Being a member of the Red Bar Group has granted me access to people that I might never have bumped into on the street. While watch collecting is becoming more mainstream these days, I have seldom met true watch scholars in the real world. Even rarer is meeting a fellow enthusiast whose intellectual pursuit and bonafide passion is the Timex Watch company.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
Of the many watch collectors I know, only some have the passion and persistence to learn every nugget of information about a particular brand or watch. These so-called super nerds can eventually reach “expert status” and can become an authority on a brand on the internet. Think about OntheDash.com for Heuer watches, Fratellowatches.com for Omega Speedmasters, or even WatchHunter.org for Swiss Army watches (I gotta plug my own site, right? Haha).
Arkasha Zaydman
You never really know someone until you look at his (or her) watch collection. A quick scan can often tell you what brand, price level, and how deep a collector is into any brand. One particular member of our local Red Bar group has always shared his rare and exciting Timex watches that few of us had ever seen in person. His name is Arkasha Zaydman or Ark for short.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
I followed Ark for years on Instagram where he is known as HeritageTimex. Do yourself a favor and follow his IG account for a lovely stream of Timex rarities, vintage ads, and lovely real-world photography. You could say his Instagram obsession eventually led him to build his own website with the goals of bringing the Timex community together and becoming the go-to place for Timex information. It’s a safe place to geek out… no forum membership is required.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
If I ever needed to know anything about Timex, Ark would be the first person I would seek out. That is easy for me since we are in the same local club, but where does that leave the rest of the Timex collectors spread across the globe? Luckily, Ark just launched a brand-new site at www.Heritage1854.com to act as a magnet to draw the Timex community together.
While the site is in its infancy, it is easy to see where it is going. There is information about Timex movements, models, case construction, and reference info for the brand. Other highlights of the Heritage 1854 site include a blog, information on how to repair/service Timex watches, and restoration advice. It is best to visit the site and start exploring for yourself.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
Some sections are geared toward expert Timex collectors such as the movement service manuals, but even the mildly Timex-curious can find interesting things to learn on the site. It seems that most people that collect watches can share a fond Timex memory. Certainly, this cherished brand is the everyman’s watch that is accessible to most. Even discerning collectors with rarified watches can appreciate the honesty and heritage of Timex.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
The tool on the site that I am most excited about is a work in progress, which is the Timex Model Archive. I think this is the section that many people will gravitate towards. Who doesn’t like seeing great reference photos of particular models, especially if you are trying to identify the old Timex watch that you found at a flea market or in your grandpa’s shed?
Photo: Heritage1854.com
Right now, Ark is going the extra mile to photograph images for this section himself. This is a painstaking endeavor, but his plan is to create a comprehensive reference touchstone for other Timex collectors. It is a massive task, and you can help. Readers can submit some of their watches for photography on the site. That is, they can literally send Ark their watches to be photographed. In the future, there may be a mechanism for readers to submit their own photos. This digital donation option might build a larger library in a shorter period of time. However, speed is not necessarily the goal here, thoroughness is.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
Building a giant database of a brand’s watches can be a daunting task. I know this because it took me several months to build the Victorinox Swiss Army Watch Identifier. This is because the company whose watches you are writing about often will not supply product information to you upon request. You have to search the internet, scour old catalogs, blog posts and ads to glean any info you can. Sometimes, you have to beg, borrow or buy the watch just to get an image. This is where the Timex community can help. If you have a Timex that Ark does not, please contact him.
Photo: Heritage1854.com
It really takes a tenacious community effort to collect all this nerdy information in one place. Ark has set the foundation. Now, Timex fans just need to find the site. I wish Ark the best of luck building his Timex community and sharing his expert knowledge with the rest of us. Check out the site at www.Heritage1854.com. Thanks to Ark for letting me use his Timex and other images.
