Timex ticks back to its roots

TIMEX IS honouring its roots with the Waterbury wristwatch collection, named for Waterbury Clock, the firm that gave birth to Timex in 1850.
Capping the collection is the Waterbury Limited Edition, comprising just 160 pieces – none of which is being placed on sale. Instead, they’ve been presented to prominent figures in each country where Timex is available. In Thailand they’ve gone to celebrity Kornkanok Yongsakul and swimmer Vicha Rattanachote, a former member of the national team, both of whom are running enthusiasts.
The watches have the words “Limited Edition” and a serial number engraved on the back of the case.
The rest of the Waterbury collection is now on sale. A beautiful work of art, the piece is also a bold example of chronological technology.
The collection is primarily designed for sporty men, housed in a round, 40mm stainless steel case that’s water-resistant to 50 metres. The dial, engraved with the name “Waterbury”, bears three arms, with the date indicator at 6 o’clock.
An Indiglo nightlight patented by Timex ensures legibility deep in the night or deep underwater. With a push of a button at the crown, the light illuminates the watch face.
There are five different designs to suit anyone’s style. These are the silver antique-finish case with a grey dial matched to a brown leather strap; a stainless steel case with a taupe dial and a black strap; a brass antique-finish case with green dial and dark brown strap; a black-finish case with black dial and black strap; and a stainless steel case with grey dial and dark brown strap.
In each case, the shade of the bezel matches that of the strap.
“Waterbury is a very important name for Timex – it connects it to the town where it was born,” explains Timex Asia vice president Guglielmo Bertani, referring to Waterbury, Connecticut, in the US. “So we are celebrating the history and heritage of the brand. The look of the Waterbury watch collection is very classic American, the style that Timex stands for.
“Waterbury, the town, is in the Naugatuck River Valley in Connecticut, initially thought to be an ideal place for agriculture before it was discovered that the land is not particularly fertile. So they turned to manufacturing, especially the forging of brass. Our founding company produced wristwatches for these people working in the industries.
“Today Waterbury is still an industrial town,” Bertani says. “It’s full of buildings from the 1800s, all brick and stone and chimneys. The building where Timex had its first headquarters is still there, looking just as it did in the old days. It’s a classic, although it’s no longer an office building.”
The vice president says that the Waterbury collection boasts not only the Indiglo nightlight, but also a very long battery life. “The rough leather strap completes the look, very much fitting to the brand, connecting to our origins and our image.”