Is the ’70s making a revival? Timex will tell you so. Discover the heritage models urging you to dig out your lava lamp and bring back your bell bottoms.
The 1970’s is the decade stuck in cool. The tectonic shifts in culture, politics and media created years that were as provocative as they were iconic; and although society is fickle and what we consider fashionable changes with the wind, there will always be an enduring sense of cool to the 70’s. It is no wonder that Timex has revived some of their classic designs from this era, including the newly released (and currently sold out) Q Timex 1972, with its striking red dial which is swathed within a chunky gold case – a timepiece that is suitably antithetic to the 21st century penchant for minimalism.
Pitching themselves as “the people’s watchmaker”, Timex has been creating watches since 1854 and has always prided itself on democratising horology. Perhaps it is fitting that a brand known for its appeal with the everyman has an affinity with the 70’s – when the conventions that were fading in the 1950s were now being torn up, and when antiquated views on women and race were beginning to break down. In the 1970’s the term “people” was only just starting to include the breadth of humanity, as those who had been wrongfully subjugated felt rightfully entitled to their share of the world.
Amidst the turmoil of this period – and almost certainly because of – there was also incredible art, music and design. Sandwiched between the era of hippies and disco-ism, the 70s had elements of both movements but maintained its own unique identity that could be kitsch, folksy and even experimental all at the same time. The lava lamp comes to mind as an embodiment of this decade: it takes a new technology and marries it with a streamlined exterior design then pairs it with luridly coloured globules of “lava”. Although none of Timex’s pieces look like a lava lamp, they reflect the aesthetic ideals of the 70’s in a similar way – they have bold tones, sharp design yet an element of play that reflects the best of the 1970’s creative sensibility. A 70’s inspired timepiece is in no danger of being lost at the bottom of your sleeve, it will cuff your wrist in a statement that, if you let it, might drag you back to that decade too. Soon you will find yourself in platforms and bell bottoms with funk melodies playing in your ears.
This decade is transfixed in time however the aesthetic ideals live on, and we have been inspired by Timex’s revival of some classic designs of the period. The Timex T80 x SPACE INVADERS embraces the burgeoning gaming culture and kitsch iconography of pop by emblazoning Space Invaders on the casing, and the Q Timex 1975 Reissue references the bold glamour of 70’s nightlife with its elegant yet confident gold casing. In homage to this decade, and Timex’s revival watches, we have transported these timepieces to the 1970’s and reimagined moments of domestic kitsch, garish nightlife and glamourous socialising. Sometimes you have to set the clocks back to rediscover old muses and forgotten design classics.
