1983 TIMEX Camper Watch made in Taiwan with unusual smooth / shiny back.
Similar to the military contract-bid MIL-W-46374B TIMEX.
Hi. This is Alan. Contact info is below.
Here is an unusual version of the 1980s Camper Watch from TIMEX, made in a Taiwan factory. It is unusual in that the back of the watch is smooth. Most commonly, the backs of these one-piece cases have a sort of bumpy, granular texture, as in the below photo of a different Camper also made in a Taiwan factory. Both are from 1983. Notice that the one below has that granular, bumpy texture.
Notice the textured version also has a central "depression" or pit, where I believe the resin was injected into the mold, which is missing from the "smooth" version.
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(BTW, I won't go into great details about the basic features of the Camper, as this has been covered in other articles. For further info about Camper, please see the below links.)
Side-by-side, the bumpy and the smooth case. The differences in the surfaces are obvious. Notice also that the printing of the lettering is of a different method, or "mold." A framing-like edge is present on the bumpy one, with just the imprints of the letters on the smooth one.
The smooth back is similar/identical to the smooth back of this NOV 1981 MIL-W-46374B TIMEX. I won't elaborate more here other than to say this is a very rare watch made in very small numbers, as TIMEX pursued a potential contract with the US Government (Department of Defense) to provide a low-cost watch for soldiers. More about this at the below links:
So, aside from different lettering between the military vs civilian one, these two backs look identical to me. This makes me think that this smooth civilian Camper, from 1983 (the earliest year I've seen any example of this watch) is probably one of the earliest of all Campers, predating the bumpy ones which are much, much more common.
So, my theory is that before they went to a different mold and/or manufacturing process, they continued to use the same mold as the military one, just with changed lettering to reflect the non-military, civilian status. These smooth civilian Campers, according to this theory, will be from a small batch (maybe only one production run?) before they decided to use the bumpy mold method.
Here is the data code printed along the bottom of the dial of the smooth Camper, seen only when the crystal and a stabilizer ring are removed. Model 29912, movement 115, date 1983. Dial made in the UK.
The above pic is NOT of the smooth Camper, but of a bumpy Camper. It shows the inside of the caseback of a watch I disassembled. (It was pretty interesting, all described here.) Anyway, you can see that this bumpy case was made in the UK (as was the dials on the bumpy Camper and the smooth Camper).
(The TAIWAN aspect is the assembly. Maybe a part or two were actually manufactured in Taiwan [or maybe nothing was manufactured there] but the watch was assembled there from parts made from wherever they were made.)
I have not taken apart this smooth one to see if it says that the case was made in the UK; it may have been, and maybe it is probable that it was, but I just don't know.
"Very uncommon smooth back TIMEX Camper from 1983, similar in appearance to the "actual military one," possibly from the first production run or runs, once production of the civilian version commenced."
Thanks for reading.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
