Timor Watch Company Back From The Dead
Brand resurrections are nothing new. The reasons behind them are rarely compelling. Most often, a distant familial link that is relevant to no one but the founder(s) has been discovered. But here we are witnessing the rebirth of a brand that has seldom strayed too far from the minds of watch lovers the world over. Welcome back, Timor Watch Company.
If you’ve been a fan of luxury watchmaking for a while, it’s likely you’ve heard about the “Dirty Dozen.” No? Never fear, we’ve got you covered. Check out this article for a bit of backstory then meet us back here. Don’t worry. We’ll wait.
The Dirty Dozen
That was a very brief explanation of what the Dirty Dozen watches were. You can find pages and pages of information on these timepieces on the internet. It makes for interesting reading. But one thing you may notice while researching this subject is a growing desire for one of these fighters on your wrist. I would say you are not alone. We’ve all been there.
Head-scratchingly, brands seem reluctant to go the whole hog and just reproduce these models. That’s always struck me as a little strange. Very few major Swiss brands will turn up their noses at a bit of blatant heritage mining, so why not remake these pieces? The closest we’ve come is probably Vertex (another reborn brand that didn’t make it out of the quartz crisis), but even those watches are unnecessarily bulked up for a modern audience. Enter Timor Watch Company. The brand has been refounded to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its forerunner shipping its timepieces to the British troops.
Heritage Field
The Timor Heritage Field has not strayed too far from the original mold. And nor should it have felt tempted too. Here we have a faithful, desirable reproduction piece, that benefits from modern manufacturing techniques and the keen eye of a British Army Veteran said to be behind the redesign.
The press release and the website will tell you that this is a watch that can be worn anywhere with anything. You know what I mean: From the beach to the boardroom, that kind of thing. But the truth is those buying this kind of watch couldn’t care less for press releases or snappy sales arguments. They have wanted this watch for longer than the current iteration of the company making it has existed. It’s an easy sell. Timor doesn’t even have to do anything new. All the brand needs to be concerned with is not messing it up. By the looks of things, it hasn’t.
Keeping it simple
The key to this design was always going to be keeping it simple. And I must say the brand has been quite successful in this regard. The dial is clean and clear, employing a bit of “fauxtina” on the lume pips for a nice, heritage vibe. White, Arabic numerals make telling the time a doddle, and the era-accurate 36.5mm diameter is a treat. A wide but plain bezel means the dial aperture is free to breathe. As a result, the watch wears a shade larger than the 36.5mm by 11mm suggests.
Interestingly this model, which has a full retail price of £950 and a Kickstarter special price of £650 for early-bird backers, comes with a choice of movements. Customers can opt for either a hand-wound or automatic mechanism made by Sellita. A sapphire crystal, a modern “seatbelt” NATO strap, and a vintage-inspired AF0210 webbing strap complete what is a very tempting package for fans of military history and classically-styled field watches. Learn more by visiting the official Timor website here.
