TIMEX goes Dutch
Finding TIMEX watches from your home country is something special. Makes you wonder how TIMEX was marketing their watches and if they did something interesting in terms of selling and distributing their watches. First proof of their presence, apart from watches being sold, was a lengthy interview in a local trade paper with TIMEX president Joakim L. Lehmkuhl, Robert Mohr (VP) and Edward T. Carmody (VC), in which they explained some of the succes factors of TIMEX. Making cheap reliable watches and maintaining this over a long period of time was the essence. It is 1972 and TIMEX dominates the watch market. Both in the US as abroad.
TIMEX switches to the future
The early seventies are also the starting point where TIMEX focusses on the watches of the future, electrically powered mechanical watches. A big sales promotion is announced in the Netherlands. On both women's as men's watches.
It's remarkable that the prices of the ladies watches lie above those of the men's. In the anouncement of this sales promotion, TIMEX emphasizes it's support of the sales by advertising on national television, on national radio station Radio Veronica and in leading youth magazines Muziekexpres and Popfoto Teenbeat with full color advertisements. They also offered trade marketing support with these beautiful display boxes containing 80 displayed watches and another 80 stored at the back of the display.
Trade partners were offered a 'bullseye' TIMEX Electric diver for free (consumer price fl 129,-) when they invested fl. 950,- in TIMEX Electrics and Mechanicals.
Colorful TIMEX ladies watches
An example of a Dutch TIMEX campaign is the 'Colorama'-campaign in 1974. A long proven Cavatina concept of 1 ladies watch and several bezel and strap combinations to match with your outfit was branded TIMEX Colorama in the Netherlands.
"When buying the TIMEX Colorama you buy 16 watches for the price of one!" 4 straps times 4 bezels means 16 color combinations. Offered for fl. 61,-. And TIMEX used the KELTON slogan. Changing clothes .... change your TIMEX!
TIMEX Zeemeermin (Mermaid) and TIMEX Design
Another ́Dutch 1974 colorful campaign for the so called TIMEX Fun Timers. In the Netherlands these watches were named TIMEX Mermaids and TIMEX design watches. Prices varying from fl. 49,- until fl. 59,-.
A TIMEX for every occasion
It is spring 1976. TIMEX advertises in a popular Dutch Weekly, called Panorama.
Translation:
"With TIMEX anyone can afford a perfect watch for every occasion. And actually even two!"
When you look at the visuals, TIMEX emphasizes that they offer watches for leasure and sport as well as for more formal occasions.
In the small print TIMEX states they offer over 112 models for fl. 39,- and up. The TIMEX watches re available in bookstores, drugstores, jewelry stores, tabacconists and department stores.
The TIMEX models shown in the ad are:
Sprite Military - ref. 23070
Cavatina - ref. 51610
Sprite 25 Metres - ref. 23271
Marlin Sports Calendar - 27675
Electric Dynabeat - ref. 77152
Cavatina - ref. 51250
Marlin - ref. 26150
Cavatina - ref. unknown
Department Stores and Jewellers
When you get full sets of TIMEX watches, and the reseller stamp has been filled in, you get some insight in the distribution of TIMEX watches. We know TIMEX started with selling through department stores, tabacconists etc. because of the unwillingness amongst traditional jewelers to sell TIMEx pin lever watches. In the mid seventies, the jewellers were back in the game. At least in the Netherlands according to the guarantee cards of the following two watches.
A 1974 model of TIMEX sold after two years at a Dutch local jeweller named 'Van der Poel 'in the city of Amerfoort.
This beautiful display case with the blue TIMEX brand on a white background I have only seen on Dutch delivered TIMEX watches.
The same display case with white TIMEX brand on a blue background I have found on watches originally delivered to Italy .
Dutch TIMEX user manual of a Quartz watch with the TIMEX Model 43 movement