The Not-So-Humble Pinnacle of Humble Watchmaking
Everyone knows Timex. The American watchmaker is a fixture of unpretentious watchmaking, a behemoth in the world of humble, inexpensive, unfussy timepieces.
Timex’s approach to watchmaking hasn’t changed much over the decades because it hasn't had to. But recently, it’s captured a new kind of cool. An old kind of cool.
The new SSQ 1975, first launched in 1975 as Timex’s debut LCD watch, is a perfect example of the brand making a play to recapture the casual timepieces zeitgeist. All brushed steel, blocky case, and retro-futurist charm, it’s so forward-looking that even 50 years later, it looks like it could've been created just this year.
The retro gloss is not just kitschy cool but genuinely good design, reflecting much of Timex's modern-day appeal.
Timex's power is reflected in its collaborations.
The MM6 Maison Margiela T80 ring watch turned time into jewelry, a tiny avant-garde loop of brushed metal that questioned what a watch even is. The Noah collab, with its moonphase and lighthouse dials, offered a dreamy coastal riff on Patek’s Golden Ellipse, while and wander added an outdoor edge to Timex that felt true to both brand’s roots.
These partnerships don’t reinvent Timex but instead prove how adaptable good design can be.
Timex’s value proposition is hard to beat. The brand’s been around since 1854, long enough to share the timeline with the Swiss greats. But where others chased prestige, Timex chased practicality.
Its INDIGLO backlight changed how people actually used watches, letting them check the time in the dark. The Ironman series did the same for sport, giving runners, swimmers, and gym-goers a watch that could take a beating and still look good after.
That adaptability is key.
Timex exists in both worlds, collectible and classic and cool and casual all at once.
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