I drive the Eastern Seaboard a lot, and while I've often passed TIMEXPO, the Timex Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut, I never stopped.  Yesterday, I did on a cold day.  Let's warm up and take a tour.

The outside of the museum is a nice old brick building.  Converted factory perhaps?  Nice to see that the clock on top is accurate to the minute.

But who's the big fellow standing next to the museum?  A visitor from Easter Island?  Artifact from a long lost civilization?  Pacific island time god?

He looks incongruous next to a watch museum, but more on him later.

A handy flowchart of the history of Timex, not unlike the confusing and convoluted history of some of the European companies.  Clockmaking started in Waterbury a long time ago, first using wooden parts, just like John Harrison.  Later, the company moved on to pocketwatches and alarm clocks, the Mickey Mouse watch, and finally Timex after WWII.

They may have started with wooden wheels, but technology advances, and the clockmakers of Waterbury adapted. 

A display of the many clocks made over the years.  Looks like the back of my watchmaker's shop.  No wonder it takes so long to get that clean-oil-adjust completed.....

Need to make some parts?  No problem.  We've got these lathes to make whatever you need.....

Some beautiful examples of wall clocks, made locally under many brand names.

But this one above is very odd.  I didn't flip the picture, this is what the dial looks like.  The hands run backwards too.   Can anyone figure out what is going on here?  There is a clue in the picture....

I'm unable to afford most independent watchmaking, so I jumped at the chance to make my own watch.  First, I elbowed aside the small children ahead of me in line....

....and then got to the first step, selection of case material!  Hmm, they seem to be out of the tantalum and the honey gold.  All that is left is paper.  Well, I don't want to challenge the watchmaker's vision, so paper it is.

Dial printing is next.  Seems to be some sort of tampon printing process.  The dial I selected is traditional, but I think the purple color will give it real pop.

Looks great.  Love the dial.

Well, I didn't get to choose the movement, next is picking the strap.  We seem to be moving quickly.  I hope it's not a bog standard ETA inside.

The bezel is last.  A neat sort of PP grid.  And for the wrist shot, well, it seems the manufacture sent me the small strap.  Almost child's size.  Hmm, I'll have to order the longer one.  On the plus side, the watch is _really_ thin.  I don't know what movement is inside, but JLC MUT owners, eat your heart out...

Well, the children I pushed out of the way to make my watch have stopped crying and their parents have stopped shooting me death stares.  Back to the watches.  Here's a nice chrono pocketwatch.

And a pair of alarm clocks from the late 19th century.

One of the icons in the museum: the Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch. 

According to this poster, this watch saved the company in the 1930's.

Dial design.

Also in this era of the 1930's-40s, this very attractive ladies pocketwatch, the Ingersoll Midget.  Only $3 with enamel dial. Those certainly were the days. The size wasn't listed, but to me it looked about 45 mm or so, but thick.   Other versions of the Midget had the crown at 3 and with soldered wire lugs, was converted into a large wristwatch.

In the postwar period, the newly renamed company invested in movement design, coming up with something called the V-conic.  I'm not sure exact what it is, but the "greatest advancement in 200 years of watchmaking"?  Really??

Where are the cap jewels?

Onto the 1960's.  I don't remember the iconic Timex ads, "takes a licking but keeps on ticking", but I'm sure some here do.  The display has the actual outboard motor used in some TV ads.  A Timex was strapped to the propeller in a tank of water, and then the motor run.  Inspection afterwards showed the Timex still running...  Unfortunately it's not a working display and I couldn't run the motor myself.









Certainly a popular watch in the US.

And 1970's LED watches.  Space age, don't you think?  Makes me want to go out and see "Tron: Legacy" in the theaters.

Indiglo, a real technical and marketing hit for modern Timex.

And for the budding WIS, birthday parties are possible!  Not sure what kind of child would choose this venue, but if there are some, they probably belong to some members here.

Back to the big idol outside the building.  Here's the oddity again.  Looks like someone decided that just a Timex museum wouldn't attract enough visitors.  So why not add a big room celebrating......  Thor Heyerdahl's Kontiki voyage!!

I can't make heads or tails of this room, which comes right after the LED Timex area.  What does Thor Heyerdahl and the Pacific have to do with American watchmaking?  Too bad I forgot to wear my Eterna-matic Kontiki, or I would have had a cool wristshot.

More idols.  No watches or clocks.

After the Kontiki room, we go back to timekeeping.  Okay, what does the future hold for Timex?  Moving beyond the wrist, certainly.  How about a sticker watch you can put anywhere on your clothes?

How about a contact lens watch that gives you the time, similar to a heads-up display?

How about a fingernail watch?  Maybe women with longer fingernails get the perpetual calendar?

Thanks for spending the time with me at TIMEXPO.  It's not the Patek Philippe museum, but everyone has to celebrate the history he has.  If you find yourself in Waterbury, CT, stop in.  The staff is very friendly.

-Tom

 

This message has been edited by tee530 on 2010-12-11 09:08:56