Childhood Watches: First Timepieces & Memories

crown comfort · 2018-04-12T09:20:52Z

Collectors share photos and stories of their first childhood watches, from Timex to Avia, exploring the sentimental value and early experiences that ignited their passion.

crown comfort

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

30 replies3167 views1 photos

crown comfort initiates a nostalgic thread, sharing photos of his childhood watches and inviting the community to reflect on their own early horological experiences. This discussion highlights how initial encounters with watches, from simple Timex models to more sentimental gifts, often spark a lifelong passion for collecting.

Friends,

I recently found my childhood watches at my fathers house and I thought I start a thread.

When I was young, a wristwatch was like THE thing to get. Today the world is a different one unfortunately, for kids it has to be an iPhone at least. Unless, a father passes down the passion, there is very little interest in watches.

So what did I find...

My very first kids watch, "Max and Moritz" from Wilhelm Bush with ticking eyes....

When I was around 12, I got that military Timex from my aunt in the U.S.

Hey, it has a lollipop

, my destiny was set from that moment onwards...

Both watches started to run after a few crown turns, the magic of mechanics.

So if you have some photos of your childhood watches or find some of that model, please share, would be great to see what got you ticking, ahem started.

Best,

Key Points from the Discussion

Many collectors' first watches were simple, robust mechanical pieces like Timex, often received as gifts, and surprisingly durable, sometimes still running decades later without service.
Childhood watches, even if inexpensive or eventually broken, hold significant sentimental value, often treasured more than later, more luxurious acquisitions.
Early watches, like a Newmark or Ingersoll, often met an untimely end due to childhood activities, but the memories of their loud ticking or design details remain vivid.
The shift from wristwatches as a childhood 'thing to get' to iPhones highlights a change in generational interests, making the passing down of watch passion more crucial.
The 'disposable' nature of brands like Timex in the past meant they were rarely serviced, contrasting with the modern approach to luxury mechanical watches.

The Discussion

MTF

Apr 12, 2018

crown comfort, Interesting topic. There are no images of my childhood watch (late 1960s to early 1970s) in real time and online now. Those days, digital photography was not even an imagination. It was a Timex (of course) mechanical watch in a plastic case with only three hands and no date. The seconds hand was orange, markers and the dial was white. It had twelve hour markers but was not a military watch that usually had 24-H markers. The pin buckle strap was a nylon webbing material that produc

Dr No

Apr 12, 2018

. . . but I remember where and when it was acquired - vividly! December 23rd, '68 or thereabouts - Dad bought this Dulux for me from a small watch shop in Hong Kong. This was my only watch for several years. At some point in my teens, I felt I'd outgrown it, but because I couldn't afford a good mechanical back then, I stopped wearing a watch altogether for many years. I still have the Dulux, but haven't worn it since pplater's 'smallest watch week' thread seven or so years ago. That's when it cr

Saxon

Apr 12, 2018

was very similar to Yours, CC. It is still running after a few crown turns as well, and without any service since it was bought about 40 years ago. What an incredible quality ;o) Unfortunately it was not cool enough for my son so he got a FlikFlak,

blomman Mr Blue

Apr 12, 2018

My first watch is long gone.... And no shots are saved (that I know of)... Enjoy your childhood memories, my friend! Best Blomman

amanico

Apr 12, 2018

I didn't sleep for three nights, busy that I was to look at the lume of the dial in the night... I was a watch nut very early, in my life! Best, Nicolas

JohnFM

Apr 12, 2018

I remember staring down at this model on my wrist in fifth grade class back in the '60s (I'm 63 now). Though it's such a simple watch, it was a gift from my Dad and I treasured it more than any watch I've owned since. John

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Childhood Watches: First Timepieces & Memories

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