TIMEX Worldtimer / TIMEX | Arteepee's Watch Collection

TIMEX Worldtimer

The TIMEX Worldtimer is not a series of watches that TIMEX produced over time, but seperate versions of existing model lines like Marlin and Electric. You can identify these watches by their amazing bezels. During the seventies at least four TIMEX watches had a worldtimer bezel of which I now have all four in my TIMEX collection.

TIMEX Marlin Calendar Worldtimer

reference 27676 - 1971

reference 27672 - 1974

TIMEX Electric Calendar Worldtimer

1972

reference 77971 - 1973

The TIMEX Worldtimer Bezel

The bezels of the TIMEX Worldtimers are in French. So I guess these watches were produced for the European market. Nice detail is that both Anchorage as well as Skagway (both in Alaska) are on the bezel. As the watches are from 1971 - 1974, this is period correct. Nowadays both cities belong to the same time zone (Yukon Time). In 1983 time in Alaska was changed from 4 time zones into two. So, these bezels give you some historic insight in time measurement as well.

SEIKO World Time

Another interesting worldtimer in my collection is the SEIKO World Time.

The Seiko Watch Company was the official timekeeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Attracting global attention, the World Time watch was a stroke of marketing brilliance for Seiko. These watches came in several dial and color variations. Mine is from 1976.

SEIKO error bezel

On the 27th of October 1968 Prime Minister Harry Wilson of the United Kingdom began an experiment to maintain British Standard Time (GMT) at +1 all year long. On October 31 1971 this ended, but until then London was in line with Paris! For Seiko this meant that its World Time GMT 6117 bezel had to reflect this British experiment, as it lasted for three years and watches had to be sold!

So, as Seiko does, precision was paramount and they put London after GMT on the bezel, just above Paris. A laudable attention to detail. However, it became known as the “Error Bezel” and quite uniquely so - because in October 1971 it had to be changed all over again!