Timex memories flood in from across Dundee
- Andrew Batchelor
- May 12
- 2 min read
A simple question posted by Dundee Culture about Timex watches quickly unlocked a huge wave of memories from Dundonians reflecting on one of the city’s most iconic industries.
Followers were asked: “Did anyone in Dundee have a Timex watch back in the day?” - referencing the company’s historic Dundee factories and the role the brand once played in everyday life across the city.
The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of people shared stories about receiving Timex watches for birthdays and Christmases, with many saying it was actually more unusual not to own one growing up in Dundee.
Several followers remembered family members working at the Timex factories in Camperdown and Milton of Craigie, while others spoke about how watches would regularly be brought home as gifts for children and relatives. One commenter wrote: “My gran bought all of her grandkids a Timex for their 7th birthday!” while another joked: “Better asking who didn’t have a Timex watch.”
Many people fondly remembered the themed watches from the era, including Snoopy and Cinderella designs. Others recalled feeling “grown up” after receiving their first digital Timex watch as children, while one Dundonian shared a photograph of a Timex watch they still own to this day.
The comments also highlighted just how deeply connected Timex became to Dundee’s identity. Some remembered Christmas parties for workers’ children, others recalled parents and grandparents spending decades employed there, while another follower described a local Timex archive group filled with old watches, photographs and memorabilia from the company’s Dundee years.
The discussion also sparked memories of Dundee’s wider industrial past, with mentions of Levi’s, ZX Spectrum computers and Keiller’s sweets appearing throughout the comments as people reflected on the city’s manufacturing heritage.
For many Dundonians, the Timex name clearly remains more than just a watch brand. Decades after the factories closed, the memories are still ticking.
