which at this money I'd rather know. Quartz module, or something with a bit more going on? Until the brand says, read the price as paying for the case, the finishing and the occasion.

Nobody needs a folding steel clock

They really don't. US$715 buys a genuinely good wristwatch, and the same brand will sell you a Q Timex Marbella for 410, which has the advantage of going on an arm. If you want the sensible version of this decision, that's it.

But a desk clock is one of the last objects you're allowed to make purely for the pleasure of opening and shutting it, and Timex has clearly had fun with this one. The star-flanked button is lovely theatre. Perlage hidden inside a lid only happens because somebody argued for it in a meeting and won. I've looked at the photos more times than I'd admit to, and I have nowhere to put it.

The anniversary it's celebrating is an American one, so an Australian buyer was never the point. It's up on the US store, and nobody at Timex has said what one would cost here.