Timexpo Museum

Timexpo Museum was a former museum in Waterbury, Connecticut, dedicated primarily to the history of Timex Group and the companies that preceded it. It presented the development of the local clock and watch industry from the establishment of Waterbury Clock Company in the nineteenth century through later Timex products and corporate history. The institution also interpreted the industrial heritage of Waterbury, a city long associated with brass manufacturing and known historically as the “Brass Capital” of the United States. The museum occupied a former executive-office building associated with the Scovill Manufacturing Company and Century Brass Company. That structure was the only surviving building from the large brass-mill complex that once covered approximately 44 acres. Its location linked the museum to the industrial setting that helped make the Timex story possible: Waterbury Clock Company began in 1854 as a division of Benedict & Burnham, a local brass manufacturer and competitor of Scovill. The clock operation was subsequently separated from its parent and incorporated on March 27, 1857, after its early success. Timexpo covered approximately 14,000 square feet, with about 8,000 square feet devoted to its two principal exhibition areas. One major section traced the company’s timepiece history, including the development of clocks and watches and the role of Waterbury Clock Company in supplying military watches. A highlighted episode concerned the United States Army’s 1917 commissioning of wristwatch versions of the Ingersoll Ladies Midget pocket watch for soldiers preparing to serve overseas. This material situated the company’s products within the changing use of portable timepieces during the First World War. The second principal section presented archaeology and exploration-related material. The museum connected local and corporate history with displays about migration and long-distance travel across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including interpretive material associated with the explorations of Thor Heyerdahl. A large replica of an Easter Island moai, approximately 40 feet high, marked the museum’s shopping-center location and served as a prominent link to the archaeology exhibit. The museum also included elements of regional cultural history, such as letters from Mark Twain, who lived for a period in nearby Hartford. The project received approval in 1999 and opened to the public in May 2001. Timex provided most of the project financing, while public and regional economic-development bodies also contributed. Reported development costs ultimately reached approximately $5.45 million. Despite its industrial and brand-history focus, the museum did not attract sufficient attendance to remain viable. It closed at the end of September 2015. The former museum therefore represents a discontinued form of corporate heritage institution: a place where Timex’s product history was presented alongside the manufacturing, architectural, and cultural history of the Connecticut city from which its predecessor businesses emerged.

Timexpo Museum was established in Waterbury, Connecticut, as a museum interpreting the history of Timex Group and the earlier companies from which the group developed. Its historical narrative began with Waterbury Clock Company, which originated in 1854 as a division of Benedict & Burnham, a Waterbury brass manufacturer. The clock business was separated from that operation and incorporated on March 27, 1857. This origin story allowed the museum to present Timex not simply as a watch label, but as an outgrowth of the region’s nineteenth-century brass and manufacturing economy. The museum was housed in a former executive-office building of the Scovill Manufacturing Company and Century Brass Company. The structure was the last remaining building of a brass-mill complex that had once extended across approximately 44 acres. By placing the museum in this surviving industrial building, the institution connected the corporate history of Timex with the physical landscape of Waterbury, a city historically identified with brass production even as local manufacturing declined. The project was approved in 1999 and opened in May 2001. Timex funded most of the development, with assistance from the Naugatuck Valley Development Corporation and the Connecticut Department of Economic Development and Community Development. The completed project reportedly cost $5.45 million. It occupied about 14,000 square feet, including roughly 8,000 square feet for its two main exhibit areas. The principal historical exhibition covered the development of the company’s clocks and watches and selected turning points in its business history. One notable display addressed the United States Army’s 1917 commission to Waterbury Clock Company for wristwatch versions of the Ingersoll Ladies Midget pocket watch. The exhibit used this episode to show how changing military requirements and wartime service helped accelerate the adoption of wristwatches. A separate archaeology and exploration section broadened the museum beyond corporate history. The building’s exterior was identified by a roughly 40-foot replica of an Easter Island moai, which also served as a visual connection to the archaeology displays. Exhibits addressed the movement of settlers across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and incorporated material associated with Thor Heyerdahl’s explorations. The museum also included local and regional cultural material, including letters from Mark Twain, who spent time in nearby Hartford. Although Timexpo combined brand history, industrial heritage, archaeology, and regional interpretation, attendance remained too low to support continued operation. The museum closed at the end of September 2015. It is therefore a defunct museum brand and cultural institution rather than an active Timex retail, product, or operating entity.

