The Map Magazine

Timex Corporation is a great and established producer of wrist watches and was founded in 1854 as “Watebury Clock”, located in the Naugatuck Valley (Connecticut, USA). During the nineteenth century the Valley was legendary for its various resident watch producers and consequently for a long time well-known as the “Switzerland of America”. Nowadays the Timex Group B.V. is owned by the Fred Olsen & Co Group and an important part of Timex Group USA, Incorporated.

Creating the first Mickey Mouse wrist watch in history

In 1880 Waterbury gained its first big success when they produced an economically priced mechanical pocket wrist watch. Wristwatches got popular in North America in the early years of the 20th century and Waterbury also followed this trend. In 1933, they invented a special product: Licensed by Walt Disney himself, Waterbury made the first Mickey Mouse watch in history. The comic star’s hands pointed at the time.

Promotional slogan "it keeps on ticking"

It was 1950 when the name of the company changed. The wristwatcheswrist watches have been sold since this date under the new name “Timex”. A specific characteristic trait of Timex were their so called “torture tests”. Wrist watches were encountered in extreme situations to prove their promotional slogan “it keeps on ticking”.

In the following three decades, Timex tried to expand their portfolio step by step. In the 1980s, for example, Timex joined the home computer market and developed computers like the famous “Timex Sinclair 100”. After this short experience, the company decided that they can’t compete with their contestants in this market yet and withdrew.

However, during the 1970s and 1980s Timex became a big and famous brand in North America, especially in the United States and Canada. Moreover, Timex is also worldwide known for their high quality wrist watches. Additional to its normal wristwatches, the Group manufactures a series of “PDA type watches” called “Timex Datalink” as well. In addition to that, Timex produces GPS active watches and related high tech equipment.

Headquarters in Europe, North America and Asia

These days, Timex has about 5.500 employees on impressive four continents. The Timex Group USA has sold almost one billion of its watches worldwide. Since its foundation the products of the Timex Group are manufactured mainly in Asia and Switzerland. The technology of its watches is developed in Germany and in the United States. Timex has headquarters in several countries in Europe, North America and Asia. Men’s watches

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From pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for gentlemen and only for women, has grown nowadays into a fashion utensil that everyone has. Meanwhile, the wrist watch is no longer only a tool to tell the time. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.

A great deal of mechanics in a small housing

The first confirmable portable timepiece was developed in 1500. This was not a wrist watch, but more of a pocket watch. Through technical advancement, which made it possible for people to house mechanics in an more and more smaller space, the required parts of the clockworks were able to be brought into a manageable form. In this way, the first pocket watch was born, which at the time was still the size of an egg.

The computerized wristwatch from Japan

A entirely different watch came onto the market in the 1970’s from Japan, which had developed its own watch industry. The new watch from Japan was no more set on a mechanical basis, but on a computerized control. This watch expanded its range of capacity rapidly. The wrist watch no more just showed the time. The tiny timepiece on the wrist now also knew the date, the day of the week and even knew whether a leap year was involved.

The wristwatch as jewelry

Nowadays, the wristwatch is no longer just a watch. The wrist watch has become a fashion accessory. Wrist watches come in all colours and shapes conceivable. One can also get harmonious watches from every fashion collection. The current watches are dominated by the correct fashion trends. Despite these different trends, there is something for every taste. The small watches, which require eyeglasses to tell the time, and the extravagant large watches, which make it difficult to walk upright. By all means, one thing is sure: science is still likely to make so much progress - that the wristwatch will be seen on the wrists of people for a long time, to respond to the question as to what time it is.

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