What could be more American than a Timex? This is, after all, the brand that first democratized timepieces when, in 1854, it introduced a clock affordable enough for the average working family.
Today, the brand is upholding that heritage with its American Document series, a lineup of four American made, Swiss-movement watches that show a commitment to the patented American values of hard work and ingenuity.
Using a mix of modern proprietary tech and traditional watchmaking techniques, Timex hand-assembles every American Document timepiece at its Middlebury, Connecticut, headquarters in small daily batches. Notable features include a drop-forged, U.S.-sourced steel case, a precision-machined pendant tube, and a machined stainless-steel caseback.
It’s a very American blend of the modern and the traditional, as well. The forged case—the first in American watchmaking—hosts a made-in-Massachusetts Gorilla Glass 3 NDR crystal and a polymer movement support ring that safely holds internal components under compression. It’s all very of the moment.
But the line looks backward, with a traditional double-layer dial seen in the brand’s original clocks and watches as well as a special edition caseback coin stamped in U.S.-sourced brass and plated with “Aged Waterbury Brass” to match the color of the brand’s original timepieces. A brass crown insert stands as an aesthetic tribute to the material that made the original Timex clocks and watches so precise and affordable. Finally, the line’s stitched leather straps come handcrafted from American cowhide by S.B. Foot Tanning in Red Wing, Minnesota—a company that’s as much a slice of American history as Timex.
It’s the best of America past and present, ready for your wrist.
$495; Timex
(Photos courtesy of Timex)