• 2015

  Museum closes

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  The museum shut down at the end of September 2015 because of low attendance.

• 2001

  Museum opens

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  Timexpo Museum opened in May 2001 in the Brass Mill Commons shopping center area.

• 1999

  Museum project approved

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  The Timexpo Museum project received approval before construction and development proceeded in Waterbury.

• 1917

  Military wristwatch commission

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  The United States Army commissioned Waterbury Clock Company to provide wristwatch versions of the Ingersoll Ladies Midget pocket watch for soldiers preparing to go overseas.

• 1857

  Waterbury Clock Company is incorporated

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  The clock operation was spun off and incorporated on March 27, 1857, following its early success.

• 1854

  Waterbury Clock Company begins

  [1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  Waterbury Clock Company originated as a division of Benedict & Burnham, a Waterbury brass manufacturer and an important predecessor in the later Timex corporate history.

A corporate heritage and local-history museum combining Timex timepiece history with Waterbury industrial heritage, archaeology, and exploration-related interpretation.

• Corporate history exhibition · 2001

  Timex and predecessor-company history exhibition

  The museum’s central exhibition traced the history of Timex Group and its predecessor companies, beginning with Waterbury Clock Company and the nineteenth-century brass industry. It presented the development of clocks and watches and included historical material about the company’s military supply role, including the 1917 wristwatch commission associated with the Ingersoll Ladies Midget pocket watch.

• Archaeology and cultural-history exhibition · 2001

  Archaeology and exploration exhibition

  A second major exhibition explored archaeology, migration, and long-distance exploration. It addressed journeys across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and included material connected with Thor Heyerdahl. A large replica of an Easter Island moai outside the museum acted as a prominent marker and thematic extension of this exhibit.

• Local industrial heritage · 2001

  Waterbury industrial-history interpretation

  The museum interpreted Waterbury’s brass-manufacturing heritage through its setting in a surviving executive-office building from the former Scovill Manufacturing Company and Century Brass Company complex. Local cultural material, including letters from Mark Twain, supplemented the industrial narrative.

• 2015

  Closure following low attendanceStrategy

  Background

  The museum did not attract enough visitors to sustain continued operation.

  Action taken

  Timexpo Museum closed at the end of September 2015.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the museum’s public presentation of Timex history and its associated archaeology and Waterbury industrial-history exhibits.

  Source

• 1999

  Development of a Timex heritage museumStrategy

  Background

  Timex and regional development organizations pursued a museum that would preserve and interpret the company’s history while contributing to the presentation of Waterbury’s brass and manufacturing heritage.

  Action taken

  The project was approved, developed in a former industrial executive-office building, and organized around timepiece-history and archaeology exhibitions.

  Aftermath

  The museum opened in May 2001. Reported total development cost was approximately $5.45 million, with funding from Timex and public economic-development bodies.

  Reported total development cost. $5.45 million (By the museum's 2001 opening)

  Source

• 2015

  Timexpo Museum closes after low attendance[1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Timexpo Museum closed at the end of September 2015. The reported reason was low attendance, ending the operation of the Timex-focused museum in Waterbury.

• 2001

  Timexpo Museum opens in Waterbury[1]Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The museum opened in May 2001 after receiving project approval in 1999. Its exhibitions focused on Timex history, predecessor clock companies, archaeology, and the industrial heritage of Waterbury.

1. 1Timexpo Museumen.wikipedia.org