For the last few years, Timex has been putting on a clinic with its vintage-inspired throwback watch releases. Among the best of them is the brand’s Marlin series, a modern-contemporary line that has seen a bevy of handsome, affordable models added to its ranks recently.
That includes a spectacular Omega dupe for a fraction of the price, a TAG Heuer-inspired chrono and a collaboration with Todd Snyder (as the brand is wont to do).
The latest, however, is unique in that it takes the line’s vintage-inspired chrono and adds a little playful flair that, itself, is steeped in watchmaking history. This is the Peanuts x Timex Marlin Chronograph Joe Cool.
Snoopy through time
The history of Snoopy watches dates back to the 1950s, but the concept — called character watches — goes back even further. In the 1930s, a brand by the name of Ingersoll first licensed Mickey Mouse for one of its watches. Thus, the concept of character watches was born.
A couple of decades later, Armitron created the first Snoopy watch. However, this style wasn’t legitimized as anything other than a novelty until the 1980s, when watchmaking icon Gerald Genta started making them (and even then, there was a lot of resistance in the horological world).
