YMC x TIMEX Camper in "Burnt Rubber Brown," (with a subtle dark-blue dial!)
Hello, this is Alan. My contact info is below. Thanks once again for your interest in these pages. Here is a pretty nice watch. It is another collaboration watch, based on the Original Camper, a watch developed and originally released by TIMEX Japan, in the fall of 2015. This 2015 quartz watch was a revival of the "Camper Watch," a mechanical wristwatch that sold from 1983 to approximately 1994, which in turn was based on a watch TIMEX developed for the U.S. military, the Mk1.
This collaboration is between TIMEX and YMC (You Must Create,) "founded as a menswear and womenswear collection by graphic designer duo, Fraser Moss and Jimmy Collins, seeing a gap in the 'American skate' dominated design market." [1]
Their name was derived from a statement by Raymond Lowey, "You must create your own design and style." This statement from Lowey, who has been variously called: "The Man Who Shaped America, The Father of Streamlining and The Father of Industrial Design," forms their ethos of "not following current trends or styles, but instead focusing on creating stylish, functional and modern clothing for men and women, allowing the product (rather than the marketing), to speak for the brand."
I was aware about a couple weeks before it dropped, that YMC and TIMEX were releasing a Camper, and that it would be "something different from other collabs," but otherwise had no ideas what it would look like. So I stayed tuned to YMC's Instagram where the below video was shown on July 5th. Seven seconds of slight craziness, with the seconds hand moving forward and in reverse, and with changing lighting that gave hints of what it would look like, but enough left uncertain. Kind of cool in that way, and nice teaser video. See it, below (From @ymclondon's Instagram.)
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Well, I've gabbed a lot, as I tend to do, but haven't said a thing yet about the watch! Have a look at the pics so far, first two in ambient natural light, third in direct sunlight. The resin case has a kind of "cream and coffee" or caramel look to it, and has been described by YMC as "Burnt Rubber Brown." I've looked that up, and have found it exclusively in reference to this watch, so they have created a bespoke description for their color. The nylon strap is of a similar color. Dial is classic camper design, with small YMC branding added above the waterproof wave logo. Dial is not black, but a dark blue color. We'll see the same brown and blue is carried through in the packaging.
YMC branding printed on the undersurface of the strap. If you wanted to, you could reverse the buckle and wear it with YMC facing outward. Notice that in some lighting, the case and strap have an almost bronze appearance.
What is the TIGER? More on the tiger, later...
Many of the Camper collaborations come with a "book shaped" presentation box, having an outer sleeve covering the book, and an inside portion (shown above). The cover of the book is held in by an elasticated strap. Here, the cardboard is in unfinished brown "wrapping paper" color, embossed TIMEX and YMC, with a blue elasticated strap.
Opening up the box.
Classic Camper dial has stood the test of time. Originally based on 1964 specifications from the US military (more on this, below). It's clear that the dial is dark blue.
Back of box. This appears to be a YMC label, applied over the TIMEX label. I obtained my watch directly from YMC, £74. Shipping was really swift, with DHL.
I really like the pics of the watch in direct sunlight. You can also appreciate the "microgranular" nature of the dial surface texture.
36 mm Camper case, fixed lugs, pull-through single-piece strap.
Here in these two pics, you can see how the outer blue sleeve slides across the inner "book-like" box, with the elasticated strap.
Still image from that short 7 second movie, from the YMC Instagram, showing the watch in false color, and a sort of embossed effect to the dial (but I would also wear this Camper if it existed.)
END Clothing in the UK is one of the stockists of this watch. The above is from their site.
This large photo shows the blue dial pretty nicely, and shows the contrasts well. It is an interesting combination, this Burnt Rubber Brown and the dark blue / navy blue. I think it works pretty well, and has the appearance of something that I just cannot put my finger on. Khaki... semi-military? uniform-y?
I did say there was going to be Tigers! The earlier pic was of a tiger embossed on the blue outer sleeve of the box. The same tiger shows up on the caseback! Along with all of the usual Camper back stuff, here's this tiger! Well, the tiger also shows up as a print on some of the YMC short-sleeve shirts. I wish I knew its name.
