Ah, Google translate..you've let me down badly on this one! My attempts to decipher this Twen feature and turn it into some form of cohesive english proved to be both frustrating and tiresome..to the point where I almost felt the need for an afternoon snooze coming on halfway through, so i've decided to momentarily disregard it! But nevertheless, there are still some really nice examples of the oversized Old England watches designed by Richard Loftus on display here, which were produced by 'Accurist' the watch making company established by his parents in 1946. After graduating from Cambridge with a degree in Economics, Loftus spent a year at Stanford University in the States before returning back home to Britain, whereupon in 1965 he created and developed the brand which was to cause a revolution in the highly traditional watch trade, launching it worldwide two years later. Originally designed as a fun, low cost 'fashion' watch, it was predominantly favoured by girls in their late teens and early twenties but his effective use of pop design was so in tune with current trends that they soon became a much sought-after item beyond these social parameters and even made their way onto the wrists of royalty and the jet set, with both Princess Anne and Elizabeth Taylor reported to have been seen sporting variations from the range. Already in demand throughout the UK and Europe, with an Old England showroom in the United States as early as april '67 the brand quickly became an international success and was eventually sold in over 40 countries, accounting for about 20 percent of Accurist's business, turning Loftus into a tycoon in due course, also winning him the title of 'Young Exporter of the Year' at just 24 and elevating the status of the watch from traditional timepiece to fashion statement piece. From what I can gather the production timeline seems to have run from 1965 to around 1971, with the pinnacle of it's success taking place in the 1967/68 period. I've included the original Old England Look Book from these particular years in this post to give you some indication of the full range. In addition to wristwatches, there were ring watches, medallion watches, several oversized belt watch designs and a gift pack watch set with four interchangeable wristbands, all of which have now become highly collectible among 1960s/1970s enthusiasts. Although in recent times there were about 30 designs readily available for a while when Accurist relaunched Old England in february 2011, however there doesn't seem to have been much activity regarding the brand since early 2012 and the items are currently out of stock, so i'm presuming that it has once again ceased production.
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OLD ENGLAND LOOK BOOK 1967/68.
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IMAGE CREDITS
All images scanned by Sweet Jane from TWEN July 1967. Photographs by Francis R. Hoff. Except for Old England Look Book which is courtesy of The House of Accurist.
LINKS
Watch an interview with designer Richard Loftus from 1968 here.
Read about the invention and evolution of the wristwatch here.
View a collection of vintage Old England Watches here.
LINKS
Watch an interview with designer Richard Loftus from 1968 here.
Read about the invention and evolution of the wristwatch here.
View a collection of vintage Old England Watches here.
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