The Story of Nixon: The Boardsports Brand
In 1997, under the California sun, Chad DiNenna and Andy Laats created Nixon, a brand of watches and accessories aimed more specifically at board-sports enthusiasts.
The adventure began in 1996, the day Chad DiNenna went looking for a watch that matched his style and his surfing. He set out to find a timepiece with an innovative design, yet built with superior strength and quality. Chad couldn’t find a watch worthy of his wrist. Decision made: he would launch his own watch brand, fully aligned with the codes of board culture. Andy Laats, an engineer at Burton, the snowboard brand, joined the project, and the duo raised $1 million to create Nixon in Encinitas, California.
The Nixon brand quickly turned to sports sponsorship, equipping some of the best-known riders in the worlds of snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding. With big names such as Tony Hawk, Rob Machado, Bruce Irons and JP Walker, Nixon watches soon found their way onto the wrists of board-sports devotees, establishing themselves as a benchmark brand in the scene.
The wearer sits at the heart of the watch’s design, with preferred elements including high-quality quartz movements, stainless steel and reinforced mineral glass.
In 2006, surf-industry leader Billabong acquired Nixon. The giant gave the brand fresh momentum, and Nixon felt its wings grow.
For the past few years, the brand has been aiming to earn recognition from its peers in the world of watchmaking. Nixon, known for the successful design of its watches, needed a high-end collection to truly establish itself. That is how a new collection was born, featuring Swiss automatic movements, sapphire crystals, and materials such as ceramic, titanium and tungsten, brought together under the name “Elite Class”.
The best ambassador of this ambition is undoubtedly the Nixon The Automatic II—the most accomplished model in the “Nixon Elite Class” range: click here to read the review.
