Featured image: Themightyquill, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the original 1985 series, Richard Dean Anderson’s Angus MacGyver wore a Timex Camper, a plain, affordable field watch with a simple dial and a nylon strap. For the 2016 CBS reboot starring Lucas Till, we could not find a reliable, documented identification of a specific watch, so we are not going to guess.
Quick answerThe classic MacGyver watch is the Timex Camper, which Gear Patrol reports the character wore until the early 1990s. The modern spiritual successor is the Timex MK1 family, which starts around $79 in resin and runs to about $259 for the 40mm automatic.
Where to buy
Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.
Timex Camper
Timex MK1
Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.
The original MacGyver: Timex Camper
MacGyver was never a luxury-watch kind of hero. He solved problems with duct tape, paper clips and a Swiss Army knife, so it makes sense that his watch was simple, durable and cheap. The Timex Camper fit that brief perfectly: a lightweight field-style watch with a clear, military-inspired dial, a Timex quartz movement and a strap you could swap in seconds.
Gear Patrol describes the Camper as the watch worn by Richard Dean Anderson’s character until the early 1990s. The report does not tie the character to one specific production reference, and Timex has produced several Camper variants over the decades, so treat any single model number you see online with some caution. What is clear is the look: a clean, legible dial, hands you can read at a glance, and a no-nonsense case that never tries to compete for attention.
The 2016 reboot: what Lucas Till wears
CBS rebooted MacGyver in 2016 with Lucas Till in the lead. The updated version leans into gadgets and fast-paced action, and the character is dressed in modern casual clothing. Unlike the original, there is no widely cited, well-sourced identification of the watch he wears on screen. Film and TV watch databases are patchy on this show. Rather than give you a guess, the safest answer is that it appears to be an unbranded or low-profile field-style piece, and that nothing authoritative has been published. If a reliable source names the model, we will update this page.
That fits the character’s established personality. MacGyver’s approach to equipment is practical, so a watch that looks like a tool rather than jewelry is consistent across both versions.
Timex Camper vs. modern Timex alternatives
| Model | Case size | Movement | Approx. price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timex Camper (classic) | Small, around 35 to 38 mm | Quartz | Typically $40 to $60 new, more for vintage |
| Timex MK1 Resin | Around 40 mm | Quartz | About $79 |
| Timex MK1 Hand-Wound 36mm | 36 mm | Mechanical hand-wound | About $229 |
| Timex MK1 Automatic 40mm | 40 mm | Automatic with exhibition caseback | About $259 |
The Camper size and price ranges above are approximate, since Timex has revised the line several times. The MK1 prices are those cited by Gear Patrol when it covered the redesigned line.
Get the look: affordable MacGyver-style watches
- Timex MK1 Resin (about $79): Best for the closest affordable match to the original Camper’s spirit. Pro: light, cheap and simple. Con: it is a quartz resin watch, so it is not a collector piece.
- Timex MK1 Automatic 40mm (about $259): Best for people who want a field watch with a mechanical movement. Pro: automatic movement and a display back. Con: priced well above the base Camper.
- Timex Expedition field watches (roughly $50 to $90): Best for rugged daily wear. Pro: durable and easy to find. Con: styling varies by model.
- Casio MQ-24 or similar budget analogs (about $15 to $25): Best for the lowest possible cost. Pro: almost disposable pricing. Con: very basic finishing.
For other tough-guy tool watches, see our guides to the watch Jason Bourne wears and the best watches for law enforcement officers.
Why the Timex fits MacGyver
MacGyver’s whole identity is turning ordinary things into solutions. A Timex Camper is the watch equivalent: unglamorous, reliable, and designed for people who use their gear. It also keeps time well enough for a man who spends half of each episode defusing something. If you want to channel that spirit, aim for a field watch with a legible dial, a washable strap and a case that can take a knock, rather than chasing a particular reference number.
Where the Camper came from
The Camper was brand-new when MacGyver went on the air. According to the collector archive Vintage Timex Watches, Timex launched the Camper in 1983, two years before the series premiered in 1985.
It was a civilian take on a military watch Timex produced in 1982, which used a DuPont case. That military watch in turn grew out of Timex’s Fun Timer series from 1968, and the Camper’s field-style dials evolved from Timex’s Sprite range. The original Camper had a plastic case with fixed lugs, which is part of why it was so light and so cheap.
In other words, the costume department gave a resourceful secret agent a watch with genuine military roots that anyone could buy cheaply. It was the right call for a hero who solves problems with what’s at hand.
A short history of Timex, the everyman’s watchmaker
Timex’s whole story is about making watches ordinary people can afford, which is exactly why it suits MacGyver. Time+Tide traces the company back to the Waterbury Clock Company, rooted in 1854.
- 1896: the Ingersoll Yankee became the first watch priced at exactly one dollar.
- 1933: Ingersoll’s Mickey Mouse watches debuted at the Chicago World’s Fair.
- 1944 to 1950: the company became United States Time Corporation, and the Timex name launched a hit collection in 1950.
- 1960s: newsman John Cameron Swayze ran “torture test” ads, including a watch frozen and spun in a blender, and the slogan “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” entered pop culture.
- 1986: the Timex Triathlon line was renamed Ironman, with 100 m water resistance.
- 1992: Indiglo, an electroluminescent backlight that lit the whole dial.
MacGyver’s run, from 1985 into the early 1990s, sits right in the middle of Timex’s Ironman and Indiglo boom. For another cheap, tough screen watch, see Walter White’s Casio.
FAQ
What watch did MacGyver wear in the original series?
A Timex Camper, according to Gear Patrol, which says the character wore it until the early 1990s.
What watch does MacGyver wear in the 2016 reboot?
We could not find a reliable source naming it, so we are not guessing. Check back if you need a confirmed answer.
Is the Timex Camper still available?
Timex has sold Camper-style watches for years and has reissued the design, though exact models change. The MK1 line is the closest current relative.
How much does a MacGyver-style watch cost?
You can get the look for $15 to $80, or step up to a Timex MK1 automatic at roughly $259.
What other TV and film characters wear rugged watches?
MacGyver’s Timex fits his no-nonsense character perfectly. For similar tough-watch energy, see the G-Shock Chris Kyle wore and Walter White’s Casio calculator watch in Breaking Bad — both affordable and nearly indestructible.
When did Timex launch the Camper?
In 1983, according to Vintage Timex Watches. It was based on a 1982 Timex military watch and arrived two years before MacGyver premiered.
What does “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” mean?
It was Timex’s 1960s advertising slogan, attached to John Cameron Swayze’s torture-test commercials that showed Timex watches surviving abuse.
Sources
- Gear Patrol: Timex Reworked Its Best Affordable Field Watch and Made It Better
- Wikipedia: MacGyver
- Military Times: Lucas Till takes over the title role in the MacGyver reboot
- Vintage Timex Watches: Timex Camper
- Time+Tide: How Timex has sold $1 watches for 170 years