The blue color to the dial is at some times more evident than at other times, depending on lighting, I guess. Here it looks quite blue, probably more so than most of the time. It's a dial color that can play tricks on you! In fact, most websites which mention a dial color at all call it black. Only END Clothing (that I can remember) called it "navy blue!"
I forgot to mention this. When you open the box/book, before you see the watch, it is covered by this folded, thin carboard barrier, talking about TIMEX, history, watches, etc. You can read it easily from this pic. I have not seen this sign on any of the other Camper collabs. Now, from the point of view of a ""watch fan" in their mid-40s let's say, this isn't really news, is it. TIMEX has been around, they make watches, etc. But keep in mind that although "mainly watch fans" will surely like this watch, and many likely will buy it, the target audience is not enthusiasts of primarily watches. I believe YMC x TIMEX are wanting to appeal to the same people who buy YMC apparel; younger, probably more urban, those interested in the style offered by YMC and similar brands, but who may not necessarily be "watch fans." I will qualify that to say are probably not watch fans, and possibly many of them don't wear a watch of any kind. Many of these collabs, I believe, are appealing to a generation of people who may never have worn traditional, analog wristwatches. (more on this below),
Look how perfectly the second hand aligns with the seconds marker. It does not always happen this way. I'm sure they try to align them up at the factory. Sometimes they are off by up to half-second, sometimes less. I know some people who are really bothered by offsets, but thankfully I'm not really. Still, this is pretty remarkable in its accuracy. Also did I say BLUE DIAL?
I usually don't display apparel images on my watch review pages, but I wanted to show some of what you can get at YMC, as it kind of ties into the watch. (Note: all images are from YMC.) Above is "Brown Luddites crew sweater," and "Blue Joan check dress." Below are cotton sneakers in a kind of mustard yellow, a trad design Norwegian sweater, and "Pink Cruz big pleat dress." (Sorry I don't know remember the exact catalog names of the shoe and Norwegian sweater.) Now, have a good look at these items.
I love all of these pieces, and they share, more than anything else, a feeling of "timelessness." Not necessarily of being "classic," but more of having been "instantly at home in the world,' from the moment the design originated, until today. Would any of these have been out of place or unwearable, in the mid 1950s? 1975? Today? Do you think they will be just as timeless and wearable in 2050? I think they would be. They are not "trendy," and I think anyone whose wardrobe consists entirely of pieces from YMC would definitely be considered "stylish," and very nicely dressed.
Have a look at this TIMEX Camper Watch from 1983, the very first year for which there is evidence for this consumer, "civilian" wristwatch. I wrote this one up at this page. The YMC TIMEX of course has some difference beyond mechanical vs quartz movement, and the different colors. There are slight dial differences. But basically, the YMC Camper derives its DNA from this 1980s mechanical, which in turn derives much of it's DNA from the original US government specifications from 1964! ["The first MIL-W-46374 specification was published on 30 October 1964."]
So, we have a watch design template that nearly 55 years later is still not only wearable, but is considered attractive, desirable, and "stylish." Does that mean that the TIMEX Camper design is timeless? I THINK IT IS.
Image: YMC
So, it seems appropriate that YMC would choose to add to its list of apparel and accessories, their interpretation of this enduring TIMEX model. By providing the unique colors and subtle branding, they have succeeded in creating a beautiful, and highly wearable rendition of the Camper. I believe people will like it.
I thought people might want to see the tiger, again.
Image from YMC. The outer sleeve in blue is on the left, next to the inner box. Nice how the colors of the box are in keeping with those of the watch.
What's this car? Well, the quote from Raymond Lowey, "You must create your own design and style," made me think of the Avanti, an early 1960s sports car, designed by Lowey. [If you ever saw the excellent movie GATTACA, btw, you saw the central characters driving an Avanti, but with the simulated hum of an electric motor. There was really good retrofuturist design in that movie.]
Image: YMC
Here is that tiger shirt I told you about, the "Tiger Malick" shirt from YMC.
Description from the YMC site: "The limited edition 2019 YMC x Timex MK1 capsule is available in our very own and exclusive ‘Burnt Rubber Brown’ and comes in a custom box with YMC branding details."
I have favorable impressions of this YMC x TIMEX Mk1 / Camper collaboration. YMC's exclusive interpretation of this timeless model from TIMEX adds to the legacy of this great watch, in their own unique way, and I appreciate all of it.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact:
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
