1950s TIMEX wristwatch made in UK. "Shock Resistant."
Hi, this is Alan. (Contact info and website at the bottom.) Here is a TIMEX wristwatch from the1950s, probably early-mid '50s. It has MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN, and SHOCK RESISTANT on the dial.
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The watch has a non-radium dial, and non-radium hands. It is not waterproof, and therefore not a Marlin model. All the watches in the "Marlin" series, which began in the 1950s, were waterproof. I'm not sure what was the model name of this watch. Hour and minute hands are steel color, and have a crease or fold in the middle. The second hand is red, and spindle shaped, providing a good color contrast to the more subdued colors of the dial.
The appearance of the dial is a sort of offwhite, eggshell-y color. Whether this subtle dial color is acquired from aging, or was original is uncertain.
With the caseback removed, you can partially see the movement. You can see there is a slot where the crown stem fits into. This makes it easy to remove the movement without having to remove the stem. It is also one of the reasons why this watch would not be waterproof.
Let's take a close look at the dial. I want to point out the M in TIMEX, with the sides going straight up and down, rather than flaring laterally at the bottom. This M, I have found, is a hallmark of the "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN" TIMEX watches. For comparison, see this watch. It was made in the US, also in the early 1950s, but made in the US, and it has the flared M. I realize this is highly esoteric information, but that is what I am here for.
There are long hash marks for every minute/second, with each 5 marked off by the number as well as a short thicker has mark, almost a dot, along the top of the number. Between each second are tiny hashes subdividing the seconds. MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN, at the far bottom, and SHOCK RESISTANT below center. The hour marker numbers are crisply painted, in a font which I like to call "macaroni." Just look at the 6 and the 9. It looks like a macaroni.
The acrylic crystal is seriously domed! It rises high up from the edge, with quite a graceful slope. this high a dome isn't required to clear the hands, and appears to be aesthetic. I really love the crystal. Good look here at the case and lugs. See a bit of fancy "stepping" to the bezel.
The engraving on the caseback is lovely. V-CONIC ESCAPEMENT is a very important thing, and one day i'll write up a page just on this. TIMEX thought enough of the V-CONIC include watchmaker lingo on the back. As they should have. The V-CONIC, with its ARMALLOY BALANCE, was a crucial part of the success of TIMEX, but as they say "this is beyond the scope of this article."
Here is a view looking at the back plate of the movement. It is likely movement #21, and you can see it is made in Scotland. TIMEX, initially as THE US TIME CORPORATION, had a factory in Dundee, Scotland from 1947 until 1993. I am uncertain as to the manufacture date of this watch. It almost certainly is 1950s, mostly likely early-mid 1950s, but this was before date codes, and I don't have any catalog or advertisement pictures to correlate.
Another good look at the hands and dial.
Inside of caseback, someone has written "BL" with a felt-tip marker. There is also a code of numbers scratched into the inside caseback, equally inscrutable to me. This is not a screw-down crown, just pops off pretty easily with a tool. Notice the notch to allow for the crown post. This would not be a waterproof caseback.
The strap I'm using is nylon, 18 mm. The inter-lug width seems 17-18 mm. The original strap would have been leather. Case is chrome plated base metal, in pretty good condition. Simple crown is mostly flat with a little dome in the center.
Thanks for looking and reading. It's a nice 1950s TIMEX with a classic look from that era. Round, simple Arabic numerals, outer seconds/minute chapter, RED seconds hand. Many watches from this era had radium dials and hands, but this does not. It also was not waterproof; the main feature it boasts on the dial is SHOCK PROTECTED, and on the back V-CONIC ESCAPEMENT. I hope you will like it.
Alan
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