How Timex Collaborated Its Way to Being Cool Again
As long as I can remember, there's always been one failsafe present for my notoriously impossible-to-shop-for father: a Timex watch. For him, they tick all of his most important boxes, namely: unfussy, functional, long-lasting, and perhaps most of all, affordable.
And by and large, that has been the brand's reputation since 1854, when Timex began as the Waterbury [Connecticut] Clock Company, a reputation cemented by the famous 1956 "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" ad campaign. In fact, with the exception of Bill Clinton famously wearing a Timex Ironman to his first inaugural ball, Timex's lot in life was that of the first watch, the backup watch, or maybe the workout watch, but definitely not the "show off" watch.
In the fall of 2007, Todd Snyder was still the head of men's design for J.Crew-he now helms his own eponymous line-a brand that over the next few years would largely become synonymous with menswear's growing interest in all things Americana. He approached Timex about collaborating, and a year later J.Crew released a classic field watch with a slightly distressed face and a simple nylon NATO strap, for $150.
"[Timex's] whole ethos was about American ingenuity. They started mass-producing clocks even before the Model T came out, and I love the idea that they were pioneers in making functional design available to everyone," Snyder says today. While some were aghast at the price, which was nearly four times what a field style will run you at timex.com, the New York Times T magazine described it as "discreet enough for the office." Suddenly, tailored looks were being topped off with the humble quartz-movement watches, and to this day, both J.Crew and Todd Snyder continue to release exclusive Timex collaborations that retail for a fraction of what some of their sweaters will cost you.
"It's good inspiration for our side, in terms of how to push the brand. We learn a lot from these collaborations," says Giorgio Galli, global design director for Timex in Milan. Since Galli's design studio was acquired in 2007, he's been the man responsible for the look of Timex and the one helping to make it relevant again through collaborations that have challenged menswear's perception of what a stylish watch should be (and cost), at a time when sites like Hodinkee were getting guys hyped up on $5,600 "root beer" Rolexes.
Galli notes that while each collaboration is unique (sometimes designers come to the company, sometimes it's the other way around), the typical process is that Timex's vast archives yield the initial inspiration. From there, faces, cases, and straps are tweaked, as was the case when a Red Wing leather strap was added to a Japan-only release (that's since been made available here, due to demand). "We try to look back and find authentic product but modernize it," Galli says.
Even smaller, more forward brands like Engineered Garments, 1st PAT-RN, and WTAPS have begun to work with Timex. In the case of 1st PAT-RN, Timex took the collaborative relationship one step further by making designer and owner Cristiano Berto a consultant on Timex Archive, an almost black label-like line that pairs heritage styles with original NATO straps woven in Italy.
"Just as I do in my collection, these combine my passion for 'trad' style with military or workwear," Berto says. "Not through historical replicas but by working on new colors, shapes and innovative fabrics." For Galli, Timex Archive is an opportunity to capitalize on the brand's long history. He calls it "a chance to evolve…something that's not just a replica of the old products."
Obviously aware of the lingering perceptual hurdles Timex still has in the U.S., Galli made a point to emphasize that the brand creates its own movements and has begun to push into the wearable tech market. But as the company continues to steadily, and for the most part quietly, release sellout-worthy watches (like the Todd Snyder "Mod") at relatively affordable price points, it's safe to say that more and more guys won't hesitate to reach for the Timex when getting ready. And while it may not replace your grandfather's Omega or the IWC you treated yourself to, it's also no longer something to hide.
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