An American clothing company founded in Brooklyn, New York, Adsum has elevated an iconic Timex tool watch with their unmistakable street-meets-summit aesthetic. The brand’s creators combine their deep love for music, sports, and tactical gear with inspiration pulled from the varied landscape of the American Northeast. A sense of irreverence, simplicity, and timelessness is the common thread woven throughout Adsum’s seasonal collections—and one that’s deeply embedded in our latest MK1.
To celebrate this exciting release, we sat down with Adsum Founder and Creative Director Pete Macnee to get his take on this no-nonsense, military-inspired throwback from the Timex® archives.
To start things off, what intrigued the Adsum team most about collaborating with Timex on a wristwatch?
“Firstly, our respect and admiration for the Timex brand. Most of us at one point in our lives had a Timex watch that a store employee retrieved from a plexiglass merchandising unit in a local independent store near where we lived. I vividly remember getting a Timex Ironman® watch. I never figured out how to use all of the timing functions for sports, but the big INDIGLO® button mesmerized me. So, there is deep respect for such a globally recognized brand.
We also were intrigued by the opportunity to design and market a hard accessory that would be difficult for us to design and develop [by ourselves.] Timex creates watches in a special way. We like to think we design and market in a special way, too, so this collaboration is about bringing the two brands together to make something a little different and meaningful for both of our core customer sets.”
What are some of the stylistic or functional features of this watch that feel the most ‘Adsum’?
“Simplicity and timelessness. The numerals used on the watch face are Helvetica Neue, the same font we use in our logo mark. We think it is one of the best looking, most universally loved fonts. The colors are also classic to our idea of benchmark watch design: a black dial and 36mm stainless-steel case that houses a functional, cost-efficient quartz movement. Our MK1 collab does everything that we think a simple watch should do, most importantly, tell the time.”
Can you describe the significance behind the green dial accents and slip-thru fabric strap?
“Dark green has become a core color to Adsum. It sits just outside of our fundamental clothing colors—which are navy, white, grey, and black—and can really be placed on any wearable, everyday clothing item. The green dial accents are a nod to INDIGLO®, which is a huge part of Timex’s identity to the Adsum team. The color is also a reference to nature; it represents our love for the great outdoors and the reminder to stay present.”
Speaking of remaining present, one final, stand-out detail of our MK1 is the engraved case back that reads, “I am Present.” What does this statement mean to you?
“We don’t talk about it much, but ‘I am present’ is the meaning of the Latin word ‘Adsum.’ This takes us back to the formation of our brand; we landed on ‘Adsum’ because of its simplicity. We believe being present is a good way to go about every day, and wearing a watch like our MK1, which does nothing more than tell the time, is a great way to make life just a little bit simpler.”
Discover the history of the Timex MK1 and shop our latest collab, now available via Adsum online, Timex.com, and select retailers.
