US TIME "TIMEX" FALCON watch, 1950s, Scotland
Hi, this is Alan. Contact information is at the bottom. The FALCON watch is kind of an oddball. It is essentially a 1950s "child size" TIMEX / US TIME wristwatch, but instead of branded TIMEX or Ingersoll or something more well-known, it has FALCON on the dial. The movement has TIMEX SCOTLAND 22. This tells us it was made in the US TIME factory in Dundee, Scotland, and has movement # 22.
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Here is the 22 movement. Everything sandwiched between two plated, held together by four screws. TIMEX 22 SCOTLAND. The copper springs are for putting tension on the seconds hand works (the longer one) and for putting tension on the lever that holds the crown post in place.
Quite simple dial. White background, and "steel colored" numbers which I'm not sure if they are applied (that seems expensive) or somehow stamped when the dial was made. Sixty hash marks at periphery. Spindle-shaped hands. Nice red seconds hand. MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN at bottom.
I love the casebacks of many of the 1950s TIMEX. The ones with this circle pattern always have four things they wish to comment on. Here, you see V-CONIC, SHOCKPROOF, GREAT BRITAIN, STAINLESS STEEL. Sometimes it may include WATERPROOF, DUSTPROOF, ALUMINUM BEZEL, and others.
V-CONIC ESCAPEMENT is pretty interesting. It's beyond the scope of this page to discuss the V-CONIC, but briefly it was a US TIME innovation that allowed for very durable but inexpensive movements, specifically a durable balance staff made without jewels, but also very accurate and even more durable than jeweled escapements. What I find curious is that almost all (if not all) of the TIMEX/US TIME watches I've seen or had that had the V-CONIC bit stamped on the back have been "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN," on the dial and often SCOTLAND on the back. Most were purchased from the UK. Maybe it was more highly promoted there, the V-CONIC?
Here's another FALCON. Not mine, but from the internet. Also MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. Seconds hand is missing. Probably a larger watch than mine. The sides of the dial are not trimmed off, but remain round. Same # 22 movement, below.
I don't know much about these watches. If anyone has more information about this, please let me know. What was the reason to brand them as FALCON, rather than TIMEX. Maybe there was a FALCON watch brand, and US TIME bought them, and to keep loyal customers, they continued to brand a small percentage of the watches FALCON? US TIME at some point acquired a brand called KELTON, and made many watches with KELTON on dial, that were essentially TIMEX as "KELTON," so maybe that was what was going on, a kind of branding loyalty thing. Or maybe they thought FALCON would be more appealing to kids? Please let me know!
One more big look at this small and historically interesting FALCON/TIMEX from US TIME (which I've seen stamped on some early 1950s watches as UK TIME). If anyone has feedback, feel free to send email or contact using other means, listed below.
Alan
Contact:
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
