TIME100 Since 2011: The Story of an Independent Watch Brand
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TIME100 was founded in 2011 as an independent Chinese watch brand built around original design, established manufacturing capabilities and accessible pricing.
Since then, the brand has developed mechanical and fashion watch collections for international customers while continuing to explore one central idea: a watch should do more than tell time. It should reflect the personality and style of the person wearing it.
Why TIME100 Was Founded
TIME100 began during a period when China’s watch industry was already capable of producing movements, cases, dials, hands, crystals, straps and bracelets at considerable scale.
Manufacturing capability alone, however, does not create a recognizable watch brand. A brand also needs a design point of view, consistent products, quality control, customer responsibility and a reason for people to remember its name.
TIME100 was created to bring these elements together:
- Original watch design
- China’s specialized watchmaking supply chain
- Mechanical character
- Everyday wearability
- International online retail
- Accessible pricing
The objective was not to imitate the history of an established Swiss luxury house. It was to develop a modern watch brand with its own identity.
Building a Watch Brand in China
TIME100 is a Chinese watch brand, and its manufacturing origin is an important part of its story.
Watchmaking is a specialized industry. Different manufacturers may focus on movements, cases, dials, hands, crystals, plating, straps, bracelets or packaging. TIME100’s role is to define the product and coordinate the stages that transform these components into a finished watch.
This includes product design, development, supplier coordination, final assembly, inspection, distribution and after-sales responsibility.
For a more detailed explanation, read our guide to who makes TIME100 watches.
Original Design as a Brand Foundation
From its early development, TIME100 positioned design as more than decoration. The shape of the case, proportions of the dial, arrangement of the hands, use of mechanical details and relationship between the watch and clothing all contribute to the identity of a product.
TIME100’s company records document recognition in the Hong Kong International Watch Design Competition and the Blue Light Cup International Watch Design Competition, together with registered watch appearance designs.
Design recognition is relevant because affordable watches do not have to depend on copied logos or borrowed identities. An independently designed watch can be accessible while still having a point of view of its own.
From Individual Designs to Distinct Collections
As TIME100 developed, its product range expanded beyond individual watch designs into collections with different personalities.
- Everett emphasizes visible mechanics, structural detail and engineering character.
- Heritage draws on vintage influences and traditional watch design.
- Mercer uses cleaner lines and a more architectural, minimalist style.
- Borough takes a contemporary, urban and sport-influenced direction.
These collections are designed for different customers and occasions. A wearer attracted to exposed mechanical details may not want the same watch as someone looking for a restrained business design.
This separation gives TIME100 a clearer identity than offering unrelated watches without a consistent design structure.
Quality Control Becomes Part of the Brand
A watch brand cannot depend on design alone. The completed product must also operate as intended.
TIME100’s documented quality-control system includes categories related to:
- Mechanical movement stability and timekeeping
- Strap tensile durability
- Shock resistance
- Torque and wearing durability
- Operating temperature
- Water-pressure resistance
- Salt-spray corrosion
- Impact resistance
These categories describe the broader quality system. They do not mean every individual watch undergoes every laboratory or destructive test. Testing frequency may vary by model, component, batch and inspection process.
Read the full explanation of how TIME100 tests its watches.
TIME100 Reaches International Customers
Online retail allowed independent brands to reach customers without relying entirely on traditional watch-store networks. TIME100 developed during this change in the global retail market.
Current TIME100 company information states that more than 2.5 million watches have been sold and that the brand has reached customers in more than 30 countries and markets.
International sales are not only a question of shipping products overseas. They also require:
- Clear product information
- International payment and fulfilment
- Customer communication
- Shipping and customs management
- Returns and after-sales support
This experience helped TIME100 develop from a domestic watch business into a brand serving customers across multiple markets.
What Has Remained Consistent Since 2011?
Products, collections and markets change over time, but one principle has remained central to TIME100: a watch is part of personal style.
Almost everyone already owns a phone capable of displaying the time with digital accuracy. A mechanical watch continues to matter for different reasons:
- The experience of wearing a mechanical object
- The visual character of the movement and dial
- The ritual of winding, setting and wearing a watch
- The relationship between a watch and clothing
- The personal or emotional meaning of a timepiece
TIME100’s aim is to make this experience available without requiring customers to pay primarily for luxury status or exclusivity.
What TIME100 Is—and Is Not
TIME100 is not positioned as a traditional Swiss luxury watch house. It does not claim centuries of heritage, extensive hand finishing or the exclusivity associated with high-luxury watchmaking.
It is also not intended to be an anonymous seller competing only to offer the lowest possible price.
TIME100’s position lies between those two extremes: an independent designer watch brand offering original design, mechanical character, recognizable collections and accessible value.
This position will not appeal to every buyer. Someone interested primarily in luxury prestige may prefer an established luxury brand. Someone who only wants the lowest possible price may choose a cheaper marketplace product.
TIME100 is intended for customers who value the combination of design, mechanical interest, brand continuity and attainable pricing.
The Next Stage of TIME100
TIME100’s next stage is not simply about producing more watches. It is about making the brand easier to understand and its products easier to choose.
That means providing clearer movement specifications, better product comparisons, more transparent manufacturing information and stronger connections between each collection and the person it is designed for.
After more than a decade, TIME100’s strongest opportunity is not to resemble an older watch company. It is to become more unmistakably itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was TIME100 founded?
TIME100 was founded in 2011 as an independent Chinese watch brand.
Is TIME100 a Chinese watch brand?
Yes. TIME100 was founded in China and works within China’s specialized watchmaking and manufacturing ecosystem.
How many TIME100 watches have been sold?
Current TIME100 company information states that more than 2.5 million watches have been sold.
In how many countries is TIME100 available?
Current TIME100 company information states that the brand has reached more than 30 countries and markets.
Has TIME100 received watch design recognition?
TIME100’s company records document recognition in the Hong Kong International Watch Design Competition and the Blue Light Cup International Watch Design Competition, together with registered watch appearance designs.
Is TIME100 a luxury brand?
TIME100 is not positioned as a traditional high-luxury watch house. It is an accessible designer watch brand focused on original design, mechanical character, everyday wearability and value.
Does TIME100 make mechanical watches?
Yes. TIME100 offers men’s automatic mechanical watch collections with different design identities, including Everett, Heritage, Mercer and Borough.
