Timex is celebrating its 170th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion it's turning the clock back on the price of its anniversary-edition wristwatch.
The new, limited-edition Waterbury Watch will cost just $1 or £1 when it goes on sale next month — that’s the same price its ancestor, the legendary Yankee pocket watch, cost back in 1854, when Timex was still known as the Waterbury Clock Company. That timepiece was so popular at that price point that it was humorously known as “the watch that made the dollar famous.”
“170 years ago, timekeeping was a luxury reserved for the elite. Pocket watches came with a steep price, out of reach for the average person. But then, the Waterbury Clock Company changed everything, democratising timekeeping for all,” reads a Timex release on the historical significance of the new watch's price.
“It became an essential tool for everyday Americans: farmers checked it during harvests, train conductors relied on it for punctuality, and factory workers synchronised their breaks by its hands. By the turn of the century, over six million ‘dollar watches’ had made their way into households across the country.”
The new release is an elegant and simple wristwatch, featuring 19mm Roman numerals on a white face with an ice white dial, alongside the 170th anniversary logo. An engraving on the back commemorates the anniversary — and there’s no sign of corner cutting on what’s a genuinely affordable item.
But if you want one of these affordable little pieces of timekeeping history, you’re going to have to move fast — Timex is limiting the launch to just 1,000 pieces. We’re guessing the watch will be worth a hell of a lot more than £1 once they sell out.
Pick up the Timex 170th Anniversary limited-edition watch on November 16th, either online at Timex.co.uk or in-store at Frasers in Meadowhall.
