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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Not recorded, United States

Timex

Partially verified

Sturdy and inexpensive mass-produced timepieces

History

Timex was founded in 1941 by Norwegian immigrants Thomas Olsen and Joakim Lehmkuhl after they purchased the bankrupt Waterbury Clock Company.

The company name is a portmanteau created by Thomas Olsen using the words Time and Kleenex. Following World War II, Lehmkuhl transitioned the firm to mass-produce affordable watches by utilizing high levels of mechanization and durable hard alloy bearings. The company historically utilized innovative television advertising featuring torture tests to prove the durability of their watches.

Ownership has shifted over time, with the Boston-based investment firm Baupost Group acquiring the Timex Group in 2020.

The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Current watchmaking & later fate

  • Timex Group continues to operate as an American-Dutch holding company, currently owned by the Baupost Group.
  • The group maintains operations globally with products manufactured across several countries including China, India, and the Philippines.

As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-03. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.

Key models

Timex Ironman
Introduced in 1984, the Ironman was marketed as the world's first sports watch.
Timex SSQ
The SSQ was a solid-state quartz LED watch introduced as a competitor to the Pulsar.

Major innovations

  • The company utilized Armalloy, a hard alloy developed through wartime research, to produce longwearing watch bearings.
  • In 1950, Timex introduced the V-Conic, described as the first high-quality mass-produced watch movement.

Known markings

  • The company is famously associated with the slogan, Timex – Takes a Licking and keeps on Ticking.

Serial numbers

No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

In the object catalogue

4 catalogued objects are recorded under Timex. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

  • Front view of Timex Self-Wind Calendar wristwatch, reference 46660
  • Front view of the Timex manual wind date watch on wrist
  • Front view of the 1958 Timex wristwatch showing the gold-colored case and signature on the dial.
  • Dial and case front view of the Timex watch with upper strap attached

Sources & references

  1. Timex Group, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Timex Group USA, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Timexpo Museum, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  4. Timex Enterprises Inc. | Encyclopedia.com, encyclopedia.com, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  5. Our Story |, timexindia.com, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  6. Timex Corporation, encyclopedia.com, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.