3. Laco-Timex

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E.3 Laco-Timex

The firm 'Lacher & Co. AG', founded in 1933, in Pforzheim Germany (trade name Laco) developed some electric watches with moving coil and mechanical contacts in the late nineteen fifties and early nineteen sixties. The first prototype of the Laco 860 was ready for production in December 1958. This firm had been taken over in 1959 by Timex's parent company, the 'United States Time Corporation', in order to obtain access to Lacher's technology of electric watches.

The most interesting movements Laco made are:

1962	Laco 860, Laco 861 or Timex M 67, all without day and date. Production ceases in 1965. The 860 showed problems of oil on the contacts, but was reintroduced as the 861, slightly modified, shortly afterwards. The production quantity of caliber 860 was 1,000 pieces.
1965	Laco introduces its 870/871 or Timex M 84 without date and the Laco 880/881 or Timex M 85 with date. Production stops in 1968. The Timex-Lady-Electric 900 or Timex M 82 reaches the market. The Timex Corporation was the first company in the world to succeed in reducing the size of an electric movement and making a commercially viable electric wrist watch for women. One oval shaped and one rectangular model were released, both with leather strap together with one rectangular model with the metal bracelet as an integral part of the case. All watches were gold plated. Production falters in 1971.
1969	The men's calibers M 40 and M 41 and the ladies' calibers M 69 and M 71 are introduced. They were cheap movements produced in large quantities.

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