This time, however, the ads were intentionally humorous and took the premise of the old ads to extremes, one ad showing the watches being thrown to ravenous piranha. Timex also stepped up advertising for its new line of men's and women's fashion watches, influenced by those being sold by Swatch. Having formerly advertised mainly in such magazines as Time and Life, Timex began buying space in sports and fashion magazines.
The ads were part of an effort to help Timex shake its staid image at a time when watchmakers like Swatch were making inroads by giving their watches a fun, quirky image. Timex released new sport watches in that were aimed at niche markets while also being designed to appeal to a broader audience. One model, the Victory, included features useful in sailboat racing and a design influenced by traditional nautical instruments.
While the Ironman watch was geared toward triathlon participants, the watch's memory feature and rugged styling proved so popular that Timex was soon able to claim that it was the best-selling watch in the United States through , if not the leader among watch sales worldwide. At the end of the s the color plastic watch business pioneered by Swatch was beginning to decline, but Timex continued producing colorful watches with classic styling and increased the distribution of its watches to upscale department stores.
Timex remained at the top of the U. Again picking up on the "takes a licking" theme, the ads featured portraits of people who, along with their Timex watches, had survived serious mishaps. One woman, for example, had fallen 85 feet while rock climbing and suffered only minor injuries. The ads, by the Minneapolis-based agency Fallon McElligott, appeared in 31 magazines and included several three-page spreads.
Although the information age initiatives the company had pursued in the early s had been sharply scaled back, Timex had not forgone new technologies altogether. The company announced it would develop a wristwatch that would double as a telephone pager in conjunction with Motorola Inc.
Moreover, in Timex introduced a watch with a luminescent dial that glowed like a full moon at the push of a button. The watch used a dial made of zinc sulphide and copper that other companies had used on clocks, though Timex was the first to adapt it to watch size.
Featuring patented electroluminescence technology, Timex's Indiglo Night-Light set the standard for watch illumination. It offered night workers, campers, sports players, and moviegoers a safe, nontoxic, bright, even blue-green light superior to other watches' shine.
Other manufacturers utilized incandescent bulbs, which resulted in faint illumination, or sunlight-storing phosphorescent substances, which faded, or potentially dangerous radioactive substances such as radium or titanium. These innovations were well received by the public. The company was now the largest watchmaker in the United States.
Both Business Week and Fortune named the Indiglo Night-Light one of the best products of the year in , and high demand for the Indiglo Night-Light continued after its introduction.
Timex incorporated the innovation into 65 percent of its watch styles and added further technological improvements; for example, Night Mode, which provided a steady, three-second light source. Amid the smoke and darkness after the bombing, a man from Arizona used the light from his Indiglo Ironman Triathlon to lead people from the ravaged building.
Once again, however, a labor dispute at Timex UK sullied the company's public image in Workers in the Dundee, Scotland, plant initiated a strike against Timex when the company announced impending layoff plans, wage freezes, and benefit reductions. When Timex fired the strikers and hired replacement workers, violence and ill-will between the workers and company management ensued.
The rifts are so great now. It's all too personal. Despite its image problems in the United Kingdom, Timex remained a favorite accessory brand in the United States, according to Fairchild Publications. Placing ahead of Nike and Levis, Timex ranked second in Fairchild Publications as the overall favorite fashion brand in the country in Still, despite it favorable position with the public, Timex launched ten marketing campaigns that year to compete more effectively, in particular challenging Swatch for market share.
Timex continued to develop technological innovations for its watches throughout the s. For over years, Timex has been providing innovative, well—designed and reliable timepieces with hundreds of styles among its Fashion, Sports and Outdoor lines and has sold more than one—billion watches.
Timex Group is privately held. Timex Group? An extensive network and close partnership with leading logistics service providers allow us to support the global requirements of our brands and customers. The wide—ranging capabilities of Timex Group? In—house manufacturing includes precision watch parts and movements, assembly and distribution. By , the Timex wristwatch was formally introduced to U. Time Co. If the current prominence of Timex is any indication, this endeavor in design was a success!
With a successful string of TV; print; and radio advertising, Timex became the American watch. By , the Timex watch accounted for one in every three watch sales in the United States. From the s-early s, Timex Corp continued to develop the brand, as well as manufacture personal tech devices and business machines. One example of this was their relationship with Polaroid.
By Timex ended up having to pare down to primarily manufacturing watches—due to market demand. However, this lead them toward their successful Iron Man watch series, which was the number one selling watch—globally—for a whole decade Nowadays the Timex Group B.
Given that I am a tall guy, I like bigger dials. I like watches that are complicated and have additional functions. My collection changes after a while but I have 25 watches that I like and that I keep in rotation. I only own Timex watches. When you are in the watch world, you always have an aspiration for Swiss brands. Watchmaking is an art and there are a few brands which I would love to own.
Patek Philippe is a brand I really admire. They are doing some amazing work. But these are only a few examples. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! It'll just take a moment. Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image. You are now subscribed to our newsletters. Edited excerpts: How is Timex positioned globally?
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