Timex Marlin Reissue Out of Stock Again
For many youngsters, Timex is synonymous with attainable, mode-oriented quartz watches. However, if we look dorsum in time, Timex actually played a major function in the history of the American mechanical watch. Timex was one of the most, if not the most prominent Usa-based manufacture, until the early on 1980s when the visitor made a desperate strategic move. Still, times are changing, and without maxim that Timex is about to become back to its glorious by position, it is to be noted that the make has returned to mechanical, with the Timex Vintage Marlin, a hand-wound watch priced nether $200. A lot to love, and also non to love… Y'all'll see!
Timex, the mechanical watch, and 35 years of absenteeism…
Timex, as well known as Timex Group USA, Inc. (or formerly known as Timex Corporation), is an American spotter make located in Middlebury, Connecticut. The company, which started activities in 1854, is the belongings of Timex Grouping, a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. Today'due south product of watches is entirely focused on affordable pieces (everything is nether USD200), more often than not manner-oriented watches, powered by quartz movements or computers – for their "smartwatches" collection. However, this state of affairs is pretty recent, as the brand had a erstwhile glory…
At a certain time in history (during the 1950s and 1960s), Timex was the number 1 watch-producer in America, with close to one-half of the mechanical watches sold in the U.S. manufactured by them. Some quondam advertisings fifty-fifty claimed that "more people buy Timex than any other watch in the earth". While it remains difficult to prove, Timex, at that time, could well have been the nigh of import sentry manufacture in the earth – and of course, only with mechanical watches. In the 1960s, the visitor promoted its product under the claim of being the "world's largest manufacturer of watches and mechanical time fuses." So what happened? Why Timex today is not Timex anymore?
A Vintage mecahnical and waterproof Timex Marlin – virtually probably from the 1960s – source: web
In the early 1950s, the United States Fourth dimension Corporation (what would later become Timex) was facing diminishing orders, due to the finish of the Korean State of war – at that time, Time Corporation was providing watches to armed services forces. Its President, Joakim Lehmkuhl, had the idea to refocus the product around an inexpensive sentry that was both accurate and durable. By using automation, precision tooling techniques, a move design much simpler than the ones used by Swiss manufactures and a new hard alloy, Armalloy (used to produce long wearing bearings, replacing the jewels traditionally used in watches), he created a watch affordable enough then most Americans could afford it. This led to the eventual public debut of the Timex make in 1950.
For the 20 years to come, success was immense. By 1962, the Timex make held the number i market share position in the United states of america, where i out of every three watches sold was a Timex. But this situation would modify dramatically in the 1970s and early 1980s, as the American lookout man industry was devastated past the Quartz crisis. Bombardment-powered watches coming from Nihon and Hong-Kong substantially killed the market every bit they were cheaper, more precise and mainly, they represented the future of watchmaking. Timex closed and consolidated worldwide operations, cutting the 30,000 employee workforce to 6,000. The year 1982 sounded similar the end of an era, every bit Timex manufactured its terminal mechanical movement. For the 35 years since, the brand will only produce fashionable design pieces, without a single incursion in the mechanical world.
The American mechanical Timex watch is back… sort of!
Every bit said, Timex was out of the mechanical-lookout game since 1982. And while the American mechanical picket is non entirely dead – actually strongly alive with a brand similar RGM (withal in a completely different price range) – nothing can compete with the one-time-Timex. However, a recent news dropped on our desks and immediately tickled our interest. Timex was back in the game with a hand-wound picket, priced under $200, with a vintage look recalling the 1960s Marlin – we can even claim "copy-paste" here. So the large question was: is the American-produced mechanical spotter really back?
Considering the current trend of Made-in-America, this would have been great news for a certain Donald! Yet, nosotros'll take to feel deplorable for him (for once… probably the just reason why we'd experience sorry for him here, at the very European Monochrome redaction). Indeed, if the mechanical Timex sentinel is back, it is far from existence American. Design-wise, marketing-wise or commercial-wise, it is, certainly. But in terms of production, let's say that information technology feels more like a bowl of rice rather than a classic Connecticut-manner steamed cheeseburger. Why that? Equally reported by our colleagues of wornandwound.com – who take seen an early prototype of the watch – the dorsum was showing a "sticker that reads MOVT CHINA". This immediately refers to some of the large Chinese movement producers such as Seagull or others, meaning that no American workforces take been involved in creating this motility.
Still, on a consumer basis, at that place's a lot to dearest here. Indeed, Timex has a new offer, with hand-wound mechanical movement, priced at $199. This and a nice vintage-inspired pattern, a 34mm x 10mm case in stainless steel, a retro-looking acrylic domed crystal and a sunburst dial with indexes that recall the old Marlin watches. A very 1960s watch overall, for a decent toll, from a renowned brand. In brusque, a good culling to many affordable/Kickstarter brands we've seen recently.
Images: Mr. Porter
However, business-wise, there's non much be happy for. This is clearly non the comeback of the mass-produced and affordable American watch some are waiting for. Does it "make America great again"? Certainly not, simply information technology will make China greater than e'er earlier… Sorry Donald, not this time. More details on Timex.com.
https://monochrome-watches.com/industry-news-us-make-timex-back-mechanical-watches-usd200-vintage-marlin/
Source: https://monochrome-watches.com/industry-news-us-brand-timex-back-mechanical-watches-usd200-vintage-marlin/
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