Vintage 1980 men's gold Timex Marlin brushed silver dial day/date wristwatch

Any man would be proud to wear this well preserved, highly collectible, vintage 1980 Timex Marlin, manual wind wristwatch.

The gold plated case on this beauty measures 33.9 mm (1.33 inches) in diameter, excluding crown and lugs.

It has a soft brushed silver dial complimented by black hour, minute, and sweep second hands, and large black numbers, markers, and outer chapter.

It sets and winds as it should, is running strong, and keeping very good time.

It has a snap-down back and is matched with a black 19 mm, genuine lizard stitched strap with gold buckle.

STOCK CODE: T-5

TIMEX WATCH HISTORY:

When brass manufacturer Benedict & Burnham decided to start manufacturing clocks with brass in 1854, they initially traded under the guise of ‘The Waterbury Clock Company’. Becoming legally incorporated in 1857, their whole ethos was bringing the same luxury designs being imported from Europe to the masses in the States, at accessible prices. They quickly reached this target, swiftly becoming one of the largest producers of watches and clocks in both the US and internationally.

Originally producing copies of more expensive designs, it wasn’t until 1887 that they designed and created their Jumbo pocket watch. By now the company name has changed to the Ingersoll Watch Company, and the success of their newest design caught the attention of salesman Robert H. Ingersoll. With the help of Robert and his brother Charles, the brand created the Ingersoll Dollar Watch, selling them for, as you might have guessed, a dollar, and the brand grew at a rapid rate, and by 1878 they were producing over 200 pieces a day, having to upgrade to a larger factory to keep up with the demand. Despite the fact that the quality was high, the price was cheap, and the popularity for the brand was only growing, poor sales techniques meant that the watches were being sold at a loss, and the company soon fell close to bankruptcy.

It wasn’t until WW1 when artillery gunners needed to read time while still using their guns, that Ingersoll began to crawl back from the depths. They modified one of their women’s designs, the Midget pocket watch, and changed it into a precise and well-crafted military-issue wristwatch. The first of its kind, the design revolutionized watch making, and helped with the production of the wristwatch we see today.

The military may have helped with Ingersoll’s design elements, but it was Disney that helped propel it back into the commercial spotlight. 1930’s America was still suffering from post-depression hardship, and a little character called Mickey Mouse seemed like a good way of creating some much needed cheer. Joining with Disney, Ingersoll created the famous, and hugely popular Mickey Mouse watches and clocks, and this success helped cement them as a It wasn’t until the 1950 's that Timex finally got its name, and by then it had improved its mechanisms to make its products run at an improved rate and with cheaper manufacturing steps. With adverts showcasing its practically indestructible construction, and charismatic anchorman John Cameron Swayze hosting their product demonstrations – Timex was expanding rapidly.

Timex watches gradually became known for their reliability and superior design. As they insisted that jewelers only marked up their watches by 30%, many outright refused to stock the brand. To counteract this, head of marketing, Robert Mohr, built a distribution network of drugstores, department stores and other, then unusual, points of sale. By the time the 70 s' rolled around however Timex had taken a dip again. Their contracts with various brands, including Disney, had ended, competition from modern watch companies had increased, and an ill-advised venture into home computers only caused the business to waver even more.

By 1972, attempting to keep up with the rapidly changing marketplace – Timex began producing digital watches. While troubles in the company at both a production and management levels, the company struggled to maintain its market share in a now predominantly electronic market – with most of their watches retailing at nearly double that of their competitors. By the 1960s, sales were reaching in excess of $70 million.

The 80s turned things around though, with the brand focusing back on timepieces and nothing else, and improving functions such as battery life, style and water resistant properties. With this focus on new designs and features Timex created styles that are still available to this day, and their popularity has stayed consistent over the years. With a stream of successful releases from the then on, Timex cemented its place in the market – becoming one of the most respected in the modern day.

Created in 1986 with the assistance of professional athletes, the Timex Ironman quickly became one of the best-selling watches in the US, and for over a decade stayed as the world’s largest selling sports watch.

One of the reason’s that the Ironman gained such acclaim when it was released was due to its clever backlight, created from an electroluminescence panel, or Timex Indiglo Feature, which illuminated the watch face and allowed for easy time telling no matter the time of day. It’s now used in over 70% of Timex watches.


We offer free first class domestic shipping on our watches and ship internationally for a flat fee of $34.00 to assure prompt, safe, and secure shipping to our customers.

Please note: We offer our products on multiple sites and do not remove them until payment has posted and very rarely multiple customers will "buy" an item but it will be sold to the first payment received.

We are Stonehenge Watch Company and have been selling vintage timepieces and new watches on the internet for over 16 years with hundreds of happy, satisfied, often repeat, customers.

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