Nixon Watches
Encyclopedia
Nixon is an accessories company for the youth lifestyle market founded in 1997 by Andy Laats & Chad DiNenna in Encinitas, California
. Nixon began with a small line of custom built, team designed watches with focused distribution in specialty surf
, skate
, snow
, and fashion stores. Expanding into accessories and limited softgoods in 2000, Nixon has continued its growth into over 25 countries and is now part of Billabong International
.
for five years. The two raised nearly $1 million from venture capitalists to start Nixon and in 1997, Nixon's catalog debuted with seven models that were available at 200 retailers. Nixon opened a subsidiary in France in 2000, and by 2005 had 90 models and 60 employees, with sales growing by 55 percent annually.
for $54.6 million and was expected to contribute around 5%-6% in the 2006-2007 financial year.
, Spain
near the Spanish/French border. With a diverse history and natural beaches, it was considered a favorite surfing spot in Europe by invited riders. Though the contest has a €10,000 purse, the surfing is peer-judged - something that Transworld Surf has called a "refreshing change".
and automatic
.
Encinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
. Nixon began with a small line of custom built, team designed watches with focused distribution in specialty surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, skate
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, snow
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, and fashion stores. Expanding into accessories and limited softgoods in 2000, Nixon has continued its growth into over 25 countries and is now part of Billabong International
Billabong (clothing)
Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant....
.
History
Nixon was founded by Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna after DiNenna's unsuccessful attempt to find a watch that reflected his surfing lifestyle. Laats was a mechanical engineer with a bachelor's degree from Cornell University who had worked at Burton, a snowboard company in Vermont for six years, and who was getting his MBA from Stanford. DiNenna studied communications at Long Beach State and worked for publishing company TransworldTransworld
Trans World or Transworld may refer to:* Trans World , business simulation* Transworld , a publishing company in the United Kingdom-Companies:* Trans World Airlines...
for five years. The two raised nearly $1 million from venture capitalists to start Nixon and in 1997, Nixon's catalog debuted with seven models that were available at 200 retailers. Nixon opened a subsidiary in France in 2000, and by 2005 had 90 models and 60 employees, with sales growing by 55 percent annually.
Purchase
In January 2006 Nixon was purchased by Billabong InternationalBillabong (clothing)
Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant....
for $54.6 million and was expected to contribute around 5%-6% in the 2006-2007 financial year.
“The Billabong group has a lot to offer; the character of their leadership, our shared vision of Nixon’s future and their expertise in the specialty markets make them the perfect choice.” - Nixon co-founder Andy Laats.
Nixon Surf Challenge
Since 2000 Nixon has hosted a surf challenge in San SebastiánSan Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
near the Spanish/French border. With a diverse history and natural beaches, it was considered a favorite surfing spot in Europe by invited riders. Though the contest has a €10,000 purse, the surfing is peer-judged - something that Transworld Surf has called a "refreshing change".
Watch models
Nixon offers a variety of analog and digital watches for both Men and Women with Japanese and Swiss movements in both quartzQuartz clock
A quartz clock is a clock that uses an electronic oscillator that is regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks are at least an order of magnitude more accurate than good mechanical clocks...
and automatic
Automatic watch
An automatic or self-winding watch is a mechanical watch, whose mainspring is wound automatically by the natural motion of the wearer's arm, providing energy to run the watch, to make it unnecessary to manually wind the watch. A watch which is not self-winding is called a manual watch...
.