Welcome to @TimeTrope’s vintage Timex watches.

My hope is that this website becomes the defacto source of all things vintage Timex.

I started collecting vintage Timex wristwatches in 2018. This was when the Marlin got reissued. Like many others, I started looking to horology as a hobby due to the beauty of mechanical complications. I finally settled on vintage Timex due to several factors:

• Cost – I wanted a watch collection i could grow rapidly with at least 1 new piece every month.
• Variety – I wanted my watch collection to scratch every possible itch as my interest in the hobby grew.
• Connection – I wanted to pick a brand that had some connection with the UK.
• Community – I wanted to join a community that supported new collectors.

Vintage Timex fit this criteria perfectly.

I created this website as a way of cataloging my vintage Timex watch collection. It helps me to find gaps in my collection, as my goal is to find at least one example of each design made. As a result i am an odd type of vintage watch collector who is less concerned with having pristinely restored pieces, in favour of having the most variety. This odd approach can also help other collectors by:

• Ensure eBay and other listings accurately depict a watch to avoid unwanted returns and refunds.
• Finding donor watches that share the same movement dial, hands, case, crown or crystal.
• Find information on dissasembling, cleaning and repairing vintage Timex watches.
• Identify batteries needed to get LCD and quartz watches working.
• Learn more about the Timex brand and its history.

I call this my archive, others have called it a Timex museum. To be honest i just want to build a resource thats useful and give something back to the community that has been so supportive of my journey.

FAQ’s

Is an old Timex worth anything?

At the time of answering this question, old Timex watches are available to “buy now” on eBay between $4 and $3000. As a collector I tend to spend between $25-$200 per watch depending on rarity and condition, and regularly buy lots of 20 watches for around $25 for spares or repair.

Are vintage Timex watches good?

If longevity and reliability are any measure of how good a Timex watch can be then I have un-serviced vintage Timex watches dating back to the late 1940’s that run and keep time well. This is a testament to how well the watches were designed and manufactured. The designs encapsulate the fashion of their times and many remain as eye catching today as they did when originally sold.

How do I know if my Timex is vintage?

Vintage is a subjective term with many claiming watches dating to the 1990s as being worthy of this name. As a guide, Quartz and LCD watches were launched in the 1970s, electric watches from the 1960s-1070s and mechanical watches from 1946 – 1996. For watches dating between the mid-1960s – 1980s dial codes were printed on the edge of the dial with the last 2 digits being the year of manufacture.

Are Timex watches worth collecting

Timex watches have been in production since 1946. By 1958 1 in every 3 watches made was a Timex. Add to this that Timex models changed from region to region and you can only imagine the scale and scope of what can be collected. From solid gold watches to pocket watches, dive watches to dress watches, every day wears, military watches, chronographs and limited-edition pieces. There is something for every collector’s taste.

Why collectors don’t like Timex

The main challenge for collectors of other watch brands collecting Timex watches is mainly down to the type of movements used in vintage Timex watches. High end brands tend to use jeweled movements based around a common design such as ETA or Sellita. This allows repairs to be made from abundant parts that can be shared between repairs for different watch brands. Timex and other brands adopted a more utilitarian approach to movement production with their V-conic movement.

This has led to many watch makers claiming that Timex watches can not be repaired. This is despite Timex producing official documentation on how to repair even their earliest models. This misunderstanding is why many collectors do not like Timex watches.

If you spot any errors please contact me via @timetrope on instagram.