TIMEX watch "crystals" - from Scotland - hidden treasure found :)

[luiazazrambo]

I managed to buy a few boxes of Timex watch crystals, they once belonged to someone who worked for Timex for all his life and sadly is not with us anymore. They came from Aberdeen and the gentleman worked for the Dundee Timex factory in the sixties. They have different sizes and shapes and it seems they were actually samples for quality control. I cannot take out the writing on the "TIMEX inspection report"s as it is faded away but the smaller sized "Final Inspection: is dated as 1978 and I can read/take out the same year on the TIMEX  inspection reports too as far as I can see it. I found it very interesting so I thought I would share with you. I know there are Timex fans out there.

An interesting BBC documentary: The Rise And Fall Of Timex Dundee - Full BBC Broadcast - October 2019 There is some glitch with the voice at the end, unfortunately you cannot watch it on the BBC at the moment.

[AndyHull]

Very interesting documentary. I missed it when it was on TV.

I thought the movements had to be built on a jig, and there it is.

[watchweasol]

I watched the Documentary twice and found it a stark reminder of the methodology of the management at the time and the bull neck approach of the unions Indicative of the British Auto industry and the Railways, hopefully never to be repeated.   Dundee was a good factory with skilled workers its demise was a great pity.

[JerseyMo]

Amazing to see how much Timex product is out there still. Now if I could only find some of the movement jigs!

[luiazazrambo]

@AndyHull Could you please go there and check if you could pick these jigs up?  Are all of the buildings completely gone? I would want to see both sites, where the tools were made and also the assembly line. Maybe there are some tools in garages just like these watch crystals were.

Edited November 28, 2020 by luiazazrambo

[luiazazrambo]

I am expecting dials from the same source now.

 

[AndyHull]

Believe me if there were still bits of old Timex lying in the bins there I'd have grabbed them.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.4847228,-3.0190493,3a,75y,279.18h,92.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfYBm3nTCOUG_q2y0xATfXg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

[AndyHull]

All this Timex talk inspired me to wear this 1976 Marlin today.

[AndyHull]

1 hour ago, luiazazrambo said:

I am expecting dials from the same source now.

Nice. If the source has the hands too, especially for those Snoopys then you have won a watch.

[luiazazrambo]

8 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Nice. If the source has the hands too, especially for those Snoopys then you have won a watch.

Hi Andy, it is Ebay, the seller called amaga05. Cant see hands listed.

[luiazazrambo]

1 hour ago, AndyHull said:

Believe me if there were still bits of old Timex lying in the bins there I'd have grabbed them.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.4847228,-3.0190493,3a,75y,279.18h,92.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfYBm3nTCOUG_q2y0xATfXg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

Seems the fence was made for eternity.

[JerseyMo]

I have the Snoopy Hands.  trade for some dials?

 

[JerseyMo]

here is one set - and I know somewhere I have more

[luiazazrambo]

3 hours ago, JerseyMo said:

I have the Snoopy Hands.  trade for some dials?

 

 

Yes, why not. I have not received them yet, once i get them I check their condition, as far as I could see they are new old stock.

[luiazazrambo]

I got them today, some of them are damaged as they were put into the same plastic bag and the sharp legs scratched the faces. I was kind of expecting that when I saw them in the same bag on aBay and the royal mail also helped with the damage, most of them are ok though. If you still would like to trade i am going to pick those where there is no damage.

[AndyHull]

Can you take some good hi res pictures of them too. Particularly the snoopy ones. It may be possible to make copies.

 

[luiazazrambo]

Taken by my phone, I have no light everything is so dim. I am building a light box but i am nowhere near to finish it. Once we have some proper light I will take another set of pics using my real camera.

[luiazazrambo]

Some of the dials are KELTON: https://www.kelton.fr/story-_l_EN_r_12.html

Watch the TV commercials, they are really cool!

Edited December 4, 2020 by luiazazrambo

[JerseyMo]

 These are the two boxes of dials I have on hand and have used to either  replace damaged dials or build entire NOS watches with.

[JerseyMo]

taking a closer look at those Snoopy dials I see the movement number is 100.  That means they are for the smaller version of the watch made for children or ladies. The dial code starts left to right. the first grouping indicates the model and features. the second grouping is the movement number followed by year of production. so in this example movement 100 and year made 1981.

 

[luiazazrambo]

I wanted actually ask if there is a bigger version of those snoopy dials or only kids. I assume the hands are also made for the different versions? You have good eyes and knowledge. They all seem to be small, only that black snoopy (02480) is a bit bigger.

[JerseyMo]

yes, the hands I have won't fit. I checked for the 100 model and those I do not have.

[JerseyMo]

 The bigger question is what to do with all these dials? To try and build complete watches from them will take a bit of luck to come across the missing parts. Case, crystal, movement, hands, stem, case back. Or as I once saw them reused as the front decoration on draw pull knobs!  Think of having a Snoopy collector see those as "I've got have them"...:0

 

[JerseyMo]

BTW - here is an example of the snoopy

[fishytuxedo]

I love my Red Baron! Had it since before I can remember. Still original and still working!