Timex,
one of the best known watch companies in the world, reached its
milestone 150th Anniversary this year. Throughout its long and rich
history, Timex has remained at the forefront of advanced
technology, developing iconic and internationally recognized timepieces.
From the first mass-produced, affordable pocket watches to Indiglo
night-light, the company's propriety watch illumination technology,
has been driven by the advancement of state-of-the-arttimekeeping.
To celebrate
its 150th Anniversary and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to design
and innovation, Timex teamed up with Core77 to conduct a
global design competition: Timex2154: THE FUTURE OF TIME.
Designers from more than 72 countries explored and visualized personal
and portable timekeeping 150 years into the future. Renowned designers
and design specialists considered over 640 entries in three categories:
wrist-based, wearable, and conceptual. The winning concepts are
featured in this site and will be permanently installed in Timexpo,
the Timex Museum based in Waterbury, CT, which chronicles
the story of Timex and its hertitage dating back to the 1850's.
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Timex
Watches
Reviews, Profiles & Articles
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Timex Watches History:
The company
began in 1854 as Waterbury Clock in Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley,
known during the nineteenth century as the "Switzerland of America."
Sister company Waterbury Watch manufactured the first inexpensive
mechanical pocket watch
in 1880. During World War I, Waterbury began making wristwatches,
which had only just become popular, and in 1933 it made history by
creating the first Mickey Mouse clock under license from Walt Disney,
with Mickey's hands pointing the time.
During
World War II, Waterbury renamed itself U.S. Time Company. In 1950
the company introduced a wristwatch called the Timex.
Over the next three decades, Timex was sold through a series
of advertisements which emphasized its durability by putting the
watch through "torture tests," such as falling over the
Grand Coulee Dam or being strapped to the propeller of an outboard
motor, with the slogan "It
takes a licking and keeps on ticking." With the help of
former Olympic broadcaster, spokesman John Cameron Swayze, sales
took off. The company later became Timex Corporation, then
Timex Group and, to date, has sold over one billion watches.
The
company has remained very competitive and the Timex brand
continues its dominance through present day. Its primary market
remains the United States and Canada, although the Timex
brand is sold worldwide due to its ability to capitalize on its
strong brand image and reputation for quality.
One
of the most successful and important features available on many
Timex watches is the Indiglo backlight system. Indiglo is
a brand name of Indiglo Corporation, solely owned by Timex
for licensing purposes. Timex electroluminescent lamps, branded
Indiglo, were introduced in 1992 in the Ironman watch line. They
were an immediate success. The Indiglo® lamp uniformly lights
the surface of the Timex’s watch dials in a manner that
makes the dial read very easily in many different light settings.
In some newer watches the Indiglo backlight only lights up
the numbers, rather than the entire LCD display, which is achieved
by means of a specialized film that inverts the LCD transmissivity.
Today,
Timex Group products are manufactured in the Far East and
in Switzerland often based on technology that continues to be developed
in the United States and in Germany. With a large and varied line
of watches, Timex has the style for everyone. From
the locker room to the board room, there is a great Timex
style time-piece for you.
