1980s:
Alone among all domestic watchmakers, only Timex survived the brutal 1970s watch industry shakeout caused by new digital watch technology and fierce price competition from the Far East. Having gradually phased out mechanical watch production in favor of digital watches, in 1986 Timex introduced its "Ironman* Triathlon®," watch jointly devised by serious athletes and industrial designers. Within a year, the "Ironman* Triathlon®" watch became America's best-selling watch and, diversifying into a full line for men and women, became the world's largest selling sports watch, a distinction it has held throughout the 1990